New Project Leadership and Teams, Teamwork, Conflicts

1. Consider the discussion of "new project leadership and teams". If you were asked to propose a principle that could be applied to project leadership, what would it be? Justify your response.
2. Why is teamwork important in oil projects? Isn't it enough to have individual project workers who are highly skilled and motivated?
3. Explain why some conflict is natural and beneficial to project organizations.

1. Consider the discussion of "new project leadership and teams". If you were asked to propose a principle that could be applied to project leadership, what would it be? Justify your response.

A critical analysis of all four leadership styles vis-à-vis the situation in which they could be applied would guide is making a well-informed proposal of a principle that could be applied to project leadership.
The Laissez-Faire leadership style is the leadership style in which the project leader allows the project team to work on their own. Laissez-Faire leaders delay and appear indifferent to what is happening. It is ideally used in project where team members are experienced or skilled self starters.
The democratic leader allows the team members to be involved in the decision making progress but makes the final decision. The participation of team members in the decision making process takes time and by extension, more time is spent. Using the democratic style however, the leader makes better decisions and also boosts the confidence in the team members.
Unlike the democratic leader, the autocratic leader tells the team what he wants and how is wants it done without necessarily getting the advice or contribution of any of the team members. The autocratic leadership style is employed in situations where advantage of control outweighs the disadvantages.
When faced with situations involving serious risks, for example, then the Bureaucratic leadership style can come in handy. The Bureaucratic leader works “by the book”; insisting that the team members follow set down procedures/guidelines religiously
Summarily, it can be deduced that there is “right way” or one good principle that could be applied or manage that suits all situations. To make an effective choice therefore, the following questions should be asked.
• How skilled are the members of the team?
• What is the nature of the project-Normal routine or new idea?
• What is the team leaders’ natural or preferred style?

2. Why is teamwork important in oil projects? Isn't it enough to have individual project workers who are highly skilled and motivated?

“…Behind every man, there are always other able men...’ says a Chinese proverb!
The importance of teamwork in oil projects, nay every other project organizations are undeniable. The following points underscore the benefits of teamwork in maximizing strengths, bringing out the best in others as well as the efficient management of resources.

1. It improves efficiency. With proper communication in place and a better understanding of the projects’ scope and objectives, teamwork ensures that no two employees will have to do the same task that can only be handled by one employee alone.

2. Teamwork creates synergy in the projects. Team members brainstorm and come up with ideas that lead to innovation. Since team members have multiple points of view, extra knowledge is gained in the project team.

3. Explain why some conflict is natural and beneficial to project organizations.

In explaining why some conflicts could be considered as natural and to an extent beneficial to project organizations, we have to first and foremost understand what a conflict is.
Hart (2003) defined conflicts as struggle between two or more forces, positions or actions.
In a project organization, like all other organization, conflict is natural because there is bound to be difference in objectives, opinions and values. For example customers and contractors are at loggerheads once in a while, project staff and functional groups also disagree, people on different teams and even people on the same team.
The Project Manager should however realize that having conflicts is a natural consequence of being human. Timely understanding and analysis of the nature of the conflict goes a long way to helping the project manager deal with it.
It can be seen that conflict is natural and inevitable.
Contrary to the old view that conflicts are always negative and destructive, PMI is embracing “a new school of thought” that conflicts can indeed be beneficial and necessary to help foster team work, innovation, enhance creativity and so forth.
This underscores the fact that conflicts should not be stereotyped as either positive or negative.
A study of one hundred Project Managers carried out by Themhain and Wileman (spring, 1975 cited in Nicholas and Steyn, 2008) indentified the potential sources of conflicts in project organization as schedules, project priorities, workforce, technical opinions, administrative issues, personal clashes and cost issues.
The Lack of conflict in a project organization is unhealthy. Apart from the fact that it could result in mediocre judgments, it can also be regarded as a sign of “over conformity”.
Some benefits that can come out of conflict include
• People learn to work together.
• The team experiences increased amounts of energy, because conflict does not allow the team to stay stagnant; it causes them to move forward.
• It can foster creativity by forcing team members to see things from new points of view that they would never have thought of otherwise.
• Positive conflict can build cohesiveness among group members.
• Individuals and groups learn to grow and apply their knowledge to future conflict.

References:
HARR, L.B., 1999.The Managers Pocket Guide to Dealing with Conflict. USA: HRD Press
NICHOLAS, J.M and STEYN, H., 2008.Project Management for Business, Engineering, and Technology. 3rd ed. Oxford: Elsevier Ltd.
BASS, B.M., 2006.Transformational Leadership. 2nd ed. NEW YERSEY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.