Modern Business Project Management

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary purpose of a business?

To provide services to government agencies

To create jobs for the community

To generate profit for stakeholders

To organize economic production of goods or services (correct)

Modern businesses are primarily characterized by their reliance on traditional methods of operation.

False

What is one key characteristic of traditional businesses?

Reliance on tried-and-true methods

Modern businesses aim to create a great client experience by supplying products and services that meet customers’ ______.

requirements Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of modern businesses?

Strict hierarchical structure Signup and view all the answers

Define capitalism in the context of business.

An economic system where private individuals own and control property and businesses. Signup and view all the answers

The primary focus of traditional businesses is a systematic approach to ______-making.

decision Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the key focuses of the course described?

Exploring various components of modern business Signup and view all the answers

Match the following terms with their definitions:

Modern Business = Client-centered and adaptable, utilizing data for decisions. Traditional Business = Relies on hierarchical structure and established methods. Capitalism = An economic system where private individuals own businesses. Business = An organization engaged in commercial activities. Signup and view all the answers

Active participation in class is not essential for success in this course.

False Signup and view all the answers

What does an organizational structure with many levels and substantial bureaucracy commonly rely on?

Predictive approach Signup and view all the answers

An organizational structure that has a flat structure often utilizes __________ methods.

adaptive Signup and view all the answers

Match the following terms with their definitions:

Organizational Structure = A system that outlines how tasks are divided and coordinated Active Participation = Engagement in class activities such as asking questions and submitting assignments Predictive Approach = A method focusing on structured planning and execution Adaptive Methods = Flexible strategies that allow for self-organization within teams Signup and view all the answers

Which type of communication skills does the course emphasize?

Culturally sensitive interpersonal skills Signup and view all the answers

The learning plan is a fixed document and will not change during the course.

False Signup and view all the answers

What should project managers be aware of when building project teams?

Power centers within the organization Signup and view all the answers

What is the main focus of modern businesses according to the content?

Social responsibility and sustainability Signup and view all the answers

Creative destruction refers to the process of maintaining old products and methods while introducing new ones.

False Signup and view all the answers

Who defined capitalism as a constant process of replacing old products with new ones?

Joseph Schumpeter Signup and view all the answers

The economic concept referred to as ______ describes the replacement of older innovations by new innovations.

creative destruction Signup and view all the answers

Match the following individuals to their associated concepts:

Shep Hyken = Exceptional customer service Paul Polman = Sustainability and social responsibility Jeremy Rifkin = Teamwork among staff Jim Collins = Supportive work environment Signup and view all the answers

What generally influences resource allocation in a market economy?

Supply and demand Signup and view all the answers

The price of goods and services is set by a predetermined fair price.

False Signup and view all the answers

What pandemic recently caused significant changes within organizations?

COVID-19 Signup and view all the answers

What major period led to increased production between the 1830s and 1850s?

The Industrial Revolution Signup and view all the answers

Specialization and industrialization reduced the amount of production.

False Signup and view all the answers

What is one reason why understanding organizational structure is important for a project manager?

It helps the PM know who they are working for. Signup and view all the answers

In early business, people engaged in __________ production to meet their own needs.

subsistence Signup and view all the answers

Match the given elements to their appropriate descriptions:

Project Manager = Coordinates and oversees projects Working Agreement = Defines expectations and responsibilities within a group Industrial Revolution = Period of significant industrial growth Project Team = Group responsible for delivering project outcomes Signup and view all the answers

What is expected of students during the virtual class?

To be on camera and engage in group work Signup and view all the answers

All students must submit their assignments in a Word document format.

False Signup and view all the answers

What should students include in their assignment summary?

Their background, reason for joining the program, goals, and PM experience. Signup and view all the answers

What is a mechanistic structure?

A vertical, organic structure where a central body is responsible for assigning tasks. Signup and view all the answers

What are the characteristics of an organic organizational structure?

A flexible workplace with a horizontal mode of communication. Signup and view all the answers

A mechanistic organization has decentralized authority.

False Signup and view all the answers

Horizontal structures have minimal layers of management.

True Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an advantage of a matrix structure?

Reduced costs Signup and view all the answers

Which structure is typically used by organizations that are larger and have multiple products?

Divisional structure Signup and view all the answers

What is a disadvantage of a functional structure?

Slower decision making Signup and view all the answers

The key feature of a __________ structure is collaboration across departments.

matrix Signup and view all the answers

In which structure is decision-making decentralized?

Organic structure Signup and view all the answers

What influences organizational structure design?

Corporate culture, leadership, size of organization, environment, and technology. Signup and view all the answers

Match the following organizational structures with their characteristics:

Mechanistic = Centralized authority with top-down communication Organic = Decentralized authority and flexible communication Functional = Specialized roles and departmentalization Divisional = Focus on specific products or market needs Signup and view all the answers

What are some reasons to have a structured way of managing projects? (Select all that apply)

Supports knowledge retention Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of structures and frameworks in organizations?

To organize and deliver projects effectively Signup and view all the answers

What is included in the right conditions for project success?

Project charter, active project sponsor, appropriate budget, motivated team Signup and view all the answers

It is easy to recover a project that is already mid-stream and having issues.

False Signup and view all the answers

What are the seven elements in the McKinsey 7 S Model?

Structure, Strategy, Skills, Staff, Style, Systems, Shared values Signup and view all the answers

What does the soft area of the McKinsey 7 S Model typically represent?

Culture and interpersonal dynamics of the organization Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes 'Style/Culture' in the 7 S Model?

The underlying way of working within a team Signup and view all the answers

Understanding the culture of a work team can help alleviate potential problems.

True Signup and view all the answers

The power structure may limit what you can achieve in your role as project manager.

True Signup and view all the answers

How can a project manager motivate individuals in a team?

By understanding their individual motivations and engaging them effectively. Signup and view all the answers

Motivation can be external or _____ motivated.

self Signup and view all the answers

What are the three types of traditional organizational structures?

Divisional Signup and view all the answers

What is teamwork?

Collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal. Signup and view all the answers

What are some disadvantages of project teams?

Conflicts among team members Signup and view all the answers

What is intrinsic motivation?

Engaging in behavior because it is rewarding on its own. Signup and view all the answers

What is extrinsic motivation?

Engaging in behavior to earn rewards or avoid punishment. Signup and view all the answers

A motivated team works well together and often meets goals.

True Signup and view all the answers

What are aspects of team development according to PMI?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

The five stages of Tuckman's model are: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and __________.

Adjourning Signup and view all the answers

What is a working agreement in teams?

Set of guidelines for team members to follow. Signup and view all the answers

Extrinsic rewards have minimal value in team settings.

False Signup and view all the answers

What should project managers be aware of when leading teams?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What does team cohesion refer to?

The degree of connectivity and solidarity among members Signup and view all the answers

Cohesive groups are worse at achieving their goals than noncohesive groups.

False Signup and view all the answers

What technique can help in effective decision making within teams?

6 Hats Technique Signup and view all the answers

The tendency to work less hard when part of a team is known as ______.

social loafing Signup and view all the answers

What is one solution to combat social loafing in teams?

Carefully assign work and follow up diligently Signup and view all the answers

The PM should always be present in meetings to influence the decision-making process.

False Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a tactic to improve team cohesion?

Encouraging friendly competition Signup and view all the answers

What should teams examine to improve their operations?

Team task and decision-making procedures Signup and view all the answers

What does motivation refer to?

Psychological forces that determine behavior direction, effort level, and persistence. Signup and view all the answers

Is every human motivated?

True Signup and view all the answers

What type of motivation is indicated by a person saying 'I love my job'?

Intrinsic Signup and view all the answers

What are the elements of SMART goals?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

How can effective leaders motivate their teams?

By empowering, motivating, communicating, energizing, supporting, acknowledging, and leading by example. Signup and view all the answers

Which management style permits employee self-management?

Empowerment Signup and view all the answers

The role of managers in Command & Control is to _____ decisions and give orders.

make Signup and view all the answers

At which stage of a project is a Project Manager likely to be more directive?

Initiation Signup and view all the answers

What does 'empowerment' involve?

Granting autonomy Signup and view all the answers

What is a major characteristic of extrinsic motivation?

External rewards or the avoidance of punishment. Signup and view all the answers

What are the required employee skills in a Command & Control management style?

Job skills Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Course Description

This course explores the various components of a modern business, focusing on how projects fit in and provide value within an organization.
It examines the relationship of power, politics, and conflict and strategies for resolving conflicts.
It emphasizes culturally sensitive interpersonal communication skills for interacting with peers, colleagues, and industry professionals while supporting organizational goals.

Active Participation

Active participation is vital for success in this course.
Active participation involves listening, asking questions, being present on screen, seeking examples, submitting assignments, and engaging in after-class activities.
Higher engagement leads to greater learning retention.

Organizational Structure

Organizational structures can be categorized into different levels, including rigid reporting structures with significant bureaucracy, often using a predictive approach.
Projects employing adaptive methods tend to have flatter structures and may use self-organizing teams.

Leading Projects in an Organizational Context

Understanding business is essential for comprehending projects in an organizational context.
The course will address the definition of business, including modern and traditional business, and the concept of capitalism.

Traditional Business

Traditional businesses rely on established methods, often characterized by hierarchical structures, defined job roles, and systematic decision-making processes.

Modern Business

Modern businesses prioritize innovation, technology, and data-driven decision making to add value for stakeholders, including customers, employees, and customers themselves.
Modern businesses are client-centric, adaptable, and responsive to change, continually striving to understand customer needs and implement innovative solutions.
They are more collaborative and networked, working with suppliers, partners, and other businesses to create value.
Modern businesses value social responsibility and sustainability, finding ways to operate with minimal environmental impact.

Capitalism

Capitalism is a constant process of replacing old products, processes, and organizational forms with newer ones.
This process is known as "creative destruction," where new innovations replace and make obsolete older ones.
Capitalism promotes continuous innovation and the creation of new businesses, eventually replacing older ones.

Market Economy

In a market economy, resources are allocated based on supply and demand, which determines prices.
The concept of "fair" doesn't necessarily apply, as prices are market-driven.
Regulations aim to ensure efficient markets and competition, including preventing mergers or business activities that might harm consumers.
Laws are crucial for upholding contracts and transactions, facilitating international trade.

Business History

Understanding business history is valuable, as it can help predict or repeat patterns, such as business cycles and lessons learned.
Organizations often resist change, making historical knowledge crucial for understanding their current focus and motivations.
Recent events, like the COVID-19 pandemic, have highlighted the need for rapid adaptation and information absorption.

Business Progress

Early business involved trades and piecemeal production in homes.
Subsistence production was common, where people produced enough to sustain themselves.
Specialization and industrialization significantly increased production in the 1830s-1850s, during the Industrial Revolution in Europe.

Why is Business History Important?

Companies operate under a set of assumptions, and understanding these assumptions is crucial for working within them.
Project managers work within an organizational hierarchy and constraints, managing resources that operate within specific limitations.
It's essential for PMs to collaborate across different areas and organizational levels within a company.

Summary

Understanding organizational structure helps PMs identify stakeholders and understand the importance of their projects.
PMs need to recognize who will support their projects and how they build their project teams.
It's crucial to understand why projects are undertaken.

Next Week

Be prepared for virtual class via Zoom, with details provided in the announcements section.
Plan to be on camera, as group work is planned.
After-class activity: Create a working agreement to be reviewed in class the following week.

Assignment #1

Assignment #1 is due on September 11th, 2024.
The assignment requires a summary of yourself, your reasons for participating in the program, your goals, and your project management experience.
Submit a PDF via the myCanvas assignments tab using the provided template.

Organizational Structures

Mechanistic structures are vertical, centralized, formal, and hierarchical.
- Common in universities, government agencies, and healthcare sectors.
Organic structures are horizontal, decentralized, flexible, and adaptable.
- Encourage communication between all levels of a company.
Functional structures are organized by department (e.g., marketing, manufacturing, accounting).
- Advantages: Develop functional expertise, commitment to performance standards, centralized activities.
- Disadvantages: Integration and coordination challenges, slower decision-making, information sharing issues.
Divisional structures are organized by product or service.
- Advantages: Focus leads to improvements, customer satisfaction, responsiveness to the market.
- Disadvantages: Duplication of effort, loss of economies of scale, decreased opportunity for specialization.
Matrix structures combine functional and product structures.
- Advantages: Collaboration across areas, reduced costs, better resource utilization, increased productivity.
- Disadvantages: Confusion for team members, slower decision-making, competing priorities.
Horizontal structures are flat with minimal layers of management and self-managing teams.
- Advantages: Short product life cycles, customer satisfaction focus.
- Disadvantages: May lack structure and clear leadership.
Network structures involve independent multidisciplinary teams collaborating to achieve a common goal.
- Advantages: Focus on core functions, subcontract non-core functions, fast-paced changing industries.
- Disadvantages: Requires strong communication and coordination.
Informal structures are the natural formations that emerge as people and teams work together.
- Include informal leadership, communication, and patterns.

Influences on Organizational Structure

Corporate culture: Shared values and beliefs.
Leadership: Vision and direction.
Strategy: Company's overall goals.
Size of organization: Affects communication and complexity.
Environment: Market and competitive forces.
Technology: Influences work processes and communication.

Environmental Characteristics and Recommended Designs

Stable environment with low uncertainty: Formal, centralized, mechanistic structure with few departments.
Unstable environment with high uncertainty: Decentralized, organic structure with participation and teamwork; numerous departments and boundary spanners.

Organizational Design Considerations

High power cultures: Tend to have centralized decision-making.
Change: Requires significant effort and may be crucial for company survival.
Industry and country differences: Impact on structure nuances.

Project Structures

Purpose: To outline how to organize and deliver projects effectively.
Benefits:
- Creates opportunity for success.
- Allows the organization to learn what works and establish patterns and best practices.
- Provides a foundation for ongoing learning, supporting knowledge retention.
- Enables continued training and development of project management skills and experience.
Why Projects Need Structure: Projects can be highly complex and involve many interdependencies. Changes during the project can easily derail them. Setting up the project for success happens from the start.

How Projects Start

Setting up the project for success happens at the beginning.
Creating the right conditions is crucial to success.
These conditions include:
- A project charter with appropriate details.
- An active and participative project sponsor.
- Appropriate budget and resources.
- A team who is motivated and responsive to the project manager.
It is harder to recover a project struggling from mid-stream.

McKinsey 7S Model

The model emphasizes the interconnectedness of seven areas:
- Strategy
- Structure
- Systems
- Staff
- Skills
- Style/Culture
- Stakeholders
Key Point: All seven areas are interconnected, and a change in one requires changes in others for the firm to function effectively.
Hard Elements: Strategy, structure, and systems are easier to identify and manage.
Soft Elements: Staff, skills, style, and shared values are harder to manage but form the foundation of the organization and create a sustained competitive advantage.

Working with Individuals and Power Structures

Power structures within companies can be based on cliques or teams who feel they have more power.
These dynamics can create challenges for project teams.

Motivation

Motivated individuals and teams deliver projects effectively.
Understanding individual motivations is crucial for project managers.
It is important to treat each employee as an individual and understand what motivates them.

Individual Motivation

Definition: Motivation is a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way.
People are motivated differently. They can be self-motivated, externally motivated, or motivated by community, money, or ego.
People are motivated by both organizational and personal goals.

In Class Group Exercise

The exercise encourages students to think about ways to work with people to motivate them.
Students can discuss projects they have worked on and how they were motivated.

Summary

Project structures are essential for success.
The McKinsey 7S framework helps understand how project elements are interconnected.
Understanding power structures and motivations is crucial to effective project management.

Next Week

The class will discuss motivations theories for individuals and teams.
There will be a review of the in-class activity.

Project Teams

Teams are a group of individuals with diverse skills, working together to achieve a common goal.
Team work involves collaborative effort to reach goals effectively and efficiently.
Project teams benefit from diverse skills, multiple viewpoints, and shared encouragement.
Challenges include conflict among members, lack of participation, competition, delays due to conflict, clashing egos and ideas, communication breakdowns, and inadequate team management skills.

Team Member Considerations

Key factors to consider when building a team include skillsets, motivation, and team composition.

Skillsets

Essential skills for team members include collaboration, problem-solving, conflict resolution, communication, goal setting, planning, and coordination.

Motivation

Intrinsic Motivation stems from finding the activity itself rewarding.
Extrinsic Motivation comes from seeking external rewards or avoiding punishment.
A motivated team is highly committed, innovative, energetic, and collaborative, achieving goals effectively.

Team Composition

Consider the department representation, internal/external members, specialists/generalists, and team size (small, large, virtual, in-person).
Aim for a balanced team with diverse backgrounds; consider education, geography, experience in the industry or with subject matter.

Leading Project Teams

Key aspects for team development include vision, objectives, roles, responsibilities, and team operations.
Provide clear understanding and fulfillment of roles.
Address knowledge gaps through training, mentoring, and coaching.
Maintain effective communication strategies, decision-making processes, and operating standards.
Provide guidance and support to the team as a whole or individuals on specific tasks.
Identify areas of team excellence and opportunities for growth, encouraging collective goal setting and improvement.

Project Team Culture

Team culture can be formally established through team norms or emerge informally through team member behaviors.
Project managers play a crucial role in fostering respectful, safe, productive, and non-judgmental environments.

Leading Teams

Adapt leadership style to the team's developmental stage: growth (learning), new, or mature (established).
Consider the project stage: beginning, middle, or end.
Acknowledge and adapt to changing project circumstances.

Team Agreements

Working agreements provide guidelines for team collaboration, promoting self-management.
Team contracts establish principles and standards for a supportive and productive team environment, acting as "ground rules".
Project team charters document team values, agreements, operating guidelines, and expectations for acceptable behavior.

Building Teams

Establish a baseline of values (common understanding) including trust, respect, honesty, and strong work ethics/communication.
Be aware of behaviors you won’t tolerate and establish standards for team member selection.
Seek members with unique skills, a strong work ethic, and a desire to succeed and learn, who demonstrate teamwork.

Rewards and Recognition

High-performing teams require sustainable motivation beyond intrinsic motivators (autonomy, mastery, purpose, recognition).
Consider extrinsic motivators (gift certificates, time off, food) recognizing that the act of acknowledging effort can have a significant impact.

Virtual Teams

Benefits include wider talent pools, flexibility across time zones for "round-the-clock" work, cost savings on facilities.
Challenges include time zone differences, potential cultural/language barriers, trust development, and decreased cohesion.

Tuckman's Model

Forming: Team members are getting familiar, uncertain of what is happening, and cautious. The leader provides clarity on the vision and goals.
Storming: Familiarity leads to challenging behaviors. Conflicts and misunderstandings arise. The leader observes, addresses issues, and helps manage conflicts.
Norming: The team reestablishes routines, develops guidelines, and find their rhythm. The leader transitions to a coaching role, providing support and guidance.
Performing: The team functions cohesively, trust is high, and problems can be resolved independently. The leader shifts to a coaching/counseling role.
Adjourning: Project activities conclude, and team members move on. The leader acknowledges achievements, provides feedback, and facilitates reflection.

Managing Tasks and Processes

Tasks involve the "what" of the project, defined during initiation and requirements sessions.
Processes involve the "how" the team functions.
Structure and consistency are crucial for task processes: regular meetings with agendas, creative idea generation, collaborative decision-making techniques, and agreements revisited for continued relevance.

Facilitate Group Decision Making

Use structured discussion principles, emphasizing solution generation and analysis.
Encourage multiple solutions, with teams generating at least two alternatives.
Utilize procedures for generating multiple perspectives, such as adopting stakeholders' viewpoints, using "Thinking Hats", and appointing a devil's advocate.

Wrap Up

Understanding team motivation and dynamics is essential for effective leadership, combining knowledge with caring and common sense.
Project manager roles can vary from inheriting a team to building one from scratch.
Effective leadership can successfully navigate project teams and achieve goals.

Making Effective Decisions

The 6 Hats Technique, developed by Edward de Bono, is a structured method for group discussion and individual thinking.
Each "Hat" represents a different type of thinking and has a color to help remember the type of thinking involved.
Participants switch hats to explore different perspectives. This helps to create more comprehensive decision-making, and problem-solving.
The 6 Hats Technique helps to look at a problem in six different ways.
This technique helps the team to move beyond instinctive positions and to explore viewpoints.
It helps to avoid having to argue one's case or make snap decisions.
By the time the team has tried out all six hats, there should be a rich collection of insights that will help the group decide on next steps.

Building Cohesion

Team cohesion refers to the connectivity and solidarity among the team members.
It encapsulates the shared commitment to achieve common objectives, mutual trust, and the ability to work together effectively towards collective goals.
Cohesion is the degree to which members want to be part of a group.
Cohesive groups are better at achieving their goals than noncohesive groups.
Cohesion can be improved by:
- Getting to know each other and wanting to work together
- Smaller group sizes
- Successful track records of the team
- Like-mindedness amongst team members
- Friendly competition across departments or teams

Team Challenges

Fear of impacting relationships by disagreeing in a team setting
Fear of looking stupid or making a mistake
Pressure to conform to a charismatic leader
The need to make very rapid decisions (stress)
Wanting to be part of the majority and not the "rogue"

The tendency to work less hard when part of a team.
It happens due to a subconscious belief that an individual will take a lesser share of the reward or blame when working in a team.
It happens when people feel like a "small cog in a big wheel". This leads to a feeling that an individual's contribution may go unnoticed.

Carefully assign work and follow up frequently.
Clearly define task ownership to ensure that everyone on the team understands their role and responsibilities.
Communicate how work will be evaluated and rewarded, both individually and as a team.
Focus on aligning tasks with intrinsic rewards

PM Lessons

Learn to analyze complex situations using a variety of models or theories, as no one theory is sufficient.
Develop a wide range of skills and knowledge to encourage your team to grow.
Develop the self-discipline to go beyond one's natural style and adapt to rapidly changing environments.
These skills are ongoing and require on-going practice and development.

Next Week

Week of Oct 7th
- Online class on Wednesday, October 9th
- Lesson topic: Leadership and Project Management
- Review for mid-term, including the content and test details
Week of Oct 14th: Reading week - NO classes
Week of Oct 23rd: Mid-Term test on campus

Motivation

Definition: The psychological forces that shape behavior, effort, and persistence towards goals and objectives.
Internal state: Motivation originates within individuals, influencing their actions towards specific targets.
Everyone is motivated: However, their motivation may not align with what you want them to do.
Motivation varies: It is difficult to motivate everyone uniformly as individuals are driven by different factors.

Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic Motivation: Satisfaction derived from the work itself ("I love my job!").
Extrinsic Motivation: Driven by external rewards or consequences (e.g., pay, status, avoiding punishment). ("I like the pay and status.").

Goal Setting Theory

Developed by: Edwin A. Locke in 1968.
Focus: Setting specific and measurable goals for better effectiveness than unclear goals.
SMART Goals:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable but challenging
- Reasonable
- Timely

Goal Setting Theory Key Components

Clarity: Clear and specific goals to minimize misunderstandings.
Challenge: Appropriately challenging goals to keep employees engaged.
Commitment: Employees should understand and support their assigned goals.
Feedback: Regular feedback is crucial for tracking progress and ensuring goals stay on track.
Task Complexity: Breakdown large goals into smaller, achievable steps.

Motivating and Empowering Teams

Effective Leadership Characteristics: Empower, motivate, communicate, energize, support, acknowledge, recognize, show appreciation, lead by example, be available.
Demotiving Leadership Traits: Directive (telling), controlling, demonstrate favoritism, negative leadership (e.g., "You can't do that").

Empowerment

Definition: Granting employees autonomy and responsibility, enhancing their sense of effectiveness.

Aspects of Empowerment

Meaning: Employees perceive their work as significant.
Competence: Confidence in their abilities and skills.
Self-determination: Autonomy in deciding how to accomplish tasks.
Impact: Employees feel their work has influence on various levels (department, team, organization, community).

Empowerment in Organizations

Reduce hierarchies and bureaucracy.
Increase access to power sources (information, resources, support).
Foster a culture that values employees and promotes all levels.
Establish clear boundaries and guidelines.

Empowering as a Project Manager

Solicit input and help.
Involve the team in decision-making.
Ask questions instead of giving all answers.
Provide resources and tools.
Empower employees to respond to customer needs.
Model open and honest communication.
Be well-informed and aware of project progress.
Set and communicate direction.
Make key decisions within your area of responsibility.
Ensure employees stay on course.
Guide and assist where needed.
Develop employee skills for greater autonomy and responsibility.
Regularly assess performance.

Command & Control

Hierarchical Management: Senior personnel hold all authority, similar to a military structure.
Managerial Decision-Making: Managers make all decisions, and employees execute instructions.
Limited Employee Input: Employees receive minimal input unless specifically asked.

Command & Control vs. Empowerment – Scenarios

Organizing Structure: Command & Control emphasizes hierarchy, while Empowerment promotes self-management.
Managerial Role: Command & Control managers give orders, while Empowerment managers share power, information, and listen to employees.
Employee Roles: Command & Control employees obey orders, while empowered employees think, control, and make decisions within their roles.
Required Employee Skills: Command & Control demands job skills, while Empowerment requires problem-solving, communication, learning, and self-development.

When is a Project Manager More Directive?

Project phases: More directive during initiation and execution when challenges arise.
Tuckman's Stages: More directive during Forming and Storming stages.

Summary

Covered content: Goal Setting Theory (Edwin Locke), Motivation, Empowerment, Command and Control Management.

Midterm Exam Material

Business Descriptions: Modern and traditional models.
Organizational Structures: Divisional, Functional, Matrix.
McKinsey 7-S Framework: Hard skills, soft skills, interconnectedness.
Motivation: Team and individual, intrinsic, extrinsic.
Project Teams: Benefits, building, social loafing.
Tuckman's Stages: How team dynamics affect project work.
Six Thinking Hats & Building Cohesion.
Goal Setting Theory, Empowerment, Command & Control.

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Description

This quiz covers key components of modern business project management, including the relationships between power, politics, and conflict resolution strategies. It emphasizes the importance of culturally sensitive communication and the impact of organizational structures on project success. Engage actively to enhance your learning experience.