Week 14 Ch16 & 17 Project Leadership

• Project Manager’s Role

  In this episode we begin with a study that Posner performed in which he sought to

  identify the skills that make a difference in successfully managing projects. Posner

  reasoned that if he first identified the leading problems….that the essential skills

  would emerge.

  We then identify the many roles that a project manager must play from key

  decision maker to project evangelist. We also focus on the specific responsibilities

  of a project manager. This is a good list to internalize. If you are a project

  manager and ever wonder about what you should be doing
• Survey Says...

  What are the leading project management Problems?

  Resources inadequate (69)

  Meeting deadlines (67)

  Unclear goals (63)

  Uncommitted team members (59)

  Insufficient planning (56)

  Communication breakdowns (54)

  Changes in goals / resources (42)

  
• Survey Says...(cont’d.)

  What project management skills make a difference in successfully managing projects?

  [Adapted from Meredith & Mantel]

  Communication Skills (84)

  • Listening

  • Persuading

  Organizational Skills (75)

   Planning

   Goal-setting

   Analyzing

  Team Building Skills (72)

   Empathy

   Motivation

   Esprit de Corps

  Leadership Skills (68)

   Sets Example

   Energetic

   Vision

   Delegates

   Positive

  Coping Skills (59)

   Flexibility

   Creativity

   Patience

   Persistence

  Technological Skills (46)

   Experience

   Project Knowledge

  
• Project Manager’s Role

  Integrator

  Communication Hub Decision Maker

  Direction Setter

  [Adapted Nicholas & Steyn, PMEBT]

  Evangelist Entrepreneur

  Change Agent

  
• PM Responsibilities


  Planning the project; leading the project team; engaging stakeholders; maintaining contact with customers; monitoring project status.

  
• PM Responsibilities (cont’d.)

  communicating project status; identifying technical and functional problems and solving them; resolving conflicts; recommending termination or redirection when appropriate.

  
• Project Leadership


  Then we share a slide that contrasts the roles of leadership with management. Do

  you think these are mutually exclusive? Are some people better suited to lead

  than others? Can we improve our leadership skills?

  We then examine the importance of technical competence. Some projects involve

  more technologies and more complicated technologies than others. How well

  does a project manager need to understand the technologies associated with a

  project?
• Key Term Defined

  Project Leadership - that individual who leads a project team during the project life cycle and accomplishes the project objectives on time and within budget.
• Continuum of Leadership Behavior


  Use of authority by the manager

  Area of freedom for subordinates

  Boss

  Centered

  Leadership

  Subordinate

  Centered

  Leadership

  Manager

  makes

  decision

  and

  announces

  it.

  Manager

  “sells”

  decision.

  Manager

  presents

  ideas and

  invites

  questions.

  Manager

  presents

  tentative

  decision

  subject to

  change.

  Manager

  presents

  problem,

  gets

  suggestions,

  makes

  decisions.

  Manager

  defines

  limits;

  asks

  group to

  make

  decision.

  Manager

  permits

  subordinates

  to function

  within limits

  defined by

  superior.

  Range of Behavior

  
• Leadership vs. Management

  “A leader does the right thing; a manager does things right” - Bennis

  Leadership

  • Develops and sells vision

  • Copes with change

  • Builds networks and develops strategies

  • Sets general direction

  • Motivates and secures commitments

  • Becomes symbol of project

  • Builds political support

  Management

  • Copes with complexity of management

  systems

  • Oversees resource application

  • Plans, organizes, controls project

  • Keeps stakeholders informed

  • Monitors & evaluates abilities of team

  members

  • Ensures communication system in tact

  • Develops competencies of team

  
• Leadership Competencies


  The Project Manager should understood: the technology involved in the project; the management process; the systems context and strategic context of the project. The project manager should be able to: Use interpersonal skills to build the project team, and work with the team and other project stakeholders.... Make and implement project decisions; produce results.

  
• Technical Competence (1)


  Project

  Software

  Equipment Lean Prod’n Training

  The Project Manager should have: the experience, background, and perspective that spans the entire project ie, "domain competency." The requisite domain competency is determined by the project scope.

  
• Technical Competence (2)

  Project Mander must be able to: understand all phases and aspects of project; understand the problems/issues; communicate effectively with everyone; maintain an unbiased outlook in the interest of project goals; make informed decisions about everything within the project scope.

  
• Technical Competence (3)

  PM is not necessarily the expert in any particular area of the project - others are better. But for the overall project, the PM is the expert!
• The Authority Gap

  The disparity between high formal responsibility and low formal authority… means PMs must rely on other forms of influence.
• Sources of Power

  Most references cite: formal (legitimate) power; reward power; coercive (penalty) power; expert power; referent (charisma) power
• Sources of Influence

  Project Manager

  Project Workers &

  Funct. Managers

  Competence

  Reputation

  Charisma

  Interpersonal Skills

  Alliances

  Reciprocity

  
• A Communications Model

  Source Encoding Message

  Channel

  Decoding Receiver

  Feedback

  • Source– the originator of the communication

  • Encoder– the oral or written symbols used to transmit the message

  • Message– what the source hopes to communicate

  • Channel– the medium used to transmit the message

  • Decoder – interpretation of the message by the receiver

  • Receiver– recipient for whom the message is intended

  • Feedback– information used to determine the fidelity of the message

  • Noise– anything that distorts, distracts misunderstands, or interferes

  with the communication process

  
• Tips for the Sender

  Be as specific and forthright as possible about the information to be transmitted; know the receiver and his or her expectations; design the message with the receiver in mind; select the medium for the message with receiver in mind; plan for the timing of the communication; consider urgency.

  
• Tips for the Receiver

  Listen actively and carefully to the message; be sensitive to the sender; consider who is sending and why; influence the choice of medium; plan for and initiate timely feedback; acknowledge receipt and provide response. Be sure to seek clarification when needed.

  
• A Project Communication Plan

  A Project Communication Plan

  [Adapted from USAA BPMP]

  Audience Messages Media / Tactics Action Agent Date

  Feedback

  PAC

  members

  Management

  Summary of

  new tax law

  1. Why the

  campaign

  2) How it will work

  3) How to get more

  info

  Others

  PAC

  newsletter

  Management

  meeting

  Ochoa

  Boudreaux

  May 11

  May 18

  
• A Project Communication Plan

  Audience Messages Media / Tactics Action Agent Date

  Feedback

  PAC

  members

  Management

  Summary of

  new tax law

  1. Why the

  campaign

  2) How it will work

  3) How to get more

  info

  Others

  PAC

  newsletter

  Management

  meeting

  Ochoa

  Boudreaux

  May 11

  May 18

  
• Team Building 


  the process of taking a collection of individuals with different needs, backgrounds, and expertise and transforming them into an integrated, effective work unit.
• Example Project Team 1

  
• Example Project Team 2

  
• Example Project Team 3

  
• Objectives of Team Building

  purpose

  communication

  solving group problems

  collaboration and creativity

  trust

  
• What Makes Teams Effective?

  Team knows what it must do, and commits to doing it! Roles are clearly defined; Leaders inculcate belief in purpose of the team; teamworks is focused on the task. Distinctions between task and process functions dissolve. Members have a team consciousness / identification.

  
• Characteristics of High Performing Teams

  Leaders and members devote extraordinary amounts of time to the task; team member fully commit for the duration of the project; teams focus on key issues and have well defined priorities

  
• Creating a New Project Team

  Create a climate for effective team organization. Define the project organization, interface and reporting relations: project charter; project organization chart; Project responsibility matrix; job descriptions. Define the project scope and key parameters: work; timing; resources; responsibilities. Staff the project and organize the team.

  
• Project Conflict and Stress

  Is conflict always negative? Should we always avoid conflict? In this episode we

  identify some of the beneficial aspects of conflict. It seems more a matter of how

  we can leverage the inherent conflict we will encounter in projects to improve the

  solutions we deliver!

  This episode concludes with a discussion of stress. Stress is real and it impacts

  everyone. The key is to recognize when it is impacting your ability to succeed, and

  to take appropriate actions. As a leader, it is also important to think about how

  you can make life on a project

  
• Conflict During the PLC

  
• Conflict Resolution Strategies

  Confrontation: joint problems solving efforts where a solution to the problem is the goal, and win-lose dynamics are not of primary importance.

  Compromise: Characterized by a give-and-take attitude among all parties involved in the conflict, each winning and losing some points.

  Smoothing Over: Emphasizes areas of agreement and plays down the differences.

  • Forcing: Exerting one's viewpoint at the expense of another. Characterized by "I win, you lose" attitude.

  • Withdrawal: Avoiding or ignoring conflict situations.

  
• Beneficial Aspects of Conflict

  better ideas

  new approaches

  persistent problems

  clarify

  creativity

  test
• Beneficial Aspects of Conflict

  better ideas

  new approaches

  persistent problems

  clarify

  creativity

  test

  
• Emotional Stress

  Downsides to working in projects: long hours, tight schedules, high risks, high stakes. Negative consequences on social and family relationships and individual mental and physical: emotional stress, bankruptcy, divorce, ulcers, mental breakdowns, and heart attacks. Work overload: too much work or doing too many things at once.

  
• Emotional Stress (cont’d.)

  Downsides to working in projects: Role conflict: a person has two roles with incompatible requirements. Role ambiguity: inadequate or confusing information about what a person is expected to do on the job. Social relations: working with people who are self-centered, authoritarian, abrasive, or condescending.

  
• Organizational Means for Managing Stress

  Setting reasonable work plans and schedules; Delegating responsibility and increasing individual autonomy; clarifying responsibilities, authority and performance criteria; Clarifying goals, procedures and decision criteria; Giving consideration and support in leadership.

  
• Individual Means for Managing Stress

  Reduce stressors in the environment (perception, time management, effective planning). Improve individual responses to stress (relaxation training, physical outlets, diversions). Clinical treatment (counseling, psychotherapy, medical care)