Introduction The most common vehicle for implementing change within an or- ganization is the project, or a combination of projects known as a program. Projects are becoming more strategic in nature and scope, and an increasing number of traditional white-collar workers are in- volved with projects in some fashion. These projects often require unprecedented collaboration within an organization's lines of busi- ness, and across the business enterprise. This dynamic is creating a need for functional managers to work in collaboration, communicate effectively, and appreciate the best practice methods of project teams. Project executives, sponsors, middle managers, and functional managers are expected to be involved in an organization's projects-- over and above their duties of managing budgets, operations, and personnel. Functional managers' job responsibilities, if not formally written, often implicitly include the implementation of positive change, delivered through projects. However, little attention is fo- cused on the importance of functional managers' understanding of how projects should work. Despite this, functional managers are the bridge to successful organizational change. Unfortunately, project managers and their teams have embraced their own project management idiom. They communicate success- fully among themselves using their own dialect and project manage- ment jargon. These project teams are often trained in organizational project management methodology and industry standards (e.g., they have read A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, the PMBOK Guide), and their jargon can isolate a functional man- ix American Managememt Association · www.amanet.org