Unit 7_People Management in Projects

7/27/2019 Unit 7_People Management in Projects

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Course: PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Unit 7

People Management in Projects


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Unit 7: People Management in Projects`

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Contents

7.1 Learning Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 3

7.2 Leadership Introduction................................................................................................................ 3

7.3 Teamwork....................................................................................................................................... 14

7.4 Conflict Management..................................................................................................................... 17

7.5 Summary......................................................................................................................................... 22

7.6 References ...................................................................................................................................... 23


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7.1 Learning ObjectivesBy the end of this unit, you should be able to:

Revisit the concept of leadership Know the various leadership styles in managing a project Explain the importance of team work Specify how team motivation and synergy are important in a project Know how to motivate teams for attaining success in projects Understand the origin of conflicts and their resolution

7.2 LeadershipIntroductionExample of good leader for a project

Here is an example of a good leader for a project. Mr. Sreedharan was appointed asProject manager and Managing Director of DMRCL (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

Limited) in 1997. He had a reputation for completing major projects on time and within

the budget.

The following is an extract from Delhi Metro Project: Indian Project Managers Show

the Way by India Brand Equity Foundation.

The real marvel of the Delhi Metro project is the way in which a foreign dependent

project has been localized and re-engineered. This was done by roping in Indian

companies as consortium members at each stage of the project.


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When E. Sreedharan took over as the managing director of Delhi Metro Rail

Corporation in November 1997, two doubts were raised about the subway rail venture:was it worth the effort? Equally important, would it finish on time?

After all, putting together a subway railway system in a crowded metropolitan city isnt

easy. A large number of utilities like water pipes, sewerage lines, telephone and electric

cables need to be relocated to facilitate the construction work; people have to be

relocated In fact, Indias first metro project in the eastern city of Kolkata took more

than 25 years to complete.

Quotes on Leadership

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other John. F.Kennedy in a speech

in Dallas, USA, in 1963.

Leadership is not about bullying people, it is about getting people to respect you with

your leadership skills and qualities Dwight D. Eisenhower

In the words of Jack Welch, previous CEO of General Electric, Dont manage! Lead!

7.2.1 Leaders and associated characteristics

A leader is one who sets the direction and exerts influence on the people to follow that

direction.

The key characteristics of leaders are discussed below:

Characteristic DescriptionMaintaining

cohesiveness within

the team

A leader ensures that the team is cohesive (i.e. stays as one

unit) even in a crisis and when the members of the team

become less optimistic.

Focusing on the big

picture

A leader needs to focus on the big picture and the value that

would be provided by the project. The focus has to be on the


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vision and meeting the objectives of the project rather than

getting into micro-level details.Remaining calm A leader has to be calm so that thinking is rational and right

decisions are made thus ensuring that the end objectives are

successfully achieved.

Being the first to

sacrifice

When there is a problem, a leader is always there to share the

pain and even take more of it. For example, when a project is

behind schedule and needs working on the week-end, the

leader should also be available and not just leave it to the team

to workMotivating the team There could be challenges in a project and team members

could lose hope. A leader needs to provide motivation to the

team and explain how the end result could still be achieved.

While remaining positive, a leader also needs to ensure that

team members have a positive frame of mind.

Creating small wins A leader needs to look at achieving wins, even if they are

small. The leader needs to look at interim victories, since it

helps to develop self-esteem and a positive frame of mind

within the team

Having a sense of

humor

It is important for a leader to identify opportunities for fun and

also maintain a sense of good humor

7.2.2 Need for Leadership in projects

A leader visualizes something that is required to be done, knows that it could be made tohappen, and gets started. The following figure depicts the types of problems being

faced in a project management scenario.


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F igure 7.1Problems frequently occurring in Project Management

(Source: James Taylor, A Survival Guide for Project Managers,AMACOM Div American

Management Association, 2006)

Hence, it is important to have the right leadership to ensure a successful outcome for a

project.

The growing significance of project leadership is depicted in the figure below:


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F igure 7.2Growing significance of Project leadership skills

(Source: Larry Richman, Improving Your Project Management Skills, AMACOM DivAmerican Management Association, 2006)


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7.2.3 Important project leadership skills

Some of the most important leadership skills for managing a project are discussed below:(Source: Bennis, W., "Learning to Lead," 1997, Addison-Wesley,MA.)

Skill Description

Vision Ability to see the big picture (i.e., visualizing the overall

objectives and a macro-level view of the project)

Energetic Possessing the ability to drive others forward

Being a role model Set an example for others to follow and lead from the front

Delegation Ability to delegate tasks to the right people

Positive attitude Maintaining a positive frame of mind even during crisis and

problems and ensuring that the team members do not give up hope

A good communicator Having the ability to clearly communicate on the goals,

performance, expectations, etc. with people at all levels

Integrity Commitment to ethical practices and demonstrating it

Enthusiastic Having a can-do attitude and expressing commitment to the goals

with optimism

Empathy Having concern for the team and acknowledging their feelings

Competence Competent in leading others and capable of inspiring, enabling and

encouraging others

Calm under pressure Maintaining a calm and composed approach under pressure and

taking problems / stressful events as opportunities to influence their

outcome

Team building skills Ability to hold the team together in a common purpose towards the

right objective.

Problem solving skills Having excellent skills in solving problems


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7.2.4 Leadership Styles

The style of leadership (i.e., the way in which leaders function) could be different. It is

important to know the various leadership styles so that it helps in becoming a more

effective leader.

The various leadership styles include the following:

Autocratic leadership Democratic leadership (Participative leadership) Charismatic leadership Bureaucratic leadership Task-oriented leadership People-oriented leadership Laissez-faire leadership Servant leadership Transactional leadership Transformational leadership

We will now see the differences regarding the various leadership styles from project

management perspective.

The following table depicts the leadership style, its relevance from a project perspective,

and limitations:


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Leadership Style Relevance from a project

perspective

Limitations

Autocratic leadership

Leaders have total power over their

teams or staff. Decisions are usually

made without consulting the team

When quick decisions arerequired in the project (if

decisions are not quickly

taken, the project could

collapse)

When no inputs areneeded from the team

When no inputs areneeded from the team

When agreement from theteam is not required for a

successful outcome

Autocratic leadership

results in employee

demotivation and

resentment, high levels

of absenteeism, and

attrition

Democratic leadership

(Participative leadership)

In democratic style of leadership,

team members also contribute to

decision-making. The leader takes

the inputs from the team before

taking a final decision. This provides

motivation and job satisfaction to

team members and also facilitates

skill development.

A democratic style of

leadership is more relevant

when it is important to have

the agreement of the team,

and also when quality is of

higher priority than

productivity or the speed of

task completion

This style of leadership

could result in a longer

time for decision-

making especially when

a large number of people

are involved in decision-

making and when there

are widely different

ideas/suggestions

Charismatic leadership

These types of leaders provide This is more appropriate when Since these leaders have


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inspiration and lots of enthusiasm in

their teams, and have the energy in

driving things forward. These

leaders also have a lot of

responsibility and need to

demonstrate commitment in the

long-term.

the followers believe that

success is directly linked to

the presence and charisma of

the leader

a greater belief in

themselves than in their

teams, it is risky. When

the leader leaves, it

could cause the project

to collapse

Bureaucratic leadership

Leaders practicing this style of

leadership stick to the rules and

ensure that the staff also follow the

procedures.

It is more appropriate when

the project involves high

safety risks (e.g. operating

with machines, poisonous

substances) or when a large

quantum of money is

involved.

Bureaucratic leadership

style could cause

problems due to lack of

flexibility. There could

also be delays due to

rigidly following rules

without considering the

current scenario.

Task-oriented leadership

Leaders who are task-oriented focus

to a large extent on ensuring that the

work is done. They could exhibit

elements of autocratic style of

leadership.

It is more appropriate when

tasks in the project somehow

need to be completed and also

when the focus is on putting

structures in place and

needing very close planning,organizing and monitoring.

The leaders practicing

this style of leadership

do not focus on the

welfare of the team, and

focus only on tasks. This

could result in issuessimilar to that faced in

an autocratic style of

leadership such as

difficulty in retaining

and motivating


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employees.

People-oriented leadership

This style of leadership is directly

opposite to that of task-oriented

leadership. It is also a participative

style of leadership. The leaders focus

on team development and in

providing support. It encourages

teamwork and enhances motivationof members in the team. Leaders

generally use a task-oriented and

people-oriented style of leadership.

This style of leadership is

directly opposite to that of

task-oriented leadership. It is

also a participative style of

leadership. The leaders focus

on team development and in

providing support. It

encourages teamwork and

enhances motivation of

members in the team. Leaders

generally use a task-oriented

and people-oriented style of

leadership.

This style of leadership

could result in a longer

time for decision-

making, especially

when a large number of

people are involved in

decision-making and

when there are widely

different ideas /

suggestions

Laissez-faire leadership

In this style of leadership, the leader

does not interfere and team members

work on their own. If there is

monitoring from the leader regarding

what is being achieved and provides

feedback to the team regularly, this

style could be effective. It might

also occur when the managers do not

apply adequate control.


more effective when the team

members are very

experienced, capable, and

self-motivated, and also when

close monitoring / supervision

is not required.

This approach could fail

in situations where the

team is inexperienced

and not capable and also

when the managers get

distracted often.

Servant leadership

A servant leader is one who is

usually not formally recognized as


applicable when there is no

specified leader and one

This approach could fail

in a highly competitive

scenario since servant


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one. It is a case of a person at any

level in the organization leading to

meet the needs of the team. It is also

a type of participative leadership

since the entire team generally gets

involved in the decision making

process.

person achieves power based

on values and ideals. For

example, a project to be

undertaken from a social

responsibility perspective

could have one person

functioning as a leader

considering his/her values and

ideals.

leaders could be left

behind by leaders who

utilize other styles of

leadership.

Transactional leadership

In this style of leadership, the team

members agree to obey the leader

completely. The leader has the right

to award punishment to the team

members if the work does not meet

the pre-defined standard.


applicable when the focus is o

routine tasks in the short-

term and it is critical to

complete these tasks within

the limited timeframe.

In a transactional

leadership approach,

team members may not

have much job

satisfaction. Further, it

is not suitable to be

applied in the case of

knowledge-based work

or tasks involving

creativity.

Transformational leadership

True leaders exhibit this leadership

style. They provide inspiration to

teams consistently with a shared

vision of the future. The enthusiasm

of the leader gets usually passed

onto the team members.

Transformational leaders are real

motivators and are trusted.


applicable when it is required

to take up new initiatives that

add value, and also in projects

that require a lot of creativity

and innovation.

It may not be very much

relevant when routine

and unskilled tasks are

to be performed.


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Which is the right leadership approach in a project scenario?

The transformational leadership approach is usually effective, but `there is no specific

leadership formula that would be suitable for all scenarios. Sometimes, a combination of

leadership styles is used. A project manager needs to consider the following key aspects

while selecting an appropriate leadership approach:

Organizational environment (stable or dynamically changing, conservative, etc.). Skill levels and experience of the team Nature of work (creative work, routine work, etc.) His/her preferred or natural style

7.3 TeamworkTeamwork involves performing an activity or a group of inter-related activities by more

than one person towards achievement of common objectives.

The concept of teamwork is not new and has been in existence since the days of ancientcivilization. However, it has gained significance as a management concept in recent

times.

Importance of Teamwork

Teamwork is very important in a project scenario. Let us look at the example of the Tata

Nano project.

[Source: Regional ReportIndiaFebruary 2008, Published in PM World TodayFeb 2008 (Vol X, Issue II) ]

Girish Wagh, the leader of the Tata Motors engineers who built the Nano, repeatedly

used two words to describe how they helped turn Ratan Tatas dream into reality, Team

work... team work ... team work,.


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The team work could be considered as a combination of innovation in design anddevelopment, component engineering, and the skilful management of vendors who are

supplying components for the Nano.

7.3.1 Concept of synergy in a team environment

The concept of synergy could be better understood through effective teamwork.

According to the concept of synergy, the performance of the combined parts is much

higher than the sum of the individual parts. In other words, the output from an effectiveteam would be much higher than the sum of outputs of the individual members within the

team.

Let us understand the significance of synergy through the following illustration:

Mathematical principles 1 +1 = 2

Concept of synergy 1 + 1 > 2

In other words, the output of two individuals is much more when they operate as

members within an effective team, rather than working in an isolated mode.

7.3.2 Building effective teams

It is required to build effective teams since it is one of the key influencing factors in the

successful outcome of a project.

If a group of individuals need to function as a single cohesive unit, this transformation

needs building of effective teams. It is important to consider the following while building

effective teams:

o Deploy the right leadership style during each stage of team buildingo Understand the styles of the various members of the team


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o Know how to leverage the style of each team member at the appropriate timefor resolving problems

Reference from PMBoK

According to PMBok (Project Management Body of Knowledge), the Human Resource

Management knowledge area has four processes.

The following diagram depicts the overall Project Human Resources Managementknowledge area:

Figure 7.3: Project Human Resource Management (PMBoK)


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We would focus on two of them which are related to the topic under discussion, namely:

Develop Project team

Manage Project teamDevelop Project Team

This is the process of improving the competencies, team interaction, and the overall team

environment to enhance project performance

Team building activities are encouraged during this process. Some aspects that facilitate

team building include having an orientation meeting, facilitating communication betweenmembers, and engaging members in games designed to build a bonding between team

members.

When there is a conflict, it must be resolved. It is required to handle potential problems

between resources early before they go out of control.

Manage Project Team

The process of tracking team member performance, providing feedback, resolving issues, and

managing changes to optimize project performance

According to this process, the project manager has to ensure that teamwork exists

between all team members. The project manager also needs to ensure the productivity

and efficiency of the team while performing tasks.

7.4 Conflict ManagementIt is necessary for project managers to deal with conflict. Some conflicts are easy to

manage while others could be quite challenging to handle.

Let us look at a real-life example for a totally challenging conflict.


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The Tata Nano project was initially declared at Singur. Subsequently a conflict arose

related to land acquisition. Some farmers refused to provide land on account of theirlivelihood. The conflict increased with a demand for return of 400 acres of land from the

acquired land for the farmers who were not willing to provide their land for the project.

Dialogues and discussions did not help and the only resolution strategy was withdrawal,

wherein the Tata Nano plant had to be shifted to Sanand in Gujarat, where the remaining

portion of the work was completed.

Why does conflict arise?

Conflict could arise when a group of individuals come together as a team. It occurs in

relationships of any kind. This is because there could be differences in terms of authority,

values, and attitudes that give rise to conflict. The conflict could arise from internal

sources or could be due to external factors.

Conflict management A business scenario

Let us consider a business scenario wherein a new product has to be rolled out within the

next two months. A few team members in the project have been late with deliverables.

Further team meetings degraded to sessions of argument and shouting. The features and

functions required in the project have also got missed. Further, team members were not

attending meetings or providing a report on the status. It was also known that some of

them were working against the interests of the team.

Positive Conflict Vs Negative Conflict

Conflict could lead to a positive or negative outcome. Let us look at the differences

between them.

Positive conflict Negative conflict

Has a tendency to strengthen the team after Could destroy a team


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resolution of the conflict

Forces people to identify causes and look

for solutions; Leads to new ideas and

approaches to organizational processes

Focus may shift away from the issue on

hand

Facilitates bringing out important issues Important issues may get sidelined due to

insignificant issues taking a priority

Provides opportunities for people to

enhance their communication and

interpersonal skills

People begin to feel defeated; Increase in

distrust and suspicion leading to a war-like

environment

A positive conflict could lead to learning,

creativity, and growth

A negative conflict creates an environment

of fear

7.4.1 Sources of conflict in a project

The following are some of the sources of conflict in a project scenario:1. Communication-related conflict2. Project structure-related conflict3. Conflict due to personal factors

Communication-related conflict

Conflict could arise due to communication-related aspects that include:

Poor listening skills Inadequate sharing of information Interpretational differences Differences in perception Ignoring nonverbal communication (e.g. body language, signs, etc.)


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Project structure-related conflict

Conflict could also arise due to Project-structure related aspects such as:

Size of the project Extent of participation within the team Systems for reward and recognition Extent of interdependence within the team

Conflict due to personal factors

Conflict could arise due to personal factors such as:

Individual goals of team members Self-esteem of members within the team Values and needs of individuals within the team

7.4.2 Need for managing conflict

Conflicts cannot be avoided as it could occur whenever a group of people are involved.

This is true in a project scenario as well. Hence, it is important to manage conflicts.

If conflict is managed adequately, it could provide benefits to the team. The negative

consequences of a conflict could be avoided by dealing with disputes in a quick and open

manner. If conflict is to be dealt with successfully, managers and team members must

understand its unpredictability and its impact on individuals and the team as a whole. If

conflicts are inappropriately handled, it could lead to dissatisfaction and demotivation

within the team.

7.4.3 Conflict management approaches

The following are some of the approaches for managing conflicts:

Providing training on communication and interpersonal skills


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Emphasis on appreciation of the value of differences

Increased volume of effective team communication, upward and downward Team meetings and status review meetings in greater frequency to minimize any

inconsistency in the way the project goals and priorities have been perceived

Focus on human relations and teambuilding skills Mutual respect for each other Willingness to resolve disagreements

7.4.4. Techniques for managing conflicts within teams

The four aspects to be considered while managing conflicts within teams are:

[Source: Donald Weiss, president of Self-Management Communication, Inc.,, 1997]

1. Listen2. Acknowledge3. Respond4. Resolve the remaining differencesWe will now briefly discuss each of the above principles for managing conflicts:

1. ListenThis does not mean just hearing to what others say but means listening

effectively. It is important to focus on the words spoken and also on the nonverbal

gestures.

2. AcknowledgeThis does not mean agreeing with what is said by others but recognizing their

point of view. Examples of these include statements such as We may need to

explore your point of view further, If I have understood you right, you are

indicating that we need to do it this way.


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3. RespondIt is not sufficient to just listen and acknowledge. We also need to provide our

response. It is required to provide constructive criticism, or if we are disagreeing

with what has been said, we should readily provide an alternative.

4. Resolution of remaining differencesThe overall problem has to be looked at from an understanding of the causes of

disagreement. It would also be required to decompose the problem into multiple

manageable chunks. This enables generating alternative solutions to the defined

problem.

7.5 SummaryA leader is one who sets the direction and exerts influence on the people to follow

that direction. Some of the key characteristics of leadership include aspects such

as focusing on the big picture. There are various leadership styles which include

Autocratic leadership, Democratic leadership, Charismatic leadership,

Bureaucratic leadership, Task-oriented leadership, People-oriented leadership,

laissez-faire oriented leadership, Servant leadership, Transactional leadership and

Transformational leadership. There is no specific leadership formula that would

be suitable for all scenarios. Sometimes, a combination of leadership styles is

used.

Teamwork involves performing an activity or a group of inter-related activities by

more than one person towards achievement of common objectives. The concept of

synergy could be better understood through effective teamwork.


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Conflict could arise when a group of individuals come together as a team. It

occurs in relationships of any kind. Hence, conflict management is also applicablewhile managing projects. The source of conflicts could be either internal or

external. Conflicts are classified as positive and negative. It could be categorized

as Communication-related, Project structure-related, and conflict related to

personal factors. Conflicts within a team could be managed by applying the 4

principles, namely, Listen, Acknowledge, Respond, and Resolution of the

remaining differences.

7.6 ReferencesRecommended books

Sl.

No.

Text books / Reference books Year Publisher Edition

1 Project Management for Business,

Engineering & Technology by Nicholas,

Steyn 2008

Elsevieer

(Butterworth) 3rd edition

2 Project Management - A Managerial

Approach by Meredith, Mantel Jr. 2007 Wiley India 5th edition

3 Projects - Planning, Analysis, Section,

Financing, Implementation & Review by

Prasanna Chandra 2006 CFM-TMH 6th edition

Articles / Information for additional reading

1. Six ways to give proper project leadership -http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/six-ways-to-give-proper-project-leadership.html

2. From Manager to Leader -http://management.about.com/od/leadership/a/FromMgr2Ldr05.htm
http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/six-ways-to-give-proper-project-leadership.htmlhttp://management.about.com/od/leadership/a/FromMgr2Ldr05.htmhttp://management.about.com/od/leadership/a/FromMgr2Ldr05.htmhttp://www.projectsmart.co.uk/six-ways-to-give-proper-project-leadership.html


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3. How to motivate your project team -http://www.helium.com/items/1057583-how-to-motivate-your-project-team

4. Teamwork - http://www.effectivemeetings.com/teams/teamwork/teamwork.asp5. Managing conflicts in projects

http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20071126/technologylife02.shtml

6. Conflict resolutionhttp://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_81.htm

Web References

1. http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/articles.html2. http://project-management.bestmanagementarticles.com/3. http://www.gantthead.com/4. http://www.pmi.org/5. http://www.maxwideman.com/6. http://www.allpm.com/Videos

1. Jack Welch on leadership and management - http://work911.com/leadership-development/video/welch.htm

2. Leadership characteristics - http://work911.com/leadership-development/video/leaderscharacteristics.htm

3. Difference between project leadership and project management -http://www.youtube.com

4. Conflict managementwww.youtube.com5. Teamwork - www.youtube.com6. Simple truthsThe power of teamwork Movie - www.powerofteamworkmovie.com
http://www.helium.com/items/1057583-how-to-motivate-your-project-teamhttp://www.effectivemeetings.com/teams/teamwork/teamwork.asphttp://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20071126/technologylife02.shtmlhttp://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_81.htmhttp://www.projectsmart.co.uk/articles.htmlhttp://project-management.bestmanagementarticles.com/http://www.gantthead.com/http://www.pmi.org/http://www.maxwideman.com/http://www.allpm.com/http://work911.com/leadership-development/video/welch.htmhttp://work911.com/leadership-development/video/welch.htmhttp://work911.com/leadership-development/video/leaderscharacteristics.htmhttp://work911.com/leadership-development/video/leaderscharacteristics.htmhttp://www.youtube.com/http://www.youtube.com/http://www.youtube.com/http://www.powerofteamworkmovie.com/http://www.powerofteamworkmovie.com/http://www.youtube.com/http://www.youtube.com/http://www.youtube.com/http://work911.com/leadership-development/video/leaderscharacteristics.htmhttp://work911.com/leadership-development/video/leaderscharacteristics.htmhttp://work911.com/leadership-development/video/welch.htmhttp://work911.com/leadership-development/video/welch.htmhttp://www.allpm.com/http://www.maxwideman.com/http://www.pmi.org/http://www.gantthead.com/http://project-management.bestmanagementarticles.com/http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/articles.htmlhttp://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_81.htmhttp://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20071126/technologylife02.shtmlhttp://www.effectivemeetings.com/teams/teamwork/teamwork.asphttp://www.helium.com/items/1057583-how-to-motivate-your-project-team

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Unit 7_People Management in Projects