February 2011 presented by Angela Hemmrich Project Leadership Project leadership is a difcult functional, psychological and political process. This white paper shows you how to master it. Project Leadership page 2 “Organising appropriately can limit the chaos and ensuing uncertainty with guiding structures“ 1. Introduction Project work involves handling complex tasks within an interdisciplinary team over a limited period of time. Project leadership is therefore a “temporary leadership task“. Being a project leader means being a manager — from both a professional and a personal perspective. Cooperation within the project team is important; people from different departments and levels have to work together on an interdisciplinary basis to attain the project goals. This is no easy task — different views on goals, procedures, priorities, formalities and departmental etiquette make cooperation difcult. The project leader’s task is to reconcile the divisive professional and personal needs while, in many cases, having no managerial responsibility for the project team members. This task is all the more challenging when the team members are also physically separated from one another — a “virtual team“ or “remote team“. The specic leadership requirements for projects are: Dealing with complexity: What is part of the project assignment and what is not? Which aspects do I need to take into account? What impacts do I need to consider from a business, personal, organisational, professional and technological perspective? Shaping innovative processes: How do I engender a creative project atmosphere? How do I ensure that the people involved will not resist new solutions? What support is available to the project during difcult phases? Dealing with uncertainty: How do I respond to uncertainties caused by complexity and innovation within the team? Do I go for “revolutionary” or “evolutionary” solutions? Whom do I need to inform and how? How do I organise development and introductory phases? How do I deal with unclearly formulated goals, new requirements and delaying factors? Implementing a specic project organisation: Within a secure framework, innovation and creativity can also create chaos. Organising appropriately can limit the chaos and ensuing uncertainty with guiding structures: phases, work steps, result specications, dened procedures, methods, tools and reports, as well as rules and standards for teamwork and discussions. Leading an interdisciplinary team: How do I bring the often-unfamiliar employees together as a team as quickly as possible? Who should take on which functions and tasks? How do I promote synergy effects? How do I best involve part-time employees? What role should I take when managing specialists? Dealing with structure and creativity: The key question for project leadership is this: How do I balance structure and freedom so that creativity ourishes and chaos diminishes? Order is the love of reason; chaos is the passion of fantasy. Project Leadership page 3 “Treat your employees as equal partners in the project” 2. Project leader versus line manager Project leaders generally have no disciplinary authority over their project employees, only functional and/or planning authority. This means that, in their role as a manager, they must be considerably more attentive and sensitive than people in a line manager role must be. The main differences between a line manager and a project manager are outlined below: Line manager vs. Project manager Inuence through formal authorisation ◄─► Inuence through interaction between manager and employee Based on a relationship dened by the organisational hierarchy ◄─► Based on a relationship that comes from trust, support and credibility Inuence through the relationship of hierarchical positions ◄─► Inuence through the relationships between people Inuence through the right to make decisions and acceptance of authority ◄─► Inuence through commitment, cooperation and ability to inspire Inuence through control and power ◄─► Inuence through relationship quality Authority limited by the hierarchy ◄─► Authority possible up, down, across and outside the hierarchy Project leadership involves a challenge that every project leader should be aware of: Although I do not have the authority a line manager has, as a project leader I can still inuence others through my behaviour and leadership style. The following points for managing well have proved very helpful in practice: • Treat your employees as equal partners in the project. • Focus on your own role as a manager and let your employees handle the functional tasks independently as much as possible (even if you believe you can do better yourself). • Involve your employees in your deliberations, plans and decisions. • Create a foundation for trust and cooperation within your team right from the start. • Lead using strong social skills to compensate for a lack of authority. Project Leadership page 4 3. Tasks of the project leader Project leaders are responsible for the overall operational leadership of a project. They are responsible for achieving the goals within the agreed schedule and economic parameters. A project leader’s responsibility can be divided into various levels: Overall operational leadership of a project Employees Goals, results Resources Environment Choice, consultation Clarication of goals Planning Information to client, steering committee Team leadership Managing achievement of goals Controlling, monitoring Management consultation Partial management of employees Checking, accepting results Post-controlling Transferring results into practice Conict management Quality assurance Ensuring acceptance of results Clarication of project objectives and constraints: The project leader carves out a realistic project assignment by participating in the goal-setting process, conrming the goals’ feasibility and considering the account objectives, timeframes, resources and other parameters. Selection of project employees: The project leader selects employees in consultation with the relevant line managers. Before this takes place, a realistic time and cost estimate must be made and a requirement prole for the employees drawn up. It is important to realistically assess whether the workload for each individual is feasible. Leadership of the project team: The leader leads the team in such a way that the goals are achieved within the agreed timeframe. The leader leads the team in such a way that the goals are achieved within the agreed timeframe. Communication and information form the project’s central nervous system. The project leader sets up the information pathways so that everyone affected by the project is informed about goals, procedures, intermediate results and nal results in accordance with their responsibilities. Project planning: The project leader plans the schedule in cooperation with the team members and, if applicable, with any other people involved — including the client — and then translates these plans into internal and external tasks. Systematic project steering and control: The project leader checks progress, deadline compliance, budgets and interfaces on a continuous basis with an eye towards results and processes, as this is the only way to continually make improvements. Informing the client and steering committee about progress: The project leader reports the progress or status of the project to the client or project steering committee at dened points in time (milestones) or when the situation requires. Project Leadership page 5 “Project leadership can be a difcult functional, psychological and political process.” Conict management: The project leader acts as a conict manager by identifying disputes and opposition within the team or project environment as early as possible and then formulating solutions together with the conicting parties. Lessons learned: The project leader performs a nal evaluation that takes the entire project history into account in order to promote further project work and process learning within the company. Conclusion of a project: The conclusion of a project takes place in consultation with the client, and the project leader informs everyone involved. The project does not end until the results are ofcially accepted by the line or put into practice. The project leader then ofcially releases his employees from responsibility for the project. These diverse requirements and tasks can be allocated to three areas, which call on the following leadership skills: • Functional • Organisational • Social 4. Roles of the project leader Project leadership can be a difcult functional, psychological and political process. The project manager must lead the team appropriately (internal) and ensure acceptance for the project in the project environment (external) while also considering the project’s marketing. A project leader therefore has different roles to assume, depending on the situation: • The role of the expert/specialist — sharing expertise relevant to the project, which decreases as the size and complexity of a project increases • The role of “salesperson” — representing the project externally • The role of organiser — applying and implementing project management methods • The role of coach — turning the project employees into a team 4.1 The expert/specialist • Oversees the project scope • Conveys functional knowledge • Keeps own specialist expertise up to date • Solves functional problems and develops innovations • Focuses on processes and optimises them continually • Uses learning opportunities to expand specialist expertise 4.2 The “salesperson“ • Presents the project to management • Reports to the customer and the steering committee • Fosters good customer relationships • Represents the project internally and externally Coach Expert / specialist Organiser “Sales- person” Project Leadership page 6 “While project leaders may be able to handle many areas of responsibility themselves for small projects, large projects necessitate delegating the functional tasks and coordinating work processes and results.” 4.3 The organiser • Designs processes and draws up schedules • Keeps track of deadlines and results • Formulates and establishes methods • Coordinates different activities and resources • Chairs teams • Creates suitable working conditions • Resolves organisational problems 4.4 The coach • Agrees on goals • Delegates responsibility and authority • Helps people help themselves • Inspires others to focus on goals • Promotes acceptance of change • Provides appropriate information • Gives constructive feedback • Resolves conicts • Contributes to employee development • Maintains open dialogues • Listens actively and asks questions • Persuades others • Provides support and eliminates hindrances • Embraces new ideas willingly • Correctly assesses the potential of employees • Brings a team together and aligns it with a shared goal The balance of the different roles depends primarily on the scope of the project and the given situation. While project leaders may be able to handle many areas of responsibility themselves for small projects, large projects necessitate delegating the functional tasks and coordinating work processes and results. The role of the specialist then recedes into the background, while the leader’s qualities as an “organising supervisor“ or “supervising organiser“ become very important. This shift in the understanding of roles requires that the leader understands well the nature of the task as well as the people involved and their relationships with one another. Key elements of constructive leadership are: • Setting clear and transparent goals (project goal, responsibilities) • Providing the necessary working environment (rooms, resources, time) • Assigning and setting tasks in a precise manner (responsibility, results, deadlines) • Ensuring the ow of information (team meetings, reports, informative literature) • Making and reviewing agreements • Fostering good relationships (open communication, feedback, recognition) • Involving the employees in decisions (participation, consensus-building) • Conducting discussions with a focus on goals and relationships (asking about opinions and interests, emphasising key points, summarising results) Project Leadership page 7 “If the leader does not trust employees, then there is no genuine cooperation, leading to a poorly respected leadership style.“ 5. How to lead Which leadership style is suitable for such a large range of tasks and complexities? Leadership style is often interpreted as the behaviour of the leader. Personal characteristics play only a very minor role; the attitude towards the employees and the project has the more decisive impact. If the leader does not trust employees, then there is no genuine cooperation, leading to a poorly respected leadership style. Instead, an attitude characterised by openness, interest and appreciation towards people and their ideas will promote sincere teamwork. This means the leader should not avoid conict but confront it with curiosity. After all, projects can only be successfully completed as a team. Caritative Cooperative Laissez-faire Authoritarian Focus on employees Focus on tasks Low High Low High 5.1 Styles of leadership In principle, there are four different leadership styles, which focus on either tasks or employees. 5.1.1 Laissez-faire leadership style The laissez-faire leadership style allows the employees a great deal of freedom. They determine the work, tasks and organisation themselves, and the ow of information is rather haphazard. The line manager does not intervene, neither supporting nor reprimanding employees. The advantage of the laissez-faire leadership style is that this freedom allows employees to work independently, preserving their individuality. This is suitable for highly developed employees who can handle the responsibilities and for situations where creativity is required (e.g., during the brainstorming process for the development of a new product). If this leadership style is applied throughout, however, the lack of discipline risks disputes over responsibilities or even disorder and chaos. It can also result in rivalries and quarrelling, leading to small, divided groups where outsiders are disadvantaged and the weaker groups are left by the wayside. 5.1.2 Authoritarian leadership style The line manager passes on instructions, tasks and directives without asking the employees for their opinion, expecting almost unconditional obedience with no dissent or criticism. When employees make mistakes, they are reprimanded rather than supported. An example of an authoritarian or hierarchical leadership style can be seen in the military. Project Leadership page 8 “Used in appropriate circumstances and for limited periods of time, the authoritarian leadership style is enormously useful for critical or even emergency project situations.” The advantages of the authoritarian leadership style are that decisions are made quickly, responsibilities are clear and the leader has a high degree of control. This type of leadership style also improves efciency within an organisational unit, at least in the short term. However, performance increases of this kind cannot be maintained over longer periods of time. The disadvantages include a lack of motivation among employees, limited personal freedom and mistakes made by overburdened line managers. It can also create rivalries between the individual employees and prevent the discovery of new talents. With a strictly hierarchical leadership style, chaos may ensue as soon as an important decision-maker is absent. Used in appropriate circumstances and for limited periods of time, the authoritarian leadership style is enormously useful for critical or even emergency project situations. 5.1.3 Caritative leadership style The caritative leadership style focuses on the human element. This type of leader shows benevolence, composure and friendliness and considers everything from the perspective of cooperation. Employees are given freedom, and the leader has trust in their abilities, encouraging and supporting them in their tasks. Used in appropriate situations, this leadership style is useful for developing and fostering employees with potential. It is also helpful when employees encounter difcult situations in their personal life (e.g., the death of a close family member). 5.1.4 Cooperative leadership style The line manager involves the employees in operational processes. Discussions are permitted, and functional support is expected. When employees make mistakes, they are generally not reprimanded but rather given assistance. The main advantages of the cooperative leadership style are the high level of motivation among employees, the development of creativity and the reduced strain on the line manager. In addition, the working environment is mainly pleasant, and the leadership style can be maintained for a long period of time without any change in the employees’ efciency. However, decision-making is slower in comparison with the authoritarian leadership style. As a project leader, I can increase motivation by appreciating the different abilities and needs of my employees, something that is achieved through discussion and observation. The project leader thus demonstrates an interest in the employees while outlining the scope of their activity and informing them of their work and tasks. Leadership of this kind involves nding the right role and position for all employees, ensuring that they are given sufcient recognition and appreciation. Everyone has a suitable role that can be accepted by others. So leadership should work in two ways: Involve individuals in such a way that they use their unique knowledge to benet the project (promoting individuality and motivation), and ensure they integrate into the team (distribution of roles and cooperation). The cooperative leadership style encompasses both, making it the preferred style. In different phases of a project, it may be necessary to shift your leadership style as appropriate. • Startoftheproject: In this phase, focus on employees, as team building is very important. The project’s results depend to a large degree on smooth cooperation. • Conclusionofaprojectphase: At the end of a dened project phase, focus on tasks, because specic results are required by dened points in time (milestones). The focus on employees may have to take a back seat for a while. “The cooperative leadership style encompasses both, making it the preferred style” Project Leadership page 9 • Projectconclusion: If the project is progressing well, consider changing to more of a laissez-faire style towards the end, as the project employees usually know what needs to be done and what matters by this point. From these examples, you can see that each leadership style has its merits when appropriate. The project leader should be procient in all the leadership styles so as to be able to use them when the situation requires. 5.2 Situational leadership When you are managing individual employees, situational leadership depends on not only the employee’s current circumstances but also his or her level of development. As your project progresses, apply an authoritarian, cooperative, caritative and nally a laissez-faire leadership style. The red arrow in the illustration follows the leadership style progression as the employee develops from a dependent to a highly independent employee. In summary, it is important to take the following four factors into account when deciding your behaviour as a leader: • Your own personality • The relevant situation • The group as a whole • The individual 3. Caritative: • Inform and enquire • Encourage employees to produce solutions and decisions • Check results and give feedback 2. Cooperative: • Inform • Give clear instructions: who, what, when, how • Explan and discuss • Exert high degree of control 4. Laissez-faire • Inform and transfer responsibility • Allow employees control • Encourage employees to report problems 1. Authoritarian: • Inform • Give clear instructions: what, who, when, how • Allow no discussions • Maintain control Leadership effort Employee’s level of development Low High Independent Dependent 5.3 Leading virtual teams Leading virtual teams can be problematic because of its inherent remote nature. The team members work independently at separate locations, making a large number of decisions themselves. As a result, you need to adapt your leadership approach to virtual teams, because: • Existing structures and processes in virtual teams are highly changeable. • Formal arrangements need to be avoided. • You cannot use directive forms of leadership. • The employees have a high degree of self-responsibility and self- leadership. Project Leadership page 10 Leading virtual teams involves managing complex tasks, primarily coordinating and chairing processes. The following leader characteristics are needed: • Organisation and coordination skills • A focus on results in both thought and action • Technical interest and understanding • An interest in the work and the people • A high level of exibility • A willingness to take risks • Diplomacy skills • A high degree of sensitivity • A willingness to trust and cooperate • Endurance • Tolerance • Resilience As the employees are working at separate locations, often in different time zones and organisations, you — as a manager — cannot assume the usual conditions for teamwork apply. When leading virtual teams, you should ensure that all possible avenues of communication are used effectively. In addition, you need to initiate face-to- face meetings between team members. This allows social relationships to develop, giving the team members a higher level of identication with the project and team. When leading any project, you need to weave all the different threads of the project together. This is especially important as a virtual team leader, who must always act as the project’s centre, even if the team members have a great deal of freedom in their decision-making. The leader is the point of contact for everyone and should therefore ensure there is meaningful documentation and complete information ow, both internally and externally. It is particularly vital that virtual team managers set up project rules right from the start (e.g., how feedback is given, how conicts will be dealt with, in what form and how often reporting should take place). All this can easily be achieved in a project kick-off meeting, where the employees also benet by getting to know one another. 6. Team development and cooperation Being able to achieve the project goals depends, rst and foremost, on the cooperation of the employees. A team that focuses on the goals is considerably more productive than a team that has to expend its energy solving interpersonal problems is. The manager faces the enormous challenge of initiating and formulating this necessary development. Assembling individual employees into a state of optimum cooperation as a high-performance team is a long journey, one also called the “team development process”. In many cases, when team development is left to chance or when the project members are never able to mingle, the project fails due to interpersonal factors. The team development process can be divided into four phases. 6.1 Orientation phase (forming) At the start, the team members generally view one another guardedly, and their discourse is aloof and polite. Bear in mind that some team members may already know each other, while others may be complete strangers. You have the role of a host at this point. “Leading virtual teams involves managing complex tasks, primarily coordinating and chairing processes.” “In many cases, when team development is left to chance or when the project members are never able to mingle, the project fails due to interpersonal factors.” [...]... and perhaps a whole lot more For more information, call 0800 011 2120 or visit www.gotomeeting.co.uk The author Angela Hemmrich has worked for many years as a project management trainer, consultant and coach She previously worked as a project leader for organisational and plant construction projects presented by page 12 008EN_WP/2011-10-25 ... created, and the team is now fully focused on the project goal The project processes are optimised — perhaps incorporating outside ideas — and the team can perform their tasks productively, creatively and flexibly with everyone able to rely on each other The following advice may be helpful in practice: • • • • • • • Behave as you would previously have liked your project leader to behave Secure a budget that... important for team development.” 7 Pragmatic keys to success through good leadership The following methods have proved very effective for ensuring the success of a project: • • • • • • • • • Agree upon project goals with everyone involved and outline project prospects together Maintain a cohesive strategy and vision from the start Mobilise employees by allowing initiative to emerge through interaction, sparking... keys to success in turn place specific demands on the manager’s character: • • • • • Project Leadership Be able to make personal contact Be credible and authentic (Practise what you preach.) Know your own strengths and weaknesses Control yourself (self-management) Use your natural authority and bring out your best Leadership means exerting an influence that comes from within you! You don’t need to... Privileges, status and roles are redistributed among the team members, usually accompanied by conflicts that may simmer beneath the surface Project Leadership 6.3 Organisation phase (norming) Once the team members have clarified their relationships, they can focus on the project goals Procedures are established for distributing tasks, working methods and team communications The team cooperates and establishes... Use feedback as an important leadership instrument Do not suppress conflicts and differences of opinion, because they are important for team development Address difficult phases openly and look for solutions together with your team “Do not suppress conflicts and differences of opinion, because they are important for team development.” 7 Pragmatic keys to success through good leadership The following methods . February 2011 presented by Angela Hemmrich Project Leadership Project leadership is a difcult functional, psychological and. authority. Project Leadership page 4 3. Tasks of the project leader Project leaders are responsible for the overall operational leadership of a project.