Leadership in Project Teams - Case Study Example

Leadership in Project Teams Introduction Leadership in project teams is always full of challenges due to various reasons, for example, firstly the projects involve initiating changes, secondly the clients who assign the project to the team leader has their own vision and it is the responsibility of the team leader to clearly understand the client’s vision and execute the project as per his desire (Lee 2015, 456-463). The projects often have deadlines and it is the duty of the team leader to motivate the team members so that they can complete the work on time. The need for ethical leadership in project team has always proved to be an important aspect for organizational growth but this need has become increasingly effective as the work environment is more innovative with international work environment. Ethical aspects for vital team management are much different from traditional team management and understanding this difference has become important for the new e-business ethics. This project encompasses a wide field of literature that includes leadership skills, efficient project management that can contribute a great deal to the growth of the organization. In this study, our objective is to correctly define the virtual teams, the role of a team leader as an ethical project manager, leadership skills and virtual project management. Discussion Virtual Team A virtual team comprises a group of people who are connected amongst themselves through various electronic communication modes like computers. Fernback (1997, 36-54) suggested that this new form of team can overcome the age old problem of geographical boundaries which hinders communication among people belonging to different origin. It was also defined as a group of skilled professionals who communicate among themselves through computer, telephone and video-conferencing (Ariss, Nykodym and Cole-Laramore 2002, 22-25). Thus communication among teams globally has become possible. Virtual teams have made it possible for communication among teams globally in order to deliver a successful project. Hence virtual project management is very important (Barnwell, et al. 2014, 1-8). The Role of a Project Manager as Ethical Leader as well as Ethical Manager A project manager is considered to be an expert in the context of project management. A project manager is responsible for planning, execution and successfully running a particular project related to any field. The project manager can be considered as the base for any project. Hence, the success of any project depends on the efficiency of a good project manager. Project managers are often required to act as both managers as well as leaders. A manager takes care of project initiation, project planning, improving qualitative efficiency and proper risk management. Whereas, a leader’s duty is to suggest various project initiation techniques, take risks, plan out strategies and set goals and most importantly motivate the other team members to make the project successful (Norrie and Walker 2004, 47-56). Many of these responsibilities involve managing the ethical issues related to a team like resource management, stakeholder management as well as risk management. A project manager plays various roles as leader, facilitator and mentor. General management literature indicates that a manager’s leadership skills and competence is directly related to organization’s performance (Thamhain 2004, 533-544). A few of the leadership skills involve team building, planning strategies, establishing clear goals, maintaining a positive work environment, motivating the other team members and successful execution of the project. These qualities can ensure a client that the project is running smoothly and efficiently. Ethical responsibilities of a project manager Project managers are responsible for taking care of the ethical issues relating to a particular project. It is the duty of a project manager to emphasize on the ethical issues in dealing with stakeholders and reduce or eliminate any possibility of unethical behaviour during the project. Unethical behaviour in project management may completely ruin the project and may lead to further disasters. A project manager is responsible for creating a positive atmosphere and encouraging the team members so that they are able to deliver a good project. Therefore, maintaining an ethical environment in a project team is the ultimate responsibility of an ethical project manager (Javidan, et al. 2006, 67-90). Transactional as well as transformational leadership skills in a project Good leadership skills among individuals play a vital role in successful running of a project. There are various types of leadership skills which are found within individuals. Both transactional and transformational leadership skills are related to social research (Prabhakar 2005, 53-60). According to House (1996, 323-352), transactional leadership is similar to path-goal theory. This theory says that the leaders are responsible for clearly mentioning the goal of the project and the necessary strategies that are to be taken. They must also ensure that the team members are rewarded accordingly for their performance. This will motivate the team members to work harder. Also, the team leaders must take care that the rewards satisfy the team member’s needs and expectations (Thamhain 2004, 533-544). As far as transactional dimension is concerned, it comprises of a series of conversation between the leader and the follower where the leader motivates the follower to follow a distinct path. On the contrary, in case of transformational leadership, the leader tries to bring a positive change among the team member’s attitude, expectations and perceptions. This form of leadership also focuses on individual’s behaviour and expectations and provides them a vision in order to fulfil their desire (Keller 2006, 202). However, empirical studies reveal that transformational leadership is a part of transactional leadership. Transactional leadership has been beneficial for particular project types whereas, transformational leadership skills are necessary when the organization is temporary and a strong positive leadership quality can make the project run successfully (Tyssen, Wald and Spieth 2014, 365-375). Drivers and challenges to team performance As the project progresses, there are various drivers and barriers that play an important role in running a project. The drivers have an advantageous impact on the performance of the project. Effective team leadership, strategic planning and proper execution of the project, positive work environment and acknowledgement of team’s performance act as drivers for a project. These drivers inculcate some sort of enthusiasm among the team members and they are bound to deliver their best. However, in some cases there are obstacles to the performance of a project. Often the team members have varying viewpoints probably because they may belong to different origin (Keegan and Den Hartog 2004, 609-617). A team comprising members with varying viewpoints may lead to controversy and project mismanagement. Team members are often responsible for several roles and handling too many projects at a time may cause difficulty to a team member. There are often possibilities of dominating tendencies among the team members as a result; individual’s suggestions may be ignored. All these drawbacks may lead to a poor team performance and ultimately hinders the reputation of the organization. Transforming team members into leaders A project leader must have faith on other team members in order to carry out various tasks relating to a complex and time-consuming project. It is the duty of the team leader to make sure that the team members clearly understand the vision of the project and work accordingly. In case they understand the vision, the team members find it easy to run the project according to the client’s desire. This would further improve the efficiency of the team members and they would prove to be good team players. After the team members start working efficiently, the team leaders can loosen their supervisory power and allow the team members to incorporate their own ideas in order to run the project. By developing more competence and becoming more responsible, a team member can be assigned with higher project responsibilities. In this way gradually, a team member can grow into a team leader (Rickards and Moger 2000, 273-283). Conclusion This study reveals that a project leader is considered as the root of a particular project. So it is very much necessary that a project leader has all the skills for the successful running of the project. A project may be considered as successful if it satisfies the desires of the client. As a team leader it is very important to build rapport with the other team players. This is only possible if the team leader has a positive attitude in motivating the team members so that they can deliver successfully for the smooth and efficient running of the project. Effective project leaders should also encourage the team members to take responsibilities on their own. A leader in an organization is likely to face several rationalities and challenges. It is the duty of a leader to anticipate the fear of a team member and encourage them to overcome the challenges. A project manager’s efficiency is judged entirely on the strategies applied for an efficient team management where the environment is exceptionally challenging. The project manager must maintain a good relationship with the clients as well as the team members. Whether it is building a highly proficient team or maintaining cultural relationship with the team members, the more aware the project manager is regarding the rationalities and possibilities the more it would be easier for the project manager to overcome the challenges and successfully run the project. References List Barnwell, Dwayne, Shea Nedrick, Elizabeth Rudolph, Mohamed Sesay, and William Wellen. 2014. “Leadership of International and Virtual Project Teams.” International journal of Global Business 7: 1-8. Fernback, Jan. 1997. The individual within the collective: virtual ideology and the realization of collective principles. London: Sage. House, Robert J. 1996. "Path-goal theory of leadership: Lessons, legacy, and a reformulated theory." The Leadership Quarterly 3: 323-352. Javidan, Mansour, Peter W. Dorfman, Mary Sully De Luque, and Robert J. House. 2006.  "In the eye of the beholder: Cross cultural lessons in leadership from Project GLOBE." The academy of management perspectives 20: 67-90. Keegan, Anne E., and Deanne N. Den Hartog. 2004. "Transformational leadership in a project-based environment: a comparative study of the leadership styles of project managers and line managers." International journal of project management 8: 609-617. Keller, Robert T. 2006. "Transformational leadership, initiating structure, and substitutes for leadership: a longitudinal study of research and development project team performance." Journal of applied psychology 91: 202. Lee, Margaret R. 2009. “E-ethical leadership for virtual project teams.” International Journal of Project Management 27: 456-463. Norrie, James, and Derek Walker. 2004. “A balanced scorecard approach to project management leadership." Project Management Journal 4: 47-56. Prabhakar, Guru Prakash. 2005. "Switch leadership in projects: an empirical study reflecting the importance of transformational leadership on project success across twenty-eight nations." Project Management Journal 4: 53-60. Rickards, Tudor, and Susan Moger. 2000. "Creative leadership processes in project team development: an alternative to Tuckmans stage model." British journal of Management 4: 273-283. Thamhain, Hans J. 2004. "Linkages of project environment to performance: lessons for team leadership." International Journal of Project Management 7: 533-544. Tyssen, Ana K., Andreas Wald and Patrick Spieth. 2014. “The challenge of Transactional and Transformational Leadership in Projects.” International Journal of Project Management 32: 365-375. Read More