SOLUTION: Project Leadership | My Assignment Tutor

1itech 7401_02 tutorial.docxWeek 2 –ITECH 7401 Leadership in ITProject ManagementTopicProject LeadershipTopic ObjectivesBy the end of this topic you should be able to:• Define leadership and explain the difference between leadership and management.• Describe the sources of leader power.• Describe and analyse traits of leaders.• Describe and apply behavioural and contingency theories of leadership.• Outline how project managers lead.Discussion QuestionsQuestion 2.1 – What is Leadership? *Do you have a preferred definition of leadership? Review the following definitions of leadership.What are the common features and variations in each definition? Develop your own definitionfrom the those provided.“Developing a vision and strategy, and motivating people towards achieving that visionand strategy” (Burke & Barron, 2014, p.7)“An influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes andoutcomes that reflect their shared purposes” (Daft & Pirola-Merlo, 2009, p. 4)“the state or position of being a leader” (oxforddicionaries.com, 2014)2itech 7401_02 tutorial.docx“A process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support ofothers in the accomplishment of a common task” (Wikipedia, 2014)“Leadership is the art of leading others to deliberately create a result that wouldn’t havehappened otherwise” (siyli.org, 2014)“The ability of a company’s management to make sound decisions and inspire others toperform well” (investopedia.com, 2014)“Leadership is the capacity and will to rally people to a common purpose willingly, andthe character that inspires confidence and trust” (Tozer, 1997, p. 12)Question 2.2 – Leadership and ManagementConsider the following scenarios and indicate how i). leader, and ii). manager, would handle eachsituation.a) A team member is constantly late for workb) A team member is lacking motivation to complete a difficult taskc) A team member made a serious programming error which will blow out project costsd) A team member is bullying another team membere) The team completes a big project on time, cost and within scopef) A team member develops a new algorithm which will improve the final product saving thesponsor company substantial moneyg) A team member is using work computers to work on a university assignmenth) The project is falling behind schedulei) The sponsor company on a project wants to increase the scope on a system’sengineering projectj) An experienced programmer joins your teamk) Your team has been allocated a pro-bono project as part of your company’s corporatesocial responsibility strategy teaml) A team member is using social networking during work timem) A team member comes up with an idea which is outside the scope of a projectn) Your team is stuck unable to come up with a solution to a technical problemo) You get assigned as a project manager to a team who have been working together for along time3itech 7401_02 tutorial.docxQuestion 2.3 – Leadership and PowerFor each statement, circle the number that most closely resembles your attitude. Disagree Agree1. The best way to handle people is to tell themwhat they want to hear.123452. When you ask someone to do something foryou, it’s best to give the real reason forwanting rather than giving reasons that mightcarry more weight.123453. Anyone who completely trusts anyone else isasking for trouble.123454. It’s hard to get ahead without cutting cornershere and there.123455. It’s safest to assume that all people have avicious streak, and it will come out when theyare given a chance.123456. One should take action only when it ismorally right.123457. Most people are basically good and kind.123458. There is no excuse for lying to someoneelse.123459. Most people more easily forget the death oftheir father than the loss of their property.1234510. Generally speaking people won’t work hardunless they are forced to do so.12345 To obtain your score, add the number you have checked on questions; 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 10. Forthe other four questions, reverse the numbers you have checked; 5 becomes 1, 4 becomes 2, 2becomes 4, and 1 becomes 5, 3 stays the same. Total your 10 numbers to find your score.American adult national average is 25. The results of this research using the Mach test havefound that:• Men are generally more Machiavellian than women• Older adults tend to have lower Mach scores than younger adults• There is no significant difference between high-Machs and low-Machs on measures ofintelligence or ability• Machiavellianism is not significantly related to demographic characteristics such aseducational level or marital status• High Machs tend to be in professions that emphasise the control and manipulation ofindividuals – e.g. managers, lawyers, psychiatrists and behavioural scientists (Robbins,Millett, Cacioppe, & Waters-Marsh, 1998, p. 464)4itech 7401_02 tutorial.docxQuestion 2.4 – Leadership TraitsReflect upon the traits and values that define the role of a project leader. Circle five of the valueslisted below that best complete the following sentence: ” _________________ is a ‘cornerstone’in my approach to leadership.” Provide reasons for your selections. AchievementAdventureChallengeControlCreativityEconomic BalanceFairnessFreedomHappinessHard WorkHonestyHarmonyInvolvementOrderAffectionComfortConformityCooperationDirectnessExpertnessFlexibilityFriendshipHelpfulnessIndependenceIntegrityLeadershipMorality/EthicsLoyaltyPredictabilityResponsibilityResponsivenessPersonal DevelopmentPowerRecognitionRiskSelf-RespectVarietySecurityTraditionTrustWisdomOther Values: Question 2.5 – Charismatic LeadershipCharisma is that special quality that makes us who we are. It is derived from the Greek term“kharisma” which literally means “divine favour.” Click on the following link and take the test:What is your charisma quotient? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edgeleadership/201409/what-is-your-charisma-quotient. How important is the trait of charisma for aproject leader?Question 2.6 – Leadership Theories *Locate a you tube video, audio or website which provides information on one of the leadershiptheories examined this week (Lewin’s framework, Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid, HerseyBlanchard Situational Leadership Theory, House’s Path Goal Theory, Fiedler’s ContingencyModel and the Leadership Process Model). Provide a brief written review of your selectedresource. *Question 2.7 – Case Study *Read the case study: An emerging leader. How do Tim’s traits compare to traits of effectiveleaders and project leaders? Which if any of Tim’s traits would you incorporate into you own styleof leadership? Why? *5itech 7401_02 tutorial.docxCase StudyAn Emerging LeaderTim T. portrays his life as a tension between “nature” and “nurture.” He sees it this way: He hastwo sets of DNA, and these two very different sets of characteristics have given him what heneeds to be a leader. The first set of DNA, he says, comprises of “those talents we are born with”that came from the biological parents who abandoned him at birth. The second set comes fromhis caring Michigan family who adopted him two years later.Even as a toddler, Tim’s nature was to be out in front of people and relating to them. Theseinnate abilities of his have always been very public and people-oriented: from his easy andeloquent speaking style and teaching skills to singing and acting. “As a baby, I was always anextrovert, and since age 2 or 3, people have told me that I would either be president of the UnitedStates, or a comedian,” he says. “I didn’t intentionally work on these abilities; I have just alwayshad them.”His “other strand of DNA” came from his adoptive family whom he describes as gentle,unassuming, and quiet. Tim admits he ran in the “middle of the crowd,” while his family memberswere often silent bystanders standing off in a corner. They did, however, instil in him the strongvalues of “loving family, working hard, and giving back” that he embraces today.Those two sets of characteristics allowed Tim to thrive early. Just out of high school, he wasgiven an opportunity by baseball player Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation to create a new afterschool program for second to fifth graders called Proud to Be Me. The goal of the pilot programwas to build children’s self-esteem and self-concept by providing them with new and diverseexperiences. Tim developed it with the goal of giving these children a larger lens of what theworld could be, so they would be empowered to see more choices than what they found in theirneighbourhoods. The Proud to Be Me model was a success and continues to be used for kids inKalamazoo, Michigan; Tampa, Florida; and New York (Parish, 2002; Turn 2 Foundation, 2010).“My core belief and approach has been to help others by giving them things that nobody can takeaway,” he says.At the encouragement of his boss at the Turn 2 Foundation, Tim went back to college. Hesupported himself working part-time at a bank doing collections, calling people on the phone totry to convince them to make payments on their debts. It wasn’t fun, but Tim excelled at it. “Iwould use my powers of persuasion to get people to make payments, not because it was my job,but because I wanted to help them. These weren’t bad people; they just got in over their heads. Ifthey didn’t make these payments someone was going to come to their house and take somethingfrom them.”It was in this job that Tim realized his talents only worked if there was a purpose. “I tried to sellvacuum cleaners once and couldn’t even sell one to my own mama,” he says. “Do you knowwhy? Because there was no purpose in it. But yet, I could talk these people who are strugglingand hurting into making a payment. That’s when I knew that I can’t walk on the face of this earthand not help somebody. My persuasion has to have a purpose.”After finishing college, Tim went on to get a master’s degree in communication and, at the youngage of 28, was hired as executive director of the 88-year-old Douglass Community Association, aprivate, non-profit, inner-city social service agency that provides opportunities for youthdevelopment, education, healthy living, and leadership. At the centre, Tim managed a budget of$1.2 million and 24 people. He spent much of his time out in the larger community raising money6itech 7401_02 tutorial.docxand resources and putting out fires. Although Tim enjoyed his role as executive director, headmits he had difficulty handling the day-to-day personnel issues at the agency.“I was really good at high-level leadership like developing new relationships and new funds forthe centre, and mobilizing people and resources, but I was horrible at the small stuff,” he reflects.“I spent a lot of time managing external human resources, but not paying attention to the needs ofinternal human resources at the centre. When my staff did an assessment of me, theyconsistently said, ‘He does a great job as a leader, but he is our boss and we need him here.’”To enhance his administrative skills, he took advanced leadership training at the Centre forCreative Leadership in North Carolina and Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.After four years, Tim left the community centre to become an associate vice president atSouthwest Michigan First, a regional agency focused on catalysing job creation and economicgrowth in an area that has been hard hit by job losses. For Tim, it’s an opportunity that makes themost of his double set of DNA.“This is the place where my talent and my passions meet. I can help people. I can sift throughproblems and take big issues and break them down in ways people understand. I can persuadeand motivate people and organisations to grow,” he says. “And I am still helping others in waysthat people can’t take away.”Despite the fact he is “living the dream,” Tim still wants to find more ways to help others bycreating an independent foundation to help people and kids in need. “My experience has beenthat it is hard to help hurting people because there is so much bureaucracy and BS tied up in howwe do it. I want to help people without strings. If you give someone money to help them, don’tgive it to them if you need it back. If you’re gonna do something for someone, just do it.”In addition, he is writing a book about his own experiences from adoption to the present to helpinspire others. “I want to share my story with people who come from places that aren’t all thatgreat,” he says. “I know I am not Superman and I can’t save everybody. But I can just be me andhelp out in the ways that I can” (Northouse, 2011)ReferencesKouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2003). The leadership challenge (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Wiley.Northouse, P. (2011). Introduction to leadership – Concepts and practice. Thousand Oaks,California: SAGE.Vercillo, K. (2012). Good traits and characteristics of a successful manager. March 6, 2015 fromhttp://kathrynvercillo.hubpages.com/hub/10-Traits-of-a-Successful-Manager