Time Cotrol for a Construction Project - Assignment Example

TIME COTROL ASSIGNMENT College A construction project is to be completed within the shortest time possible due to the escalating prices of building materials. In order to accomplish this, each member of the project has to ensure that they dutifully perform their roles in the given project and ensure that the project is completed within the deadline. Incase this building is not completed within the deadline; there will be a lot of negative effects. First, the building costs will go up and this will mean that the profit margin will be reduced. The second is that the clients might not be happy due to the inconvenience caused. To prevent all this from happening, a good leader is needed to ensure that the construction runs smoothly as expected and that it is completed as required. The main duty of the team manager would be to supervise the project and to ensure that each and every member of the team is dedicated to their work. The team leader is also supposed to ensure that conflicts within the group members are solved as soon as possible to avoid any differences that might lead to delay in the work. The leader is also responsible for assigning roles to different people and ensuring that they complete the tasks as expected and within the given deadline. The manager also has to identify incompetent personnel and ensure that strict measures are taken upon them. The design manager is also responsible for ensuring that the project is within the budget. They do this by studying the market trend and the period in which the project is expected to be complete. The manager has the responsibility of leading the whole team in all their day to day tasks. Due to this, it is necessary for the team manager to know the most appropriate leadership theory that they should use in this every project since it is vital to the successful completion of the project (Northouse, 2004). There are four main types of leadership theories that are used to classify leaders and the roles that they play in the successful performance of their teams. Due to the complexity of this undergoing project, it is vital to come up with the best leadership theory that is most applicable to this project and would yield the best results. However, it is useful to analyze each and every theory in detail before coming up with the best alternative to be used in the construction project (Glatthorn, 2006). Great Man theory This is one of the major debated theories of leaderships. In this theory, some scholars believe that leaders are born leaders and that it is just upon the environment to nature them into their rightful places. The theory further suggests that for any leader to be successful, they have to be born with certain traits that have to be seen in each and every day of their life. This theory therefore means that if one is not born a leader then no matter how much education or effort that they put, they can never make good leaders and that their leadership will always be seen as a failure. To arrive to such a contradicting conclusion, many theorists and scholars had to study great leaders of the past and present and look at some of their similarities and differences (Gardner, 2007). It was found that most of the leaders shared most characteristics in personality with few differences in the manner in which they looked at life generally. The study was also based on other top executives and personalities with the scholars pointing out that many leaders are not like other normal people in that they have special characteristics that make them special in some way. This theory therefore assumes that leaders are born leaders and that when certain need come, and then leaders are seen to arise from the crowd without any problem. The major disadvantage with this theory is that it is biased and does not give equal opportunities to people who want to be leaders. It assumes that only a given group of people can achieve certain expectations from the people that other groups cannot. It is also irrelevant since there is no statistical tests that have been carried to support this theory neither does it have any scientific proof (Beerel, 2009). Behavioral theory This is the complete opposite of the great man theory in that the theory is based on simple facts that there is no one born a leader rather people become leaders after doing something. In simple terms, the theory believes that the behavior of a person determines their leadership qualities. It is important to note that this theory does not make everyone to qualify to be leaders. The theory maintains that not everyone can be able to show the behavior that leaders show unless they are leaders. Behavioral theory can be grouped into many branches, however for purposes of this coursework, only two shall be discussed. These are; Belbin team roles and the path goal theory. These two shall be used to identify the leadership theory that is relevant to this case study and to justify this answer (Gould, 2009). In the theory of behaviorism, ones behavior can be conditioned so that they behave in a manner that is expected of them. This means that if one has some behavior that does not reflect any leadership behavior, then their behavior can be conditioned such that they reflect those that are expected from them. Due to these characteristics, behavioral theory is completely different from great man theory as well as trait theories that believe that leaders are born and that leaders inherit some traits respectively. In this construction project, we need a leader that has great qualities that will enable them make decisions that are crucial to the completion of the project (Belbin, 2010). Contingency leadership theory This is a type of leadership theory that suggests that there is no leader that can be effective in all parts of leadership. The theory suggests that leadership is based on the location that one is given to lead. This means that a leader who is very good in one department would not necessarily be good when transferred to another department. This theory has been proved in various occasions especially in the sporting world when team managers who perform better are given transfers to other teams but instead of performing better, they end up performing worse than the previous managers. This might not be a good example since the fields are the same but clearly brings out the theory of contingency in leadership. Most scholars therefore maintain that when looking for a leader, it is necessary to look for one who has been effective in a particular field (Kernberg, 2008). This then brings in the issue of leadership styles that are also important when selecting one to lead a particular project. The most applicable leadership theory in this case is the behavioral theory. Based on the requirements that the manager should have n leading this team, it is necessary to look at some of their behavior since this is very critical in deciding if people will work with him. To go further, Belbin team theory is the most relevant to team managers in this particular situation. Belbin team roles theory describes a team as a congregation made up of people who know what their roles in the project and who understand their obligations. They have to seek out some roles and perform them in a manner that is appropriate. The theory is effective in 1. Building a productive relationship among team members 2. Selecting productive team members 3. Raising self awareness and making people more effective 4. Building mutual trust and understanding 5. Aiding managers in recruiting effective team members Each group members should realize that they have a responsibility to behave, interrelate and contribute with others in a productive way. Belbins theory group’s leaders based on different styles and it encourages managers and team leaders to always remember to adopt one of these styles. To select the most relevant styles that the project manager of this particular project should have, Belbins theory is used to analyze some of the leadership styles available and to pick the best ones that the team manager should have (Clough, 2009). Charismatic leaders A charismatic leader uses charm and grace to make followers. That would mean that leaders have to be charismatic in order for them to create a better working relationship among the team members. Belbin insists that each and every team member has to ensure that they work well with each other and that they recognize the importance of each member in the team (Belbin, 2010). Charismatic leaders are very important in ensuring this important theory of Belbin in that the leader ensures that all the team members are always in good terms. For this particular project, the manager should be charismatic so as to unite the team members and reduce time hat is wasted in settling disputes. As results of the good working relationship, the team members are able to complete the task within the set deadline. However, this style also has some minor disadvantage in that the team members might not be serious in completing their task as required of them since they know that their charismatic leader would not punish them for this (Bennet, 2005). Participative leaders This is a leadership style in which the leaders themselves take part in team work thereby encouraging other team members. Participative leaders are always interactive with their subordinates and always ensure that they lead by example. Belbin’s theory insists that team members should realize their obligations in the team and work with minimal supervision. This style goes well with this theory as team members are able to participate in effective teamwork in that as the managers take part in the work process. In this project, this style would be very effective if occasionally the team manager would come to the construction site and work with them (Belbin, 2010). Not only would he be encouraging the other members of the team to work effectively but will also be creating an opportunity for the other team members to get to know him as well as know each other well. The main disadvantage of this style to Belbin’s theory is that the team members might misinterpret this and instead think that the manager is out to monitor them at all times thereby making them uneasy as they work (Mazzarella, 1989). Transformational leadership style This is the type of style that is based on the feeling that people will tend to follow those who impress them. This means that those leaders who do not impress people will always have trouble with their followers. It is therefore upon the leaders to impress their followers. For this project, there are circumstances when the team manager has to be strict so as to ensure that the deadline is reached. In most cases, the transformational style is a long term style since it takes a long time before the followers come to like the leaders. However, this is not appropriate for this project as the team has a short time to finish the project and so the manager has to ensure that there are strict measures that are put in place to ensure that each member is dedicated to their work. However it is important to note that this style is completely supported by the Belbin’s leadership theory but has lots of disadvantages as the managers might try to do things that are unacceptable just to please the people. Transactional leadership style This is a leadership style where the leader has clear structures that have to be followed as the team members. Each and every member of the team is given their responsibility and they have to know their sole responsibility in the project. This style insists that punishments should never be mentioned during the work process but the team members have to know that punishments are there and that there are consequences for every action that they take. Belbin’s theory insists that team members should know their responsibility and that they have to be responsible. This style is therefore very appropriate for this kind of project. The transactional leadership style will provide clear structures for the project and ensure that they meet the goals. Out of all the styles discussed, this stands out as the best to work out with the chosen leadership theory that was chosen and to ensure that the project is completed within the deadline. As the group manager, there are a lot of things that I will have to put in place to ensure that there is effective communication and that all the group members behave in the most appropriate manner. With proper communication and well behavior, the group is able to accomplish the given tasks within the deadline and to ensure that there is a smooth environment for people to work (Avery, 2004). The first step to effective communication is to organize a meeting on the first day. During this first meeting, it is important to know each other and to ensure that as the group manager, I collect each and everyone’s contacts to ensure smooth communication whenever necessary. This would ensure that incase of any urgency, I would be able to contact any person necessarily. However, it is important not to take someone’s personal information and misuse it as this destroys trust. The second thing is to assign one person to act as a secretary for all group meetings. The secretary would be taking notes on each and every meeting and ensuring that the notes are typed and forwarded to each and every member of the team to remind them of the set rules and obligations that they have in attaining the deadline. It is also good to always set a reminder of the deadlines that are in place (Lewis, 1993). Components of an effective group communication As the project manager, I have to assign one person to act as the moderator for all group meetings. The person has the responsibility of setting agenda in each meeting and ensuring that the conversation is going well. The moderator also has to have positive agendas that will lead to the realization of the goals. This means that before each meeting, they have to look for problems that might hinder the realization of the deadline. I have to ensure that there are posters in every room that constantly remind the team members of the deadline (Blanchard, 1985). To encourage better communication, I would also set up a suggestion box that people would use to communicate their problems and things that they feel are relevant to the realization of the goals. In case of any problem, I have to ensure that it is corrected as soon as possible so as to provide a convenient and comfortable environment for the team members as this is crucial to the realization of the goals. It is also important to always remember to encourage the team members to report any issue that they feel might hinder the realization of the set goals. Bibliography BELBIN, R. M. (2010). Team roles at work. Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10378891. PROJECT MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE. (2004). 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