Leadership in Technology Project Management

2011 ◽  
pp. 59-74
Author(s):  
Ralf Müller
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Leadership Styles ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Personality Profiles ◽  
Technology Project ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Current Leadership ◽  
Leadership Research

This chapter addresses project managers’ leadership styles, mainly from the perspective of technology projects. It starts by defining and outlining the need for leadership, and then describes the historical schools and the recent schools of leadership theory. Subsequently the focus turns to current leadership research in project management, and its related theories. Subsequently, the personality profiles of successful project managers in different types of projects are presented. The chapter ends with some managerial and theoretical implications, as well as scholarly challenges for further research and future developments in this area.

Leadership in Technology Project Management

2011 ◽  
pp. 216-231
Author(s):  
Ralf Mueller
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Leadership Styles ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Personality Profiles ◽  
Technology Project ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Current Leadership ◽  
Leadership Research

This chapter addresses project managers’ leadership styles, mainly from the perspective of technology projects. It starts by defining and outlining the need for leadership, and then describes the historical schools and the recent schools of leadership theory. Subsequently the focus turns to current leadership research in project management, and its related theories. Subsequently, the personality profiles of successful project managers in different types of projects are presented. The chapter ends with some managerial and theoretical implications, as well as scholarly challenges for further research and future developments in this area.

scholarly journals Managerial Responses to the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Healthcare Organizations Project Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 12082
Author(s):  
Ariadna Bednarz ◽  
Marta Borkowska-Bierć ◽  
Marek Matejun
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Project Performance ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Project Teams ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
The Impact

The goal of this study was to identify and assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on project management practices in healthcare organizations, taking into account, in particular, risk analysis, project performance, organization of the work of project teams, and tendencies in future developments in project management. In order to achieve this goal, a study was conducted on 20 project managers in selected healthcare organizations in Poland. The results indicate that a systematically conducted risk analysis as part of the implemented projects enabled rapid and effective reactions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has also significantly altered the organization of the work of project teams and, in the opinion of the research subjects, this will significantly impact future solutions for project management in healthcare organizations. The obtained results form a basis for the increase in professionalization in project management in healthcare organizations.

scholarly journals Leiderschap in organisaties: start van een nieuwe reeks

2004 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanne N. den Hartog ◽  
Paul L. Koopman ◽  
Claartje Vinkenburg
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Leadership Styles ◽  
Central Theme ◽  
Central Focus ◽  
Current Leadership ◽  
Perceptions Of Leadership ◽  
Leadership Research ◽  
The Impact ◽  
International Social

For decades, leadership has been a central theme in international social sciences studies. The central focus varies from leadership styles, to perceptions of leadership and personality traits of leaders. Another subject that has been examined using various methods is the effect of leaders on performance and attitudes of employees. Attention has also been given to the impact of various aspects of the context in which leaders work. Ever since its first issue was published, Gedrag & Organisatie has printed all kinds of articles on leadership. In the upcoming issues of Gedrag & Organisatie a series of articles will be published on developments in current leadership research in Dutch speaking regions. As an introduction to the series this article reviews leadership research as conducted to date, based on articles that have been published in Gedrag & Organisatie over the years. For decades, leadership has been a central theme in international social sciences studies. The central focus varies from leadership styles, to perceptions of leadership and personality traits of leaders. Another subject that has been examined using various methods is the effect of leaders on performance and attitudes of employees. Attention has also been given to the impact of various aspects of the context in which leaders work. Ever since its first issue was published, Gedrag & Organisatie has printed all kinds of articles on leadership. In the upcoming issues of Gedrag & Organisatie a series of articles will be published on developments in current leadership research in Dutch speaking regions. As an introduction to the series this article reviews leadership research as conducted to date, based on articles that have been published in Gedrag & Organisatie over the years.

scholarly journals A study of educational technology project management in Australian universities

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Kenny
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Educational Design ◽  
Technology Project ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Quality Learning ◽  
Australian Universities

<span>The development of quality learning materials using new technology requires the use of a wide range of skills beyond those possessed by many academic staff. Obtaining quality online learning experiences may require academics to work in teams with others who provide educational design support and technical expertise. The effective management of a team to produce the desired outcomes to a specified quality standard has typically been the responsibility of the project manager.</span><p>Applying standard project management techniques to teams containing highly independent academics and teachers in an educational environment presents certain cultural and procedural difficulties. This paper reports on some of the current literature on this issue and relates it to the results of a survey of 25 project managers in Australian universities. Parallels are made with the literature of innovative projects.</p>

scholarly journals Generational Differences Impact On Leadership Style And Organizational Success

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mecca M. Salahuddin
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Styles ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Generational Differences ◽  
Empirical Method ◽  
Organizational Success ◽  
Generational Cohort ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cohort Group ◽  
Current Leadership ◽  
Leadership Research

Many factors can affect organizational success. One factor that is important to organizational success is effective leadership.  Research has shown there are differences in leadership style among generations.  A cohort- group whose length approximates the span of life and boundaries and fixed by peer personality defines a generation.  The purpose of this paper is to review the current leadership styles and generational differences literature.  The paper examines whether there is a relationship between leadership style and generational cohort and its potential impact on organizational success.  Structured interviews were conducted with individuals representing each generation.  Five open-ended questions were asked to participants to determine the generation they identified. In addition, participants used a 1-10 ranking scale to identify preferred characteristics in admired leaders.  The interviews demonstrated there are difference and similarities among the generations.  Veterans and Generation Xers view honesty as important core values.  Both express the need for communication in bridging the communication gap.  Differences related to Baby Boomer belief in self-commitment and Veterans recognizing the importance with surrounding yourself with others.  The author recommends researchers continue to examine, using an empirical method, generational differences and leadership styles to understand its affect on organizational success.

scholarly journals Balancing vertical and horizontal leadership in projects

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 986-1006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Drouin ◽  
Ralf Müller ◽  
Shankar Sankaran ◽  
Anne Live Vaagaasar
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Leadership Styles ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Team Member ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Democratic Leadership ◽  
Balanced Leadership ◽  
Project Team Member

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: to identify how horizontal leaders (within project teams) execute their leadership task in the context of balanced leadership; and to pinpoint scenarios that can occur when horizontal leaders are identified and empowered by the vertical leader (senior or project managers) and a project task is handed over to them to lead. This research is based on the concept of balanced leadership, which conceptualizes leadership as a dynamic, situation-dependent transition of leadership authority from a vertical leader (like a project manager) to a horizontal leader (a project team member) and back again, in order to contribute positively to a project’s success. Balanced leadership consists of five events (nomination, identification, empowerment, horizontal leadership and its governance, and transition). This paper focuses on the fourth event, and its specific aspect of leadership distribution between horizontal and vertical leader. This event begins when a team member(s) accepts the empowerment to assume the role of horizontal leader. This paper explicitly links the leadership style of the vertical leader based on Frame’s (1987) leadership styles and the nature of decisions taken by both the vertical and horizontal leaders to deliver the project. Design/methodology/approach The method used for this paper is the qualitative phase of a sequential mixed methods (qualitative-quantitative) study. Data were collected through case studies in four different countries, using a maximum variety sampling approach. Data collection was through interviews of vertical leaders (senior leaders who were often sponsors of projects or members of senior management or project managers) and horizontal leaders (team leaders or members) in a variety of industry sectors. Data analysis was done through initial coding and constant comparison to arrive at themes. Thematic analysis was used to gain knowledge about the split of leadership and decision-making authority between the horizontal and vertical leader(s). Findings The results show that for Canadian and Australian projects, a combination of autocratic and democratic leadership styles were used by vertical leaders. In the case of Scandinavian projects, a democratic leadership style has been observed. Linked to these leadership styles, the horizontal decision making is predominantly focused on technical decisions and to daily task decisions to deliver the project. Delegation occurs most of the time to one specific team member, but occasionally to several team members simultaneously, for them to work collaboratively on a given issue. Research limitations/implications The paper supports a deeper investigation into a leadership theory, by validating one particular event of the balanced leadership theory, which is based on Archer’s (1995) realist social theory. The findings from this paper will guide organizations to facilitate an effective approach to balancing the leadership roles between vertical and horizontal leaders in their projects. The findings can also be used to develop horizontal leaders to take up more responsibilities in projects. Originality/value The originality lies in the new leadership theory called balanced leadership, and its empirical validation. It is the first study on the leadership task distribution between vertical and horizontal leadership in projects. Its value is new insights, which allow practitioners to develop practices to find and empower the best possible leader at any given time in the project and academics to develop a more dynamic and, therefore, more realistic theory on leadership as it unfolds in projects.

A review of leadership theories: identifying a lack of growth in the HRD leadership domain

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 470-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Turner ◽  
Rose Baker
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Organizational Leadership ◽  
Resource Development ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Leadership Theories ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current Leadership ◽  
Leadership Research

Purpose This paper aims to identify the life-cycle of leadership theory from both the human resource development (HRD) and the organizational/leadership literature while providing a contrast between the two bodies of literature. The current research identifies which theories are being represented within the HRD literature, followed by a review of current directions in the leadership fields, primarily from literature in the organizational and leadership fields. By identifying these two bodies of leadership theories, the following research question will be answered: How current are the leadership theories provided in the literature of HRD compared to research that is reported from other external leadership fields? Design/methodology/approach This paper examines how leadership theories are represented in the HRD literature. Data for the current article provide a preview of leadership theories that are used to inform HRD scholars and scholar–practitioners for a period of 15 years (2000-2015) in the four Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) publications (Advances in Developing Human Resources; Human Resource Development International; Human Resource Development Quarterly; and Human Resource Development Review). The four journals within the AHRD were reviewed to identify which leadership theories were being researched and used to inform members of HRD. The search terms for the current study included “leadership AND theory,” “team AND leadership,” “leadership AND development” and “team AND development.” Studies that presented a leadership theory and either described or defined the theory were coded for the current study. Within this body of literature, there were a total of 74 leadership theories identified (some repeating), among those there were a total of 20 unique leadership theories. The literature external of HRD was identified using the ScienceDirect database for 10 years (2007-2017) with the topics limited to “topics–leadership.” Once the HRD and organizational/leadership literature are presented, a comparison between the two literature streams will be provided, highlighting any deficiencies within either body of literature and recommendations for future research efforts for the field of HRD. Findings This examination of leadership theory study within HRD and other fields highlights the deficiencies within either body of literature and offers recommendations for future research efforts for the field of HRD. In line with the trend in leadership research, HRD should call for more longitudinal and multi-level research efforts to be conducted as opposed to cross-sectional studies. Research limitations/implications The current study is limited in the literature that was used to collect/code data. Also, the time frame for the HRD literature ended in 2015 due to the long duration required to review articles and to code the data. Secondary data were obtained from organizational/leadership literature and are more current because they are more recent. Overall, even with an end date of 2015 for the HRD literature, the HRD field has not changed too much during this time and the authors recognize some minor changes, but the research findings are still relevant and the leadership deficits presented are still realized. Practical implications The field of HRD is behind when it comes to leadership theories. This paper identifies this in an effort to aid researchers, students and practitioners to look beyond the leadership theories presented in the HRD literature for more relevant and current leadership theories. This paper highlighted a number of newer and current leadership theories and trends for scholars and scholar-practitioners to begin to focus on; however, this list is only a snapshot and is bounded by the data collected for the current paper. Originality/value This paper is original in that it is both critical of leadership research within the HRD literature while also providing new directions for the field. The snapshot of where the field of HRD is compared to the leadership and organizational fields becomes apparent with multiple future directions for research.

scholarly journals EMPATHY AND APPLICATION OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEAMS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

2021 ◽  
pp. 50-56
Author(s):  
Nadiia Rusan ◽  
Oleksandr Voitenko
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Self Development ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Control ◽  
Nexus Conference

The ability to recognize what a colleague or subordinate is feeling and to respond properly to his emotions is necessary in many areas, from trade to community service. At the Global Nexus Conference on emotional intelligence, Daniel Goleman stressed that managers must now look at the relational side of leadership. At the same conference, his colleague Annie Mackie concluded that today's leader must be attentive, compassionate and reliable. Project managers may have all the skills in the world, but if the basic attitude towards themselves and others is imperfect, then managers will not achieve the integrity and authenticity that is essential for today's leaders. Albert Mehrabian found in his research that words convey only 7% of a message. The rest is delivered through non-verbal communication. People are very sensitive to the energy they receive from other people - hence the undoubted importance of resonance. If the leader says one thing and his body shows something else. If project managers are inconsistent, they will not be able to achieve the effect of being followed by employees. It is important to note the difference between the "push" of reactive change imposed by organizational necessity and the "thrust" of proactive change made by an individual leader as a choice of self-development. There is a consensus among both academics and practitioners that there is a need to move from transactional leadership - leadership through “command and control” to transformational leadership - when managers create the conditions through their own behaviors. To create the desired product or service, you need to know well who will use it. The general characteristics of the target audience: gender, age and profession - are certainly important, but for the best companies in the market, this information about the client is clearly insufficient. This requires empathy - the ability to empathize with another person, the ability to put yourself in her place. This is what this article is about. Researched: the key role of empathy in project management; the essence of empathy and its types; built a map of empathy; aspects of emotionally intellectual team are developed; emotional intelligence is applied to different types of teams.

scholarly journals Model for Managing Software Development Projects by Fixing Some of the Six Project Management Constraints

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Todorović ◽  
Miroslav Matić
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Project Manager ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Technology Project ◽  
Information Technology Project

This study is focused on the software development process, viewed from perspective of information technology project manager. Main goal of this research is to identify challenges in managing such projects and provide a model for delivering software solutions that satisfies client’s expectations. Project management theory describes six constraints or variables in every project, which project managers can use to better control the project and its outputs. Fixing some of the six project management constraints (scope, cost, time, risks, resources or quality) will allow project manager to focus on most important project aspects, rather than being drawn between all of the variables.This paper is aimed at information technology project managers and portfolio managers, as it describes the practical application of this model on a software development project. Findings of this research support the theory that, by applying good project management practice and focusing on project/business-critical requirements, will enable project managers to complete projects successfully and within tolerance limits. Results show that by identifying key business constraints, project managers can create good balance of six constraints and focus on the most important ones, while allowing other constraints to move between limits imposed by clients and stakeholders.

Prophetic Leadership Model: Conceptualizing a Prophet’s Leadership Behaviour, Leader-Follower Mutuality and Altruism to Decision Making Quality

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Nik Maheran Nik Muhammad
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Network ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Complex Function ◽  
Spiritual Leadership ◽  
Leadership Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Leadership Model ◽  
Leadership Behaviour ◽  
Current Leadership

This article advocates that research is lacking on the connection between leadership theory and social network theory. To date, little empirical research has been conducted on leadership and social networks. Thus, the proposition of this article goes beyond traditional leadership models to advocate for a fuller and more integrative focus that is multilevel, multi-component and interdisciplinary, while recognizing that leadership is a complex function of both the organisational leaders and the followers who perform tasks, all of which subsequently leads to decision making qualities. Indeed, the current leadership model focuses on leadership behaviour and the ability to gain followers mutuality, to achieve decision making quality involving the integration of leadership and social network theories. Given the apparent mutable palette of contemporary leadership theory, this emergent construct of the leadership paradigm can expand the poles of the leadership continuum and contribute to a richer and deeper understanding of the relationships and responsibilities of leaders and followers as they relate to decision making qualities. This new construct, which is termed prophetic leadership, explores the literature of the life experiences of the prophet in the ‘Abrahamic Faith’ religion. Drawing on a priori links between the personality trait and spiritual leadership that has recently garnered the interest of scholars, the present study asserts a normative leadership theory that links the personal quality of a leader, posture and principal (based on the Prophet’s leadership behaviour) to synergy and decision making quality. Altruism is proposed to enhance relationships between leadership behaviour and decision making quality. For future research, much work needs to be done specifically aiming to (a) achieve greater clarity of construct definitions, (b) address measurement issues, and (c) avoid construct redundancy.

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