Management, Leadership and Skills - Planning and Control - Assignment Example

Table of Contents Project Management 1 Concept of Project Leadership 2 Characteristics of Project Leadership 3 Role of Project Leaders 4 Role of Motivation 6 The Concept of Motivation 6 Impact of Motivation on Project Management 9 Role of Communication in Motivation 10 Impact of Leadership Style on Project Success 11 Conclusion 12 References 13 Appendices 14 Appendix 1 14 Appendix 2 15 Appendix 3 17 Appendix 4 19 Appendix 5 20 Appendix 6 21 Appendix 7 22 Project Management Projects are goal oriented tasks which have a beginning and an ending. Every projects looks forward to produce unique outputs which differs them from ongoing operations. Project management is now a well studied field. Scholars have written numerous articles discussing different types of projects, their characteristics and the people who are involved. According to Xiong (2008, p-1) a project has a plan which comprises of objectives, aims and project specific tasks. Moreover, the project plan includes the methods using which these goals would be achieved followed by the resources (and budget) required for project completion. Project management is incomplete without a good leader and project staff. These people combine their skills with technology and communication infrastructure to achieve project goals. However, increasing global competition has created multiple problems for project managers. Some of these problems include: changes in goals, breakdowns in communication, unrealistic schedules, improper planning, ambiguity in goals, non-motivated and uncommitted workforce etc. In this fast paced environment it is therefore important to have good project managers who can overcomes such issues (Murugesan, 2012, p-326). Project management is an integral part of the business entities now and organizations need strong project managers to lead various projects. The effectiveness of projects depends upon the quality of management which is achieved by the hard work of people. In the field of project management, the workers and the staff associated with the project play an integral role in making it a success or a failure. In this research paper, project management has been discussed with in depth details. Moreover, the role of project leaders and the impact of their leadership style on the motivation of people has also been analysed critically. Theories related to leadership and motivation would add more value to the topic and make it more credible. Furthermore, the impact of good infrastructure in terms of smooth communication between project leaders and the project staff would also be studied deeply. Concept of Project Leadership The role and characteristics of project leaders heavily influence project management. According to Riaz et. al (2013, p-99), literature has usually ignored the impact of project manager’s leadership capabilities on the success of projects as one of the most significant success factors. The authors have argued that project manager’s effective leadership style is vital for the success of projects. The basic role of a project manager is to set a direction for the staff so as to cope up with dynamic changes of the environment. A project leader’s skills, personality, abilities and knowledge are extremely important to achieve best practices during project management. Riaz et. al (2013, p-99) further stressed on the fact that these personality traits and leadership styles are critical in determining the success or failure of projects. The role of a leader is to satisfy and motivate their workers by fulfilling their basic needs. Excellence in project management is only achieved when there is a good leader who can motivate his or her employees to bring out the best possible outcomes. Workers who have strong project leaders tend to produce better results, exhibit commitment and dedication towards work. However, if the leader is not able to manage the work properly, employees can become de-motivated resulting in poor performances. The research work done by Riaz et.al. (2013) is quite comprehensive and discusses the role of leadership with great emphasis on project leadership. The authors stress upon the fact that the good attributes of a strong project leader would definitely motivate the workers consequently reaping profits out of the project. However, Xiong (2008, p-14) conducted his study with a different angle of project leadership and its emerging trends. According to this author, project leadership has emerged as the most significant trait for the success of projects and in future it tends to become the most important skill for project managers. Refer to Appendix 1. Characteristics of Project Leadership Scholars have emphasized on the leadership traits of project managers extensively. Xiong (2008, p-15) explained in his study the leadership theory which was further divided into three components: trait-based, situational, and a behavioural approach. All three approaches have different understanding but they are interlinked. The trait approach focuses on the personal characteristics of the individual that make him/her stand out as a good leader. For example, a person having an enterprising spirit demanding high achievement and constantly strives for improvement. Traits like leadership motivation enable the individual to exhibit self confidence, loyalty and integrity towards his/her team. Similarly, Clarke (2009, p-192) suggested that there is a fine line between project leader and project manager. When a project manager goes under a psychological transition from task based management to more accountable, soft skills and conflict management, then he/she is said to be a project leader. Like Xiong (2008), Clarke (2009) also suggested some prominent features of good project leaders. The most important trait of a project leader is to be a visionary or a strategist. Good project leaders have the ability to anticipate issues and challenges during the course of project and take proactive measures. They set goals and vision for the workers so that they can own the project too. Moreover, strong leaders set a direction for workers and involve them fully instead of dictating the directions. The second approach is behavioural approach which ranges from task based behaviour to group maintenance behaviour and decision making behaviours. In task based behaviours, the project leaders are required to achieve certain goals using skills like accuracy, efficiency, quality management etc. In case of group maintenance behaviour, the project leaders should be able to satisfy the group members of teams by developing harmonious working conditions. The decision making behaviour may be autocratic or democratic. Just like Maylor (2010, p-246) suggested, the leadership style is very important during project management. A democratic approach is one in which the leader invites opinions from his/her subordinates and the vice versa happens in autocratic. The decision making style of the leader directly influences the course of the project. The last leadership approach is situational approach in which leaders alter their decisions, strategies and motivation according to the situation(s) at hand. This is done in order to accommodate different happenings and to avoid negative results. Role of Project Leaders Leaders believe in creating and strengthening project teams via participation from all members. In this way, the team members feel motivated to work. The role of a good leader here is to set examples for their team members by exhibiting excellent behaviour and attitude during work. The role of a leader is to build a team by empowering the team members so that each one of them is looking forward to work. A leader stimulates innovation and creativity among workers by fostering strong networking. Maylor (2010, p-246) has proposed a model which explains the role of a project leader with respect to planning, organizing, controlling and motivating the prject staff or teams. The model presented by this author is quite valuable in understanding the basic role played by a leader keeping in mind his/her personal beliefs, attitudes and experiences. Moreover, this model is an excellent illustration of practical outlook of project management (refer to Appendix 2). According to the leadership and management model presented by Maylor (2010), numerous stimuli develop the project leader’s skills and behaviour. These range from educational background to personality development and training over the years. Attitudes and individual skills of the project leader are most commonly responsible for shaping the roles during project management. However, the role of a project leader may be influenced by the organizational structure, culture, the nature of the task and the level of motivation exhibited by project staff members. All these external factors combine together in order to positively or negatively impact the role of the person; thus in response, he or she creates a management style. This management style may be authoritative, formal or collaborative depending on the individual’s attitudes. All the aforementioned factors and the leadership style directly influence the outcomes of the project. It can be said here that it all began from the individual’s personal grooming to the facilities provided by the organization. All these factors shape the leadership style which is solely responsible for the success or failure of the project. Thus, the role of a project leader is crucial for its success and should be given importance by the project initiators. This statement was also proved by the studies of Riaz et. al (2013), Xiong (2008) and Clarke (2009) in which they claimed that the individual abilities of the project leader has a direct influence on the results of the project. In fact, Xiong (2008, p-23) has proved this concept with statistics. In his quantitative and qualitative study, he interviewed prominent project managers of large construction companies and also used survey method via direct mail and telephone. The author tested the notion whether leadership is important for the success of projects or not. The results showed that 90% interviewees agreed to the fact that leadership skills are extremely important for project success (Xiong, 2008, p-23). The results further revealed that 52% of the respondents agreed that there should be some formal training to develop project leadership traits within individuals. This study also proved that successful project managers have high leadership skills because 73% of the respondents agreed to it. Refer to Appendix 3. Role of Motivation The Concept of Motivation The concept of motivation plays a strong role in inspiring, encouraging and stimulating project members to accomplish project goals. Motivation helps in fostering an environment which is healthy for collaborative team work which can positively influence all other factors like time, budget and meeting customer’s expectations. According to Peterson (2007, p-60) it is the role of the manager to induce such motivation within the team members so as to bring out the best outcomes. For this, the project leader needs to harness numerous interpersonal skills and lead by example. In order to understand the role of motivation in project management it is important to note various motivational theories set out by experienced scholars: McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y: This theory suggests that there are two groups of subordinates. Group X has members who need constant attention during work and would not work unless there is some kind of punishment attached. Group Y has individuals who are fond of working; they are participative and satisfied with working. Managers who use Theory X tend to create an authoritative environment and dictate his or her decisions. Whereas, Theory Y creates a participative aura with strong bonding between the employee and the manager/leader (Peterson, 2007, p-60). Herzberg’s KITA Motivation: KITA stands for ‘kick in the pants’ motivation. This theory suggests that both positive and negative motivators are prevalent and managers may require ‘carrots’ (positive KITA) or ‘sticks’ (negative KITA) to perform tasks. This motivation theory states that there is a parent-child bond between the managers and employees where at times liberty is given and at other times managers take full control of the situation (Peterson, 2007, p-61). McClelland Achievement, Affiliation and Power Motivation: This theory is divided into three components: Achievement, Affiliation and Power. In case of achievement based motivation, individuals are ambitious to achieve a certain target or goal. They fell motivated because they have a direction and are self-driven. Some individuals are motivated with affiliation with others. This attracts them towards team unity and urges them to build strong teams. This motivation is surfaced once the person is in a position of power where he or she can dominate (Peterson, 2007, p-62). Scholars have emphasized on the fact that leadership style is crucial for project’s success but at the same time motivation among project staff is equally important. If the individuals are not willing to work to their full potential no leader can success. In fact, one of the traits of a good leader, as suggested by Schmid & Adams (2008, p-60) is that he or she can motivate the members involved in the project. Authors suggested that the participative leadership style is the most ideal form of leadership for achieving best results of the project. Project leaders can use intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli to motivate their employees. Intrinsic motivation is one in which people find the project interesting and develop immediate satisfaction. Extrinsic motivation required some external rewards or appreciation in order to stay motivated. For example, verbal recognition, feedback, bonuses, upgrades etc (Schmid & Adams, 2008, p-61). The same authors conducted a comprehensive study on the relationship between motivation and the success of project; obtaining responses from 115 respondents working in different industries. They suggested that projects have three phases: start (in which planning takes place), intermediate (in which the execution of the project takes place) and closing (in which the project is ended). The research suggested that motivation levels are reduced as the project progresses. Approximately 88% of the respondents agreed that the highest level of motivation is during the begging of the project which reduces to only 44% towards the end of the project. However, a good project manager can positively influence the motivation levels of the staff by introducing rewards system. Research showed that introducing rewards at the intermediate level of the project is more successful than the introduction or closing stages. Refer to Appendix 4. Impact of Motivation on Project Management The project can become successful if the project leaders have significant know how of motivation dynamics and influential techniques. Schmid & Adams (2008) argued that organizational factors and elements specifics to teams are necessary for motivation. Team leaders can create a sub culture within the organization and motivate their teams in order to achieve the goals if the reject in a successful manner. Their study further elaborated that most team m are quite motivated at the beginning because of the uniqueness of projects and require less motivational efforts by leaders. However, factors like lack of top management’s support, internal conflicts and ambiguities may hamper motivation. The project leader should be able to overcome these barriers so that his or her team is motivated to work. This can be done by creating intrinsic motivation within the subordinates so that they are personally connected with the project. Once this happens, the employees start owing the project as their own and performed well. Factors like good communication, involvement and trust are strong intrinsic elements and create motivation. Schmid & Adam’s (2008, p- 68) research suggested that approximately 58% of project managers agreed that allowing members to come up with innovative ways to produce results is an interesting way to motivate them (Refer to Appendix 5). Even if the overall culture of the organization is not supportive, a project leader’s best practices can motivate people in performing well. Approximately 63% project manger’s said that their capabilities can ensure a motivational environment for the project staff. Role of Communication in Motivation The most important thing in project management is the motivation of employees which comes from self-direction. This can be achieved once the members are taking active role in performing the tasks assigned to them. However, if the infrastructure is not right then the employees find themselves in an ambiguous situation. In order to combat this, it is important that project staff have proper access to technology and communication (Perumal et.al, 2011, p-93). When there are proper channels of communication, employees are at ease in explaining their problems and understanding the goals of the project. Poor communication models only lead to confusions and mishaps leading to a failed project. The role of a project leader here is to ensure that the communication at all levels of the project is done flawlessly. This does not mean that good communication is the only reason for the success of projects. It has to combine with the leadership qualities of the project manager and the staff’s commitment in order to become successful. Perumal et. al (2011, p- 95) argued that good communication is achieved by advance technology which acts as a bridge for communication with all stakeholders. It also enhances team work because members from different parts of the organization can contribute their valuable knowledge to the project. Good infrastructure enables multi-tasking and the completion of numerous procedures in an accurate manner (refer to Appendix 6). Impact of Leadership Style on Project Success This paper exhibits comprehensive knowledge on the benefits of having good leaders for project management. Leadership can be displayed in three forms: emotional competency, managerial competency and intellectual competency. Emotional competencies include motivation, influence, self awareness and conscientious (Jiang, 2014, p-53). Managerial competencies are the abilities to manage resources, communicate effectively and develop empowerment. Finally, intellectual competencies involve strategic planning, creating visions and conducting analyses. The project manager’s leadership style plays a crucial role on the success or failure of the project. Jiang (2014, p-54) argued that unless the leader possess the aforementioned traits, he or she cannot derive positive results from the project. In addition, the type of project also plays a crucial role in depicting the success rate. The authors claimed that if the project leader exhibits reasonable management style combined with a motivated project team then he or she can achieve project success. The authors developed a model which clearly explains this fact. According to this model, the positive impact of the management style of leader helps in motivating the team which in turn performs at its best to achieve success. Refer to Appendix 7. This model is ideal for explaining how leadership style can positively impact the results of the project. Conclusion This research paper extensively studied the significance of good leadership styles in project management. Valuable literature was studied in order to define various theories followed by critical arguments for the topic. The research question was that leaders can motivate their employees to perform better for the project. This claim was supported by numerous statistics and findings obtained from different articles. A motivational leadership approach is bound to achieve project success and vice versa using strong technological and communication platforms. References Clarke, Prudence, ‘Leadership, beyond project management,’ Industrial and Commercial Training Emerald Group Publishing, Vol. 41 Issue: 4, 2009, pp. 187 - 194 Jiang, Juanjuan, ‘The Study of the Relationship between Leadership Style and Project Success,’ American Journal of Trade and Policy, Vol. 1, Issue 1, 2014, pp 51-55 Maylor, Harvey, Project Management, 4th Edition. (Pearson Education Limited, 2010) Murugesan R, ‘Attributes Of Leadership for Success In Project Management,’ International Journal of Engineering and Management Sciences, Vol.3, Issue 3, 2012, pp 326-335 Perumal , Vasanthi and Bakar, Abu Hasan, ‘The Inluence Of Technology: Factors Motivating Project Management Team Successfully,’ International Journal of Economics and Management Sciences Vol. 1, No. 5, 2011, pp. 92-96 Peterson, Tonya, ‘Motivation: How to Increase Project Team Performance,’ Project Management Journal, Vol. 38, No. 4, 2007, pp 60–69 Riaz, Ahmed, Tahir, Masood Muhammad & Noor, Azmi, ‘Leadership is Vital for Project Managers to Achieve Project Efficacy,’ Research Journal of Recent Sciences, Vol. 2, Issue 6, 2013, pp 99-102 Schmid, Bernhard and Adams, Jonathan, ‘Motivation in Project Management: The Project Manager’s Perspective,’ Project Management Journal, Vol. 39, No. 2, 2008, pp 60–71 Xiong, Riyue, ‘Leadership In Project Management’ Master of Science Thesis (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008) Appendices Appendix 1 Leadership Trends: Source: Xiong (2008, p-15) Appendix 2 Role of Leadership: Source: Maylor (2010, p-247) Appendix 3 Importance of Leadership Skills: Source: Xiong (2008, pp 23-25) Leadership Training Successful Managers have high Leadership Skill Appendix 4 Team Motivation at Different Project Stages: Schmid & Adams (2008, p-67) Appendix 5 Manager’s ability to Motivate: Schmid & Adam’s (2008, p- 68) Appendix 6 Impact of Good Communication on Motivation: Perumal et. al (2011, p-95) Appendix 7 Project Management Model: Jiang (2014, p-54) Read More