Leadership issues in project management

Leadership issues in project management

Providing effective leadership is, without doubt, one of the main roles of the project manager. Many theories have been put forward as to how best this leadership can be implemented and although there are differences in the various analyses, some strands of thought are common to most.

A PM should be able to see how the project aims will be achieved and convince the project team that they can achieve them

The leadership of a project should maximise the efficiency of the project team in delivering the project goals. A PM should be able to see how the project aims will be achieved and be able to convince the project team that they can achieve them. They can do this by outlining how the individual team members fit in to the process. People will agree to modify their behavior if they can see that such modification is necessary to achieve the project aim. In other words, people will allow themselves to be managed if they can see how it fits in to the broader scheme of things. There are a few styles of leadership that can be identified:

Autocratic leadership Autocratic PMs canvass no opinions from the project team as to how goals can be achieved. Such PMs may succeed with a docile group, or may survive by intimidation. More generally, however, they are doomed to ultimate failure - if not in the current project, then in the next.

Consulting autocrat

This type of PM canvasses the group for its opinions but ultimately makes their own decision. As a result of the consultation process, the PM is aware of divergent points of view. Provided the PM makes the effort to explain clearly why these points of view are not being favored, their decision will usually be respected.

Consensus manager

This type of PM encourages a democratic decision by the group at every turn. This style is not recommended for a number of reasons. The group might not be uniformly qualified to make such decisions. Should creative designers have the same voting power as technical staff when a technical decision must be made and vice versa? Consensus management may give rise to factions within the project team, leading to strife and infighting.

Empowerment management

The PM cedes as much power to the project group as it is prepared to accept. This is not the same as consensus management, as the group dynamic acts as a driving force rather than an obstacle. This style of management is useful in dealing with highly skilled project teams or teams that are involved in a series of very similar projects. It may not prove satisfactory for large construction projects.

Management qualities

All successful styles of management require that the manager act as a facilitator. The manager must ensure that team members have the means to achieve the aims of the project to the desired quality in the desired time at the desired cost.

For a team to be empowered, they must be trusted with information

The PM must also be a talker and a listener. A good communicator ensures that everyone in the project knows what's going on in an overall context. To compartmentalize a project and inform team members on some arbitrary need-to-know basis will lead to resentment. As a result, the PM will fail to capitalize on many latent skills within the project team. However, if the PM lets each subteam know what the other subteams are doing, orchestrating them to a grand design, they will work to their best ability. For a team to be empowered, they must be trusted with information. If the information must remain inside the company, then the PM should explain to the team that they are being told in confidence. Managers who do this for the first time are frequently surprised at the response they receive in terms of loyalty from the project team members.

Occasionally, a PM will find that there are challenges to their authority. Their mettle will usually be tested early in the project, and it is important how they deal it. The response will be crucial in establishing the PM's acceptance as a leader.

The PM should assert their authority fairly and calmly, and yet in all conflicts offer an equitable or face-saving option. "I win, you win" should be the motto of the day.

Conflict avoidance is better than conflict resolution. The chemistry between the various members of the team can be monitored with a view to sorting out any friction before it becomes too much of a problem. Some ways of achieving this include

• informing team members how their role fits in with the project plan
• clearly demarcating roles so that there is no overlap (a frequent source of strife)
• adopting "Decide, then communicate" as your motto

Project managers who grasp the importance of communication and practice it are well on their way to project success.