Concept of Leadership - Coursework Example

Individual Learning and Reflection Report (Final Report) Contents Contents 1 PART 1: COMPETENCY ACHIEVEMENT REPORT 2 REFLECTIVE LEARNING REPORT 2 COMMENTARY ON TEAM PERFORMANCE 7 PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL IMPROVEMENT 8 PART 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 8 Topic 8 LEADING PROJECT TEAMS: THE ROLE OF LEADERS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT. 8 Overview 8 Leadership 9 Project 9 Project Management 10 Project teams 10 Project Scope 10 Qualities of a leader 10 Roles of a Project Leader 11 Risk management 11 Setting of Project Objectives 11 Team building 11 Communication 12 Reflective learning 12 References 13 PART 1: COMPETENCY ACHIEVEMENT REPORT This report presents how my competency in relation to this unit developed through the semester. The unit has greatly improved my competency in leadership. Previously before this unit I knew according to my understandings, that leadership is the same as management. However using the reference sources and various learning materials provided, I have learned the exact meaning, scope and general concept of leadership and now I am able to clearly distinguish between leadership and management. This was greatly achieved by reading the reference sources and actively participating in a discussion team. These cases gave me a clear insight in to the understanding of the relationships between project management and leadership. I have even gone deeper and understood the roles and competencies of a project leader. REFLECTIVE LEARNING REPORT This paper strives to reflect on experience putting forward writer’s own hypotheses through questioning, analysing implications, drawing conclusions, challenging, and proposing areas for future development. This report will give meaning to my learning experience. It will show whether the learning goal was accomplished or not, it will also show how the team and learners at large did it and how this is a part of the bigger learning effort. The report will also provide an opportunity both to the teams and me as an individual to establish what is to be execrated from this unit. The report will also reduce tension of emotionally challenging topics and provide re-energizing renewal. The report will eventually create a sense of accomplishment and appreciation to other people’s contribution. Learning Experience The work and discussion forums greatly assisted me in this unit, as an active team member I greatly contributed to this team. Together with team members we were able to handle complex issues through high level of thinking as we researched deeper in to the new concepts learned in class. It is now clear to me that as a leader I need to practice through transformational leadership, where as a leaders, I can lead change in the organizations vision, strategy and culture as well as promote innovation in products and technologies. Leaders need to show direction by creating vision and strategy and keeping eye on the horizon. Record of reflections results All the team members worked within time and agreed schedules. There was some sense of teamwork where members who did not locate reference material were given more time as the rest assist in locating relevant articles. Through this strategy, the team really provided for a deeper understanding of the concept of leadership and project management through intensive team work information gathering and discussion. Future actions Plans based on reflections The team had proposed to visit some of the major organizations in town and interact with leaders in order to get their personal view on leadership theory and practice. Most of our group members were comfortable with leadership theory but felt it was important to look at the practice in the job market. This unit has enabled me learn more on the traits of a leader, these include among others knowledge, intelligence, scholarship, insight, judgment and decision. These traits were studied and developed over time. It is this time period that I need to read more on. Main features of my approach to the topics My discussion team adopted the Drexler Model as a tool to help in optimizing the team’s effort workflow. This model was developed by Allan Drexler and others to help optimize team’s effort workflow. The model has seven stages where each stage has a primary question of concern for every team member at any given phase. The model really assisted us in the discussion teams because through it we had an enhance team performance and workflow with minimum restrictions or stringent rules. Discussion of experiences with other members My team was very supportive in guarding against reinforcement of biases or inaccurate perceptions. The team members were able to gain a wider perspective of other members’ experience and build personal confidence through problem solving. Problems solved in groups created open communication, shared understandings and strong teamwork. The goal clarification was very important to our team. It is at this stage that we identified a shared team vision. There were few disagreement but they were ironed out as everyone gave a view and solution. The meeting time was discussed and agreed including penalties for latecomers. Conflict resolution between team members was also discussed. The team had a membership of seven with a team leader who gave direction on team activities. Strengths, weaknesses and points of interest All of us worked as team players with each one of us taking a role. There was need to know the members to work with, we developed a framework in order to identify members agendas, expectations and competencies. We had to clearly define and understand our individual responsibilities as we established insight in to each other’s style of working and experience. My strength is ability to absorb more; I was able to understand the concept of Leadership and was very instrumental in assisting group members as I transcend my personal views and interests for the sake of the group success. Deficiencies in our knowledge, understanding and practice This unit has enabled me to learn and understand the roles and responsibilities of the various individuals involved in project management and leadership. However under leadership ethics and power, I felt the content was limited and I could not get much on the topic. Most group members observed this and agreed we research more on the topic. Analysis of successes and failures Mezirow (1985) observed that reflection involves that act of bringing learner’s assumptions, criteria, premises and schemata into criticism where learner thinks back to see what worked and what didn’t. At the end of the task, the question we asked ourselves was “Do we continue? Why?” Every team member had to reflect on the positive and negative aspect of the group work. This includes conflicts and tasks that were not accomplished. In my view most of the team members were positive about the team performance. My main learning from this module Reflection is important in teams and individual development; this is because reflection fosters life-long learning skills. An individual or a team is able to develop learning ability from both negative and positive experiences. Our group handled in the discussion forum the topic on leadership concept, leadership theories, project management and effective reflection. The group outlined key issues that we believed to be core. Reference is made on discussion forums, team activities and literature read. The paper has used topic by topic approach in reflection. Day 1: People and leadership The concept of leadership, I also learned on the difference between a leader and a manager. More specifically I concentrated on the role of a leader in project management. These roles included creating clarity in communication, defining roles and responsibilities, communicating expectations, employing consistent processes, establishing trust, facilitate support and manage outcome. Concept of leadership, looking into myths, legends and religious texts. The Greek philosopher Plato’s view of a leader says the wise shall lead and rule but the ignorant will just follow. It is from this point that I realized the concept of leadership is so old that it was studied by various scholars many years ago. Reference is made on King Hammurabi, king of Babylon (ca. 2123-2071 B.C) and other leaders. I also learned through ancient leadership that project management concept was in existence long time ago. The Romans in 55 BC were masters of project management. This is demonstrated by Julius Ceaser who was leading over 40,000 men. The modern study of leadership was also a key area. Most resonating concept was a Google scholar who listed over 16,800 books on leadership and 386,000 citations related to leadership. The early theories explained leadership in terms of people and environment. The subsequent theories view leadership in terms of roles separation; the most recent theorists view leadership as mutual influence of leaders and followers. I also learned here of the types of leadership in organization. These included among others leaders of crowds, educational leaders, revolutionary versus loyalist leaders, military leaders, prophets and local government leaders, Through this experience, I was able to learn and understand the classification of leaders according to their behavior, functions, roles and perception. The part was also very good in differentiating the roles of a project leader and a project manager. As a learner in leadership I learned that the roles of a project leader are to set direction, inspire team work, align employees, motivate and support them. On the other hand the project manager has the roles to plan and budget, organize work groups, staffing and controlling. Day 2: Leadership Theories The leadership theories were studied in detail. I came across the traits leadership theory of 1930s – 1940s. This theory viewed leaders as born and not made. According to the theory, people are born with qualities that will enable them show the way effectively in their leadership roles. Another theory that I have learned here is the behavioral leadership theory of 1940s-1950s. This theory came in reaction of the traits theory. According to these theorists, leadership depends on a person’s behavior and not personal qualities or characteristics. Since behavior is acquired, then this means that leaders are made and not born. Day 3: Leadership, ethics and power Ethics ensures leaders do not break the law, remain loyal to the organization and maintain the good name of the organization and its products. The leaders with good ethics will remain humane and work for the good of the followers and the organization. Day 5 and 6: People and leadership, the future and development In this unit I learned more on qualities of a future leader and fundamental values of a good leader. It is here that I got the basic leadership lessons, best organizational leadership development and the main reasons why most leaders fail. In development I learned of the development maturity model and process. It is also under this topic that I looked in to the reasons why big companies like Motorola fail in some of their products due to leadership problems. COMMENTARY ON TEAM PERFORMANCE Working in group of seven members has been a fantastic experience and also learnt the importance of team work in the present competitive world. The seven member group was able to gather at the discussion area in order to conduct a comprehensive discussion. I participated actively in this team because it proved to me that there were so many things I was able to lean in the discussion teams from my fellow members. During our team discussion we would ask ourselves the reason why we were gathering. This was meant for each one of us to soul search and understands the reason for attending the forum in order for the team to maintain it’s the core objective. Orientation made me understand that teams strengthen each other because each individual had a unique concept well understood and share with other members, this really connected us. There was need to clearly define the task the team will need to deliver by the end of the process. These enabled members define the order priorities on how the work should proceed. There were things that worked in our group and those that did not work during the study. However I can say that generally, gathering the required information was very crucial to my team, this was one of the key strength of my team. Members were committed to their work and nearly each one of them delivered as expected. PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL IMPROVEMENT Leadership concept learned in this unit has greatly motivated me to further my study in this line of profession. It my prayer that I pursue leadership in order to practice these skill and knowledge gained for the benefit of the society. As a project leader in future, these ideas learned in class will be greatly helpful. I can be able to use it as a leader to practice through transformational leadership. This is a leadership where I will be able to transform organizational performance through leading change especially on leadership policies, vision, strategy and culture as I also promote innovation in products and technologies. I will be able to show direction by simply creating conducive working environment for my teams, drawing clear and achievable goals, objectives and strategy. There is need for further reading on various aspects of project execution and situation handling to achieve the individual and group desired goals. I have learned more on theories of leadership however there is much to be done especially on models and styles of leadership. This still needs some further reading. PART 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Topic LEADING PROJECT TEAMS: THE ROLE OF LEADERS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Overview This paper looks in to the topic “Leading project teams: The role of leaders in project management”. This chapter gives critical examination of issues of leadership, project management and reflective learning in relation to what has been published by accredited scholars and researchers. It is a critical analysis on the existing research that is significant to the research topic. Leadership Success of any project begins and ends with leadership. Every leader need to ensure the project objectives are identified, made clear and well implemented. According to Robbins et.al (1998), leadership is the ability to influence others towards the achievement of goals that contribute to a worthwhile purpose. Leaders are not in their positions to be served, but rather to serve others by assisting them to grow. According to behavioural leadership theories, what leaders do and how they behave toward followers influence leadership effectiveness. Organisational ethics need to be given high priority in policy formulation and major decision making processes. This means that followers need to be treated fairly. The organisational processes and procedures should meet the set ethical standards. Project Harold Kerzner observed that a project is a series of functions and tasks that have distinct starting and ending dates, has limited funding, consume resources and have unique goals and objectives to be completed within specific specification. A project has been equated to a fishbone; all the project tasks are channeled towards a common goal just like bones channeled to the central spine. Project Management Project management in organizations ensures there is prudent organization and management of the limited resources in order to achieve organizational goals and objectives within the specified constraints such as time, cost and scope. A project is therefore a unique collection of tasks in a dynamic environment with an aim to achieve a set objective using the available resources. The role of project management is to plan, coordinate and control complex organisational projects. Project teams Project teams are people from different backgrounds that need to work as a team for a common goal. These teams need to be trained, mentored, coached and even rewarded. The project leaders here need to act as role models in order to inspire their followers. Project Scope Projects also need to remain in scope. The leader needs to understand the project scope well in order to clearly interpret all the project objectives and communicate well to the followers. The project leader needs to ensure project boundaries are clearly maintained. It is the role of the leader to contently ensure the teams monitor project scope so that no new features should be added or removed. Qualities of a leader A project leader needs to have a vision on what the project team needs to achieve and be able to articulate the vision. This not only provides the right direction to be taken but also inspires the followers on the need for project development. A good leader need to possess personal integrity which include intelligence, honesty and integrity, self-confidence, ambition and high energy, task relevant knowledge and the desire to lead. Traits like Self acceptance, Self control self-confidence and assertiveness are believed to be traits born with a leader. This is according to the trait theory. There are therefore leaders who have traits that are more suited for leadership than others. (Deary, 1996). Effective leadership needs to incorporate characteristics and behaviour of the leader, the culture and characteristics of the followers and the context. The greater the synergy between the leader, the followers, and the context, the greater the leadership effectiveness - and the greater the chance of the group achieving stated objectives. The leaders should create change and a culture of integrity. Just like the great man theory where leaders are believed to be born and not made, most organizations are influenced by a single individual who influence other base on inherited traits, qualities and abilities. Roles of a Project Leader Risk management Project leaders need to predict as many risk and uncertainties as possible in order to factor in during planning stage hence enabling project success despite risk involved. Setting of Project Objectives Project team leaders set objective to ensure they are specific hence ensuring they deliver specific outcome. This will ensure project outcome fits what the project was intended to achieve. Here quality, time and cost are crucial. Every leader must therefore ensure the project is delivered within the set constraints such as time, budget and staff. There is need to align project vision with the organizational strategy, ethics, vision and culture. Leaders are responsible for alignment; therefore they should aligning staff with the goals and strategic direction of the organisation. They should create shared culture and vision, help others grow and reducing boundaries. Team building A leader needs to be a strong team builder. He/she must have the ability to hold team members strongly together and towards a common vision and right objective. In this case therefore a good leader ensures the project teams transform from a group of strangers and works as a single unit. This can only be achieving if the leader clearly understands the various leadership styles at any stage of project management. The leaders should ensure through relationships; focus on followers – inspiring and motivating them and also acting as coach, facilitator, and be a good servant. Based on the influence leadership theories, leaders can influence their followers through their qualities and personality. The followers can be influenced by a charismatic leader or even influenced to change by an inspiring vision of the future. Communication A leader needs to be successfully giving and receiving feedback. Communication will be effectively done to ensure all the stakeholders understand the change process. This will be done for them to understand the change process, reasons for change and the implications of change. Reflective learning According to Kolb (1984) through his work on Learning Cycles, there is a relationship between reflection and learning. Kolb, defined reflection as the act of casting back, thinking, considering or deliberating. It is that act of holding up a mirror to look back. Plato’s directive of “know thyself” has built the concept of self-knowledge. According to Zubizaretta (2004), learning portfolio should improve learning through provision systematic reflective learning structure over time in order to develop aptitude, habits and skills from critical reflection. Reflection is therefore important in team and individual development; this is because reflection fosters life-long learning skills. An individual or team is therefore able to develop learning ability from both negative and positive experiences. Moon (1999) observed that reflection is a mental process just like a form of thinking used to fulfill an anticipated outcome. This is applied to some structure of ideas with uncertain solution. According to Donald Schon (1988), Donald Schon is one of the most influential theorists of reflective thinking; he looks at reflection as a diagnosis, testing and belief in personal causation. References Bennis, W., 1997. "Learning to Lead," Addison-Wesley,MA. Deborah Kezsbom, et al., Dynamic Project Management. John Wiley & Sons, 1989. Haggroth, S. 2013. ‘Leading Change by Including Stakeholders.’ Public Administration Review. (73): 4. Katzenbach, J. Smith, D. 1993. ‘The Discipline of Teams.’ Harvard Business Review. Kolb, D., 1984. Experiential learning. New York: Prentice Hall. Moon, J., 2004. A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge Schön, D., 1991. The Reflective Turn: Case Studies in and on Educational Practice. New York: Teachers College Press Zubizarreta, J., 2009. The Learning Portfolio: Reflective Practice for Improving Student Learning, Second Edition. Jossey-Bass Read More