Analysing Project Leadership Teams and Group Dynamics

Analysing Project Leadership Teams and Group Dynamics Introduction A research done in 1995 in the USA showed that 31% of software projects are cancelled before completion while for those which are not, the cost will be an average of 189 percent of the original estimates (Standish Group, 1995). Whittaker (1999) identified the key reasons for such failure as related to poor project planning, a weak business case, and a lack of top management involvement and support. In 2001, the Standish Group found that only 28 percent of IT projects were completed on time and on budget, and that these were on average 45 percent over original cost estimates and 63 percent over original time to completion estimates (Standish Group International, 2001). This report identified poor tools to monitor and control progress of projects as the main reasons for such failures hence recommending project managers to use good project management practices in order to establish the appropriate project methodology (Gowan Mathieu, 2005). Turner (2003) defined a project as an endeavour in which human, material and financial resources are organized in a novel way, to undertake a unique scope of work, of given specification, within constraints of cost and time, so as to achieve beneficial change defined by quantitative and qualitative objectives. Despite this definition containing three aspects: human, material and financial, the above reports show that the focus of understanding failures in software projects has been mainly directed towards the technical and financial barriers encountered during the project life cycle. Intangible human organisational factors such as leadership, organisation culture and team dynamics have been given meagre attention despite multiple researches showing the successful completion of any project in any organization is highly dependent on the human and behavioural factors. This paper will discuss the ways through which software teams are affected by leadership, organisation culture and team dynamics. The first part of the paper will discuss the literature around organisational culture and it can affect the outcomes of software projects. The second part of the paper will discuss the role of leadership and team dynamics in the context of software project management. Lastly, the paper will end with a conclusion and possible recommendations for software teams in the future. Organisation Culture and Software project management Organizational culture describes how things are done in a corporation (Claver et al, 2001). It encompasses a wide range of aspects of organisations life including assumptions, values and artefacts, beliefs, rituals, and ceremonies; language, symbols, stories, and ceremonies In sum, organisational culture is viewed as both what an organisation is and as what an organisation has (Mathew, 2007). According to Lok Crawford (2004), organisational culture can influence how people set personal and professional goals, perform tasks and administer resources to achieve them. Similarly, Schein (1990) describes organisational culture as being able to affect the way in which people consciously and subconsciously think, make decisions and act. Researchers on organisational cultures have also proposed different forms or types of cultures. For example, Wallach (1983) suggested that there are three main types of organisational cultures: bureaucratic, supportive and innovative. Handy (1993) Identified four types of organisation cultures: power culture, role culture, person culture and task culture. The ultimate point is that organisation culture determines the ways decisions are taken within organisations. For example according to Handys model, a power culture is one where decisions are taken by a restricted number of individuals usually located at the peak of the organisation structure. The decision is then transferred to the rest of the structure, thus signifying low participation from the remaining workforce. This bureaucratic approach to decision making reduces the level of input from other levels in the organisation. In modern organisations, where employees are viewed as critical success factors, it is therefore important to have a culture which encourages participation and involvement. The power culture is an example of how the organisation culture can be a barrier to employee participation. In the context of software projects, participation is a key success factor. Hence, the type of organisation culture will either enhance or prohibit the appropriate behaviours from the team members. According to Hansen and Wenerfelt (1989), the culture within an organisation affects the way in which employees perceive, feel and act. This in turn will affect their level of performance and commitment (Peters and Waterman, 1982). Echoing the same, Siehl and Martin (1990) found that organisation culture have a critical influence of productivity and quality. The software sector employs large numbers of people worldwide (Arthreye, 2005). As mentioned above, productivity and quality are greatly influenced by organisation culture (Siehl and Martin, 1990). Productivity and quality is important to the software sector. Therefore, the need to understand how organisation culture affects this sector is fundamental. Organisation culture lays down the guidelines for the acquisition of Information Technology as well as the guidelines for sharing of information through its Information Systems (Allard (1998); Brown and Starkey (1994); Katz and Townsend (2000)). Mathew (2007) identified a range of cultural processes that have a bearing on software organisations such as concern for employees and trust, knowledge management or organisational learning; empowerment; high performance work orientation and core values. The research by Mathew (2007) is evidence that software team members are highly influenced by the cultural processes in interplaying in the organisation they are working in. These processes will affect their commitment to the software project in terms of: firstly the amount of information they are likely to input to the project. Western organisations have purposely adopted collectivist processes so as to encourage sharing of information throughout teams. However, in others contexts, the individualistic and bureaucratic culture promotes information asymmetry. Information asymmetry occurs when one party possesses more information that the other party. Information asymmetry is a threat to the proper functioning of software teams as information is key to the success of so ftware projects. The above shows that the organisation culture determines the processes for sharing information which in turn directly affects the implementation of software projects. Secondly, the organisation culture also determines the degree of empowerment of the employees. A study by Badoo and Hall (2001) on Motivators of Software Process Improvement: an analysis of practitioners views showed that software project managers highly ranked empowerment as a motivator factor. They considered process ownership as important. Developers stated the same: Developers want grassroots input into processes. Project managers want autonomy so they can mould the processes around their present practices. Both developers and project managers want to feel they have the support of senior management. (Badoo Hall, 2001) Pitterman (2000) identified empowerment as crucial to the success of software projects. Empowerment is often defined as the act of giving people the opportunity to make workplace decisions by expanding their autonomy in decision making (Vogt, 1997). Empowerment however is influenced by the organisation culture. Other processes contained in the organisation culture which ultimately affect the implementation of software projects are: communication, reward schemes, feedback, decision making, organisation structure, autonomy, communication, top down commitment, shared best practice and bottom-up initiatives (Badoo Hall, 2001). The above points show how the culture of an organisation can either facilitate the functioning of software teams or act as a barrier. Rigid structures, poor reward schemes, lack of communication, poor feedback, lack of transparency, poor trust and commitment from the top and little bottom-up initiatives can render the project life cycle difficult, hence resulting into project cancellations and/or completion over estimated budgets. Leadership and Team Dynamics in Software Project Management. It is important to experience progress and well-being by both the team members and the team leader in software projects. Katzenbach (1998) stated that groups of people working together give rise to dynamics which have the effect either of enhancing group performance, or of impeding, even destroying, group efficiency. The group dynamics involve both the team members and the leader. According to Wang et al (2005) team performance derives from the ability of team members to successfully integrate their individual actions, to perform in complex and dynamic environments, to achieve coordination and cohesion and lastly effective team leadership. Team leadership styles can be classified into two types: Transactional and Transformational leadership (Thite, 2000). The transactional leadership style focuses on the contractual relationship between the leader and the subordinates. The relationship is limited to the simple exchange of expected performance in return for certain rewards. On the other hand, the transformational leader motivates followers to perform beyond their expectations, increases the followers sense of the importance and value of tasks, and stimulates members to look beyond their own interests and direct themselves to the interests of the team, organization or larger community (Mankenzie et al, 2001). Pinto (1986) identified effective leadership as a critical success factor for successful projects. Similarly Turner et al (1998) described successful projects as being led by individuals who possess not only technical and management knowledge, but also leadership skills that are internally compatible with the motiva tion of the project team. Although the goals of a project are achieved by the team, appropriate leadership styles such as relationships and task oriented styles can help attain the targets in time and within the allocated resources (Nauman et al, 2010). Leadership fosters empowerment (Malone, 1997) and as mentioned above the latter is an essential ingredient for successful projects. However, according to Eisenberger (2002), effective empowerment is based on the relationship of the team members with the leader. The challenge for the leaders in software projects is to find the balance in managing relationships as well as getting the work done. Another important feature of leadership is motivation. Leaders influence and motivate team members. Software projects are often found to lose momentum following difficulties arising within the Iron Triangle (costs, time and functionality). The task of the team leader is to restore momentum at different stages within the project life cycle. As mentioned by Kotler (1988), leadership means influencing others to take responsibility for identifying, developing, retaining, and motivating talented professionals on the team. On the other hand in his work, Thamhain (2004) concluded that project success is no longer the result of a few expert contributors and skilled project leaders. Rather, project success depends on effective multidisciplinary efforts, involving teams of people and support organizations interacting in a highly complex, intricate, and sometimes even chaotic way. The process requires experiential learning, trial and error, risk taking, as well as the cross-functional coordinat ion and integration of technical knowledge, information, and components. The work of Thamhain (2004) also concluded that Team performance is not random but there are certain criteria which lead to high team performance. These are firstly understanding the needs of team members and designing ways to satisfy these needs, secondly management should support team environment rather than try to control it, thirdly team development must be ongoing and finally team leaders should work with senior management to ensure effective team work. The agency theory (Eisenhardt, 1989) informs that monitoring through leadership reduces shirking which in turn leads to project success. Shirking is the process of evading work, responsibility or duty. In organisation theory, shirking takes place when the agent (employee) has self-interest contrasting with the interest of the principal (employer, team leader, manager). The team leader is responsible for monitoring the project and this involves watching, observing and checking closely or continuously. Mahaney and Lederer (2009) examined the importance of project monitoring in order to avoid the problem of shirking in teams and found that the project monitoring does not necessarily avoid shirking in projects but planning and meetings during monitoring can predict shirking. Although there is no single leadership style applicable to all project situations, it is important to understand the role of leadership in the success of projects. Software project managers need to exhibit leadership traits which will enable them to carry out their function effectively. Linberg (1999) stated that one of the classic mistakes in software development is undermined motivation. A study by Couger and Zawacki (1980) showed that firstly software professionals had substantially higher growth needs than any of the other job categories, secondly increased motivation would occur if the software developers growth needs matched the jobs motivating potential, and thirdly increased software developer job satisfaction was associated with effective supervisory feedback. In the case of software projects, supervisory feedback related to team leader feedback. Hence the need to understand the need of those involved in the project as well striving to find ways to satisfy those needs remain an important responsibility of the team leader. Team dynamics will also interplay with leadership skills to determine the outcomes of the software project. The failure of many large software projects is due to difficulties in managing team-based work (Faraj and Sproull, 2000). According to Hohmann (1997) the most effective software development teams are also the teams that contain a variety of different personality or temperament types. This is also confirmed by Amabile etal (1996) stating thatAmabile, T.M., Conti, R., Coon, H., Lazenby, J. and Herron, M., 1996. Assessing the work environment for creativity. Academy of Management Journal 39, pp. 1154-1184. Full Text via CrossRef | View Record in Scopus | Cited By in Scopus (411): Team member diversity and mutual openness to ideas may operate on creativity by exposing individuals to a greater variety of unusual ideas; such exposure has been demonstrated to positively impact creative thinking. Overall team diversity creates the synergy required in software projects however in other cases team diversity may also be a cause of failure for example a software developer may prefer one method and will become de-motivated if a newer development method is used during the project. In his work on adapters and innovators, Kirton (1994) suggested that individuals with an adaptor style prefer stability of work activities whereas individuals with the innovator style prefer new and alternative work activities. Hence such two types of developers may not be able to find a common stable ground in the software project and in turn this might lead to low job satisfaction for either party. Linberg (1999) concluded that team dynamics does impact on software projects, Team members develop their own perceptions about project failure and success and this in turn affects their performance. According to the same study, team leaders have perceptions about project success and failure as well. Shea and Guzzo (1987) introduced the concept of group potency and defined it as the collective belief of a team that it can be effective: the shared belief of team members as a whole. Akgun et al (2007) investigated the relationship between group potency and software project outcome. The study revealed that project teams involve multi-mental models due to the different knowledge, expertise, background, and personalities in the organization. The collective belief of a teams capabilities and efficacy is critical for effective team and project management. Group potency was important for fast software development and lead to less costly development of software and to high performance teams. Hutchins (1991) stated that the cognitive properties of groups can differ from those of their participating members. Software teams are different from other teams existing in an organization. They are formed of knowledge workers who have specific individual expertise embodied into the practical activi ty-based competencies (Blackler, 1995). Moreover, software development teams have a relatively unique structure, wherein the division of labour among members are highly interdependent due to the way in which the finished product is produced; the nature of the software development process is such that the product cannot be seen in its progressive development and this has implications for both team members and team leaders. Ryan and OConnor (2009) found that tacit knowledge is shared through good quality social interaction in the team. Therefore it is important for software team leader or project managers to build team structures which foster the sharing of tacit knowledge. Another pertinent issue in team dynamics is that of conflict. March and Simon (1958) defined conflict simply as the breakdown of the standard mechanisms for decision making. According to Gobeli et al (1998), team or group conflicts can be detrimental to the success of the software projects. Group conflict is a result of poor leadership influence and lack of ability to manage dysfunctional behaviours within teams. However, in many cases, team conflicts emerge out of multiple reasons such as diversity of personalities working together and lack of communication. Group conflict in the context of software teams can lead to a slow down of the progress of the project, hence not satisfying one of the key parts of the Iron triangle, time. For this reason, it important for group conflicts to be managed carefully by team leaders in order to boost team morale and to achieve efficiency. Conclusion As discussed above, software teams are vulnerable to factors emerging from the organization culture, the type of leadership and the team dynamics prevailing in the organization. All three being people-related are rather sensitive and less prone to be easily changed. They have joined the list of critical success factors for software projects. For organizations to have a culture which is conducive to success, the latter needs to be flexible rather than rigid and imposed. As we move towards more open systems at work, it is therefore fundamental for the organization culture to fit into the business context. Changes have to take place from a cultural perspectives to produce the right platform for the success of software projects. Flexibility and openness in organization culture is favored. By the same token, the type of leadership has to be based on the situation and the climate within the software team. This in turn will lead to positive team dynamics and better performances of software projects. Overall it can be concluded that organization culture, the type of leadership and team dynamics can make a difference to a software project and its team. If managed properly, these would help organizations achieve competitive advantage in the market.

How significant is it that Croesus is not Greek, in Herodotus Histories? :: essays research papers

According to Herodotus, Croesus was the first non greek to come into contact with the Greeks: â€Å"He was the first foreigner, so far as we know to come in direct contact with the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Greeks, both in the way of conquest and alliance† Although this statement is unlikely to be true, the significance of Croesus not being Greek is obviously very high. Herodotus tells moral stories using historical figures, Croesus being one of them. For example, the story of him and Solon, which is almost certainly untrue when we see Croesus ignoring a wise person’s thoughts and advice. As his Histories were written for a Greek audience, it wouldn’t have been wise to show a Greek to be so foolish and a barbarian like Croesus would have been a good person to choose. Herodotus, at the time of writing, would have been telling the histories to entertain Athenian people. For entertainment’s sake, Croesus being a foreigner would have been very important, as his life would be a new and untold story that his audience wouldn’t have heard before, whereas had he been a Greek, people knowing about him would have been highly likely. Croesus, we see, while being extremely generous towards the Delphic Oracle, questions and tests it and later makes mistakes in interpreting the prophecies. Any message Herodotus was trying to convey here, again is better done so through a non-Greek, being somewhat foolish, rather than a Greek like his audience. The point of Herodotus’ Histories was to tell the story of the Persian Wars with background from both sides so to find a cause for it. He says in his opening paragraph:

Being on Time Essay

Being at the right place at the right time for any person is extremely important to the daily life and military life. Being dependable, accountable, and disciplined are all crucial factors that go along with it. Being on time shows that a person is dependable and have his or her priorities straight. Being where one needs to be at the right time always one of the most important aspects of everything you want to succeed in. Failure to be on time not only hinders your time to get tasks done but also wastes the time of those waiting on you. If you want to fix this use good time management. It is important to realize that it is necessary for a person to hold themselves at a higher standard if the wish to excel in life, the military, or whatever you wish to succeed in. Punctuality remains and always will be an extremely vital aspect of military bearing and discipline. It has a direct connection to a person’s appearance, task effectiveness, and essentially every aspect of life and responsibility. I cannot place enough importance on how significant being on time constantly is. For instance; a person who is late or does not report at all to a place at the time stated effectively compromises and reduces the efficiency of which the task or mission at hand can be completed. It also makes it so other people are waiting on you to put out information. This makes it so you waste their time so then they may be late for something and you make them look bad. No one should every try to be sabotaging someone else because of their laziness and inability to be considerate of others. Not being on time also shows that you are not accountable or unaccountable. This is also a direct reflection of yourself and what others feel they should treat you like. Like a wise man once said â€Å"If you act like a child you will be treated like a child.† And really what grown man or women wants to be treated like they are 15 years old and have people hold their hand constantly. Not I not you not anyone. Also by getting this cause from the effect u made of acting like a child it also makes your ability to exceed and excel in life or the military diminish greatly. Also it makes you unreliable and that’s never a good trait to have. Time management is a way to correct this problem. By setting alarms to get up on time, leaving sooner to give yourself enough time to get to one place to another, and making sure you have enough time to do the things you need to do or the things you want to do. Also if you set things up the night before you will not be in such a rush to get things done the next day. If you do not have good time management you will fail in just about every aspect of life in or out of the military. Remember to plan ahead. Good time management is a major key to not make these kinds of mistakes. In conclusion being on time greatly reflects your dependability, accountability, and discipline. These factors affect your opportunity to excel and be the best you can be. Also good time management is key and a way to correct the problem of not being on time. Being on Time Essay Being on time is very important. It is a sign of respect to the person you are meeting. If you are always late, you’re creating a bad reputation for yourself. People feel they can’t trust you or rely on you, so it impacts relationships. It also impacts self-esteem. Being late is upsetting to others and stressful for the one who is late. People’s stress level is very high when they’re late. They’re racing, worried, and anxious. They spend the first few minutes apologizing. And that’s not the best way to making a good impression. So if you want to be on time you must first figure out why you are always late. The reason can usually be classified as either technical or psychological. For example if you’re always late by a different amount of time 5 minutes sometimes, 15, or even 40 minutes other times it is likely that the cause is technical. It’s a case of bad planning, of thinking you need less time than you actually do. Another technical difficulty for some people is the inability to say â€Å"no† to additional commitments when they’re short on time. But if you are literally always 10 minutes late, it’s psychological. You’re arriving exactly when you want. The question is why? For some people, it’s a resistance thing. They don’t want to do what other people expect them to. Another category is the â€Å"crisis-maker†. These are people who cannot get themselves together until they get an adrenaline rush. They need to be under the gun to get them selves moving. There are also people who are late because they worry they won’t have nothing to do while waiting. This problem can be solved easily. Always carry a book or magazine. So you aren’t feeling bored and you don’t have the feeling of â€Å"excess† time when you are waiting. And that’s not the only thing that can help you to deal with lateness. You can also†¦ †¢ Clean out your purse or briefcase each evening so it’s ready to go the next morning. †¢ Know how much money is in your wallet so you won’t run out of cash at an awkward time. †¢ Give up that â€Å"one last thing† before walking out the door. †¢ Think about what you could do with an extra five minutes for every place where you arrive early. †¢ Review your plans for the rest of the day and make note of things that have changed. †¢ Keep a clock in a prominent location so you can check it quickly when you have to leave your activities. †¢ Always keep keys, purse and backpack on hooks and a shelf by the exit door. †¢ Set your clocks 5 to 10 minutes ahead. Although remember that at dinner party it’s rude to arrive early; you might surprise the host and find him in his bathrobe vacuuming. In Japan, China, Germany and the United States being on time is the rule. In other places, such as Latin America punctuality is rare. Punctuality exhibits respect for the time of others; you do not waste their time while they wait for you. But it makes it difficult for Germans to act spontaneously. You can’t really call someone and say, ‘Let’s go for a coffee. ‘ Many Germans will want that date in their diaries for at least a week. Back in the technological dark ages, you couldn’t contact people so easily, so you made an effort to meet them on time. Nowadays if you are running late you simply call the person and delay or cancel the meeting. However that should not become a habit, because you may delay, but time will not. I used to be late all the time. But I’ve got tired of running down the street to catch the bus and bored of explaining to everyone why I’m late again. So I decided to deal with the problem. First step was setting my clocks 5 min ahead and it really works for me. But I realized that everything is in my head. I just have to decide that the meeting or event is just too important for me to be late. I won’t say I’m always on time, but I’m trying. As someone else said: â€Å"Better late than never, but better never late! † [pic].

15 Words That Will Make You Sound Smarter

Do you remember how exciting it was when you learned to say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Didn’t you feel smart? Just because youre older, doesnt mean acronyms and emojis should be your main form of communication. After all, if you want to be successful in life, you have to make an unforgettable first impression. Why Word Choice Is Important Having a strong vocabulary allows you to communicate in a thoughtful and intelligent way. Whether youre trying to land a job, impress your 3rd-period teacher, or nail a scholarship interview, your ability to choose your words carefully will help you stand out. But here’s something to consider: overusing complex language can turn people off, so it’s best to test out a few new words at a time and see what kind of reaction you get. Chances are, you’ve seen (or maybe even used) a few of these words. And while there are hundreds of words that can make you sound smarter, some are definitely more fun (and easier) than others to use. So, the next time youre toe-to-toe with your AP English teacher, ditch the toady act and impress her with a few of these scintillating words instead. Words to Add to Your Vocabulary Accolade: a mark of acknowledgement; an honor.Even though he received numerous accolades at the senior awards night, Ben is still one of the most humble people I know.Acquiesce: to go along with something without protest, even if you dont really want to.My grandma loves the ballet and bought tickets for us to go. I really wanted to watch the basketball game, but her sweet smile eventually caused me to acquiesce.Bamboozle: conceal one’s true motives; to cheat or deceive another person.I got bamboozled by my buddy to buy him a pair of new shoes even though his mom picked up a pair yesterday.Camaraderie: trust existing between friends who spend time together; a spirit of familiarity.There was a sense of camaraderie among the soccer team after they spent two weeks together at a wilderness camp.Conundrum: a difficult problem.Looks like you have  a bit of conundrum, but thats what happens when you cheat on a test and the teacher finds out.Idyllic: peaceful, happy, pleasing.The out door classroom at our school is in an idyllic location because you can see the mountain range and several acres of forest from every open window.Impeccable: faultless or without defect; incapable of wrongdoing.Have you ever had that one teacher who won’t accept any work unless it’s impeccable? There’s no way my essays are ever going to be that perfect.Perfunctory: something done without much care or attention.You did a perfunctory job including descriptive words in this essay. Next time, I expect you to show more interest in what you are writing.Ruminate: to think about something thoroughly and in great detail.People who struggle with anxiety tend to ruminate and fixate on their thoughts. Tempestuous: identified by explosive conditions.My older brother’s tempestuous relationship with our mom has led to very little communication between the two of them.Tenuous: very weak or slight and likely to change.We’re not sure if our boating store is going to survive this harsh winter season. Your employment will remain a bit tenuous until we know the total number of sales from this month.Vacillate: to go back and forth between two points, waver between different opinions, or to be indecisive.When I ask my sister where she’s going to college, she vacillates between her two favorite schools; but I know she will eventually make the best decision for her.Vitriolic: harsh or corrosive in tone.The student body election turned into an argument reaching vitriolic levels. The two candidates ended their speeches by shouting harmful words at each other.Wheelhouse: a metaphor for an individuals area of comfort or expertise.I need you to cover this story about the construction at our school, even though it’s not in your wheelhouse. Zealous: displaying or feeling energetic support for a person, cause, etc.My neighbor has been a zealous supporter of animal rights for as long as I’ve known her. Source Merriam-Webster Dictionary