1.0 Abstract
Project management leadership style is one of the key point of the success of a project. Leadership style is one of the challenge factors and plays an important role in success of project for an organisation. That's why time to time various studies and experiments are conducted on leadership style. Many of different researchers give different theories on leadership style. In above essay you will study different aspect of leadership style, experiments performed on leadership styles and different theories given by expertise.
1 “A project manager has special leadership style that can play an important role on the success of project”.
2.0 Introduction
Leadership has been defining as the “process in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others to complete a specific task.” The success of project is based on the efficient project manager's leadership style. An effective Project Management Professional (PMP) is able to invoke various leadership styles. The key is to use each style at the right time. These styles are like golf clubs in a seasoned professional's bag; you choose the correct club for each shot. Similarly a successful Project manager uses the wright leadership style at a wright time.
“Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen.”(Alan Keith of Genentech)
The importance to write this essay is to define the various Project manager's leadership style that can directly affect the success of project or we can say that the project manager's leadership style that can play an important role in success of project. Leadership style refers to the behaviour of a project manager. It is due to the result of philosophy, personality and experience of the project manager.
This report is the result of Research about The Project Manager's Leadership Styles that plays an important role in the success of project. The focuses on what project manager leadership styles make a successful project. A project manager has to possess a set of leadership style, in order to be distinguished as a successful project manager. There are various leadership styles out of which directing is the most important. It is the responsibility of project manager that they have to direct the ‘follower' and assign the specific role to the wright person. Project manager should have the skills to promote the ideas in the different environment to get replies from different approaches. It is to be said that lack of leadership style could fail a project.
“Leadership style impacts the motivations of employees either positive or negative.” (Kurt Lewin's)
3.0 Background
In 1930 social scientist start to examine leadership. By this study they conclude that leadership is something people do, and they suggest that it is possibly something that people can learn to do. Beside that one can identified leadership in three main areas: 1) Laissez-faire, 2) Authoritarian,
3) Democratic.
In 1960, USA armed forces recognised the importance of leadership among non-commissioned officers. For that purpose they carried out an experiment at Fort Hood in California in non-commissioned officer school. The program which is carried out under this experiment is “White Stag” program, in which several Scouters from the Monterey Bay council learned about this program. Then Boy Scouts of America know about it through a member of the national Scouting committee.
A program “blueprint for action” has been develop in mid of 1960 and which was approved by the Research Service to continue experimentation in the leadership and the main purpose of this program is that it was mainly carried out for adult and boy leaders. Under this first experiment was conducted in June 1967 at Schiff Scout reservation, participants were selected from nine councils across the country. Although the first experiment was very crude, produce enthusiastic participants, and it was not long but they describe the evaluating plan to develop further input into leadership development concept.
In 1969 it was decided to expand the leadership development to junior level leader among the selected five local councils. This one is the proved experiment, but the experimentation on leadership did not stop here. Further Rockefeller Brothers Fund was continuing experimentation on leadership.
At Philmont, in 1971 over 800 men who were 13-17 yrs old experienced the idea of leadership development. This was evaluated by volunteers during a five-day conference held at the Rayado site on the Philmont Ranch. They decided to move ahead with leadership development.
3.0 Critique
There are many leadership styles that project managers may have that can be either learned or natural, like directing, facilitating, coaching, supporting, autocratic, laissez faire, consultative, consensus etc. These styles make the project manager to be capable of doing work in any organization, take the required decision at every step, capacity to learn and understand the people on their projects, ability to influence others.
Three basic building blocks of a good leader - or generic leadership skills - may include the following:
Beside the above building block there are some leadership styles that a project manager has. These are as follow:
4.1 Directing Style
A project manager is the leader of the team it is the duty of manager to direct the project members. The project manager clearly provides specific instructions, defines the roles and tasks of the ‘follower', and closely supervises task accomplishment.The project manager is responsible for that, correct task is assign to correct person. Decisions are made by the leader and announced to the followers, so communication style is largely one-way.
The directing leadership style is most appropriate when followers are inexperience. For example when there is large number of new member in an organisation, the directing leader should be very explicit in directing subordinates.
4.2 Facilitating Style
From the Business point of view nowadays people are the most valuable asset as compare to machinery or equipment. The creativity and innovation of employees has a great importance in business as compare to past. From this business point of view or according to business needs, the facilitating style of leadership has great importance for project manager.
Project managers are proud of their teams, always encourage them to give their hundred percent in work that is assign to them and frequently show appreciation for the talents and contributions of the team. It is important for project managers to believe in their employees and in their ability to performing the task. Project manager can hiring employees based on their intellectual abilities, creativeness, drive, and competence, not based on their ability to follow orders. In facilitating project managers fully utilize the brain power of the employees by refusing to use them as “extra hands”. They hold employees accountable for results and entrust employees with delegated tasks.
4.3 Coaching Style
Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard firstly describe the Coaching Leadership style in 1960s. After that in 2002 Daniel Goleman also describes the coaching style.
The Coaching leadership style of project manager make capable them to clearly defines roles and tasks, but according to the input and according to suggestions of the team members. Decisions are still made by the project manager.
The coaching leadership style is most appropriate when project team members are more responsible, experienced and agreeable. The project leader directs and guides the project team including providing encouragement and inspiration to help motivate the team members. An example of the coaching leader is a head coach of a sports team.
The coaching style leader is willing to teach and allow people to work on their strengths and weaknesses. The coach challenges all to do better and is encouraging when any failure is present. It works well when the team is inexperienced and small in number. An example of this would be a manager of freshly minted graduates.
4.4 Autocratic Style
During the different phases of project sometime various types of problems are occur in which project manager need the help of the team member to solve the problem, it is a chance for the team member to show their talents and ability to collaboratly solve the problem and give their expertise view on the problem solving. But the final decision is taken by the project manager.
There are some Pros and Cons of autocratic style:-
Cons of Autocratic Leaders
Pros of Autocratic Leaders
Sometime during the process there are certain situations when project manager have to take some urgent decision in that situation the autocratic style of project manager is checked and it is very effective in such type of time.
4.5 Affiliative Style
Affiliative is one of the most important leadership style. In which project manager encourage the team member to think themselves like a ‘sports team member'. Therefore in this style of leadership there is lot of flexibility, which clearly define how the work is actually done, as long as the goal of the project is not achieve.
It is the responsibility of the project manager to give attention to all team members especially to that one which feel that they do not have any guidance.
5.0 Conclusion
Leadership is an essential part of any organisation, the manager who is responsible for the whole process of project must meet the all leadership style to be an affective leader of a project team. Project leader i.e. manager must have the long term-vision for the project and is capable for hunting the talent for putting the vision into concerned action, beside this they have to manage day-to-day work that accomplish the action.
The success of the project most probably depends upon the project manager leadership style. A successful project manager is that which is capable to work in different situation and capable to implement their experience and leadership style according to the situation.
6.0 References
Boy Scouts (2010). TLD Staff Guide of America. Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://www.pinetreeweb.com/TLD-1930.html
Dick Billows, PMP, GCA. Achievement Driven Project Management, Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://www.4pm.com/articles/Creme_de_PM.pdf
Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee (2010). Retrieved March 21, 2010, from http.//www.12manage.com/methods_goleman-leadership_styles.html
Daniel Goleman (2010). Retrieved March 22, 2010, from http.//www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_goleman_leadership_styles.html
Kurt Lewin (2010). Us Army Hand Book. Retrieve March 21, 2010, from http://www.sos.net/~donclark/leader/leadstl.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=leadership+style&go=Go
