Role of Active Leadership in the Project Management Success

THE SYNOPSIS, PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE REQUIREMENT OF THE DEGREE OF MBA (COL)

Submitted by: Roll No: Reg No:

Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad Year 2011

CONTENTS

1.0

Introduction 1.1 1.2 1.3 Problem Statement Purpose & Objective of Research Significance of Research

03 04 04 05 06 07 10 11 11 11 12 12 12 13 13 14 14 16

2.0

Literature Review 2.1 2.2 Theoretical Frame Work Research Hypothesis

3.0

Research methodology 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Research Tools & Data Collection Sampling technique Sample size Research instrument Limitations of Research Benefits of Research Recommendations & Conclusions

4.0

Questionnaire 4.1 4.2 Questionnaire for Leaders Questionnaire for Employees

1.0

INTRODUCTION

Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. This report will help through that process. To inspire workers into higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things that must be, know, and, do. These do not come naturally, but are acquired through continual work and study. Report will be containing all the qualities, limitations, and all results and work done by leaders. All the effects on project performance by leaders will be also given in the report. Before we get started, lets a small look on leadership that will be briefly defined in the report also. Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. We can also define Leadership in the following words, Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership knowledge and skills. This is called Process Leadership. Topic of my internship report is Role of Active leadership for the success of projects so now we will be gives a small look to Project leadership. Project leadership is all about shaping a team of diverse individuals (employees and contractors, some from different organizations) into a force that produces measurable project results. At a basic level, project managers must be able to set the vision, define success, and determine the measurements of success. Then they must inspire, persuade, and lead the project team. We argue that for project managers to become project leaders, they must demonstrate competence in three essential skill areas. Successful project leadership involves:
y y y
Comment [A1]: Please elaborate more and incorporate references.

Leading courageously. Influencing others. Acting with resilience.

In this report we've presented the case that project leadership is the differentiating factor in project success, especially on large, mission-critical projects.

Project and Human Capital Management by Leaders

Leadership in the project management requires the vision, ability and courage to guide individuals and teams to rewarding experiences. Project Managers often expect to achieve a great deal, but need to realize they can achieve little without the efforts of others. This report focuses on the complexity and issues of leadership in project management. The report provides:
 Assist project managers in their understanding of what leadership is and how leadership

influences the outcome of project success.

 Demonstrate how empowerment can be used to achieve results and positive project

outcomes.
 Demonstrate how to engage and influence others to achieve project goals.  Provide an insight into what it takes to build high performance project teams.  Achieve your project management goals by providing clear leadership  Build and develop an effective project team

1.1

PROBLEM STATEMENT

What are the Effects of active leadership on the project management success? We should try to enlist the causes of active leadership for the project management success. The critical success factors for the project management success will be also discussed in the report. The report provides us how to engage and influence others to achieve project goals and the project management success.
1.2 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE OF RESEARCH

The purpose and objective of our research is to define the role of leadership in project success. Executives and senior leaders provide the authority and credibility needed for a change to be successful. The change involves new processes, new systems, new job roles or new organization structures. These research findings will also serve as a baseline for different projects. Therefore, the findings of this research will contribute to the leadership to determine the significance of the independent variable and their relationship with the dependent variables.

Highlights of the research purpose and objectives  Importance of Leadership  Value of Leaders in success of projects  Know how about management and leadership  How can we use leadership effectively and efficiently  Role of Leaders in Planning of a Project  Role of Leaders in Organizing a Project  Role of Leaders in Controlling of a Project  Interpersonal role of Leaders in a Project  Informational Role of Leaders in Project  Decisional Role of Leaders in Project  How can be a successful Leader 1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH

Report will be a complete guide to what seems to always know what to do and people are looking for advice. He / she has not only a vision, but they also know how to communicate. A good leader must be able to fly, its convincing message. Leaders inspire 'people to plan and set goals to get what they always wanted. A leader is someone who's goals are important, designed and developed a plan to address them. He / she are who apparently has a solution for every problem, because he / she has thought of everything before given the opportunity to start. They show confidence in everything you do. With the mental strength to strength, physical and spiritual, inspiring others to reach new highs. They inspire you size! To enable people to achieve.
 Honesty  Self-confidence  Consistency  Creative  Intelligent  Risk-taking  Persistence  Adaptability
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Managers are able to move with a company with a changing market. Excellence is "Its incredible everything is possible." The leaders do not order to build excellence. To be effective leader, your followers have faith in you and they need to be sold on your vision. As soon as your leader, you already know. This person will also have real passion and conviction for what they do. If they do what they like it, you almost do not help her passion as well! Find your guides and follow them on their way to success!

2.0

LITERATURE REVIEW

Report will be provide all the basic and necessary concepts about Leadership role in success of a Project some major points are given below as for further discussion:
Concepts of leadership

Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience. This report will help through that process. To inspire your workers into higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things you must be, know, and, do. These do not come naturally, but are acquired through continual work and study. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills; they are NOT resting on their laurels.
Concepts of Active Leadership

Leadership has been described as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Definitions inclusive of nature of leadership have also emerged. Alan Keith of Genentech states that, "Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen. According to me, "Effective leadership is the ability to successfully integrate and maximize available resources within the internal and external environment for the attainment of organizational or societal goals."
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2.1 Theoretical Framework DEFINE THE PROJECT

Project Development will use the 6 planning steps. Each step will be subdivided to provide a link to details about the step or to sources of information and ideas connected to it. That is, to define the project, complete the first planning step, "Define Problems and Opportunities." To do that, it is necessary to describe goals, identify constraints, and develop objectives. Further study about our topic in the report will be able the reader to answers following points:
 Identify or Define Problems and Opportunities  Project Definition  Why, What, How?  How does a project get started?  How do you know what it is supposed to achieve?  How do you know what approach is required?  How do you know that it is a good idea in the first place?  How will you know if you succeeded?

Business needs

Project definition

Project execution

Before you can effectively manage a project, there needs to be a shared understanding of that project - its purpose, objectives, scope, sponsorship, funding and mandate. Some people would define the project as not existing until it has an adequate definition. In the real world, projects often need to get moving while at least some of these questions remain imperfectly answered. Many organizations have specific processes and standards for requesting and evaluating a project. There will often be norms for assessing the financial benefits, eg. payback period, internal rate of return, discounted cash flow etc. There may also be standard procedures for presenting a business case and obtaining approval for the capital investment. Make sure you are aware of any defined standards that apply to you.
Four Factors of Leadership

There are four major factors in leadership. We are defining all these factors shortly and will be define briefly in the research report.
Leader

You must have an honest understanding of who you are, what you know, and what you can do. Also, note that it is the followers, not the leader or someone else who determines if the leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then they will be uninspired. To be successful you have to convince your followers, not yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being followed.
Followers

Different people require different styles of leadership. For example, a new hire requires more supervision than an experienced employee. A person who lacks motivation requires a different approach than one with a high degree of motivation. You must know your people! The fundamental starting point is having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and motivation. You must come to know your employees' be, know, and do attributes.

Communication

You lead through two-way communication. Much of it is nonverbal. For instance, when you set the example, that communicates to your people that you would not ask them to perform anything that you would not be willing to do. What and how you communicate either builds or harms the relationship between you and your employees.
Situation

All situations are different. What you do in one situation will not always work in another. You must use your judgment to decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for each situation. For example, you may need to confront an employee for inappropriate behavior, but if the confrontation is too late or too early, too harsh or too weak, then the results may prove ineffective.
Principles of Leadership

To help you be, know, and do, follow these eleven principles of leadership. The report will be guide expand on these principles and provide tools for implementing them: 1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement - In order to know yourself, you have to

understand your be, know, and do, attributes. Seeking self-improvement means continually strengthening your attributes. This can be accomplished through self-study, formal classes, reflection, and interacting with others. 2. Be technically proficient - As a leader, you must know your job and have a solid

familiarity with your employees' tasks. 3. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions - Search for ways to guide

your organization to new heights. And when things go wrong, they always do sooner or later do not blame others. Analyze the situation, take corrective action, and move on to the next challenge.

4.

Make sound and timely decisions - Use good problem solving, decision making, and

planning tools.

5.

Set the example - Be a good role model for your employees. They must not only hear

what they are expected to do, but also see. We must become the change we want to see Mahatma Gandhi 6. Know your people and look out for their well-being - Know human nature and the

importance of sincerely caring for your workers. 7. Keep your workers informed - Know how to communicate with not only them, but also

seniors and other key people. 8. Develop a sense of responsibility in your workers - Help to develop good character traits

that will help them carry out their professional responsibilities. 9. Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished - Communication is the

key to this responsibility. 10. Train as a team - Although many so called leaders call their organization, department,

section, etc. a team; they are not really teams...they are just a group of people doing their jobs. 11. Use the full capabilities of your organization - By developing a team spirit, you will be
Comment [A2]: Please go through the published research articles and learn how to write literature and develop theoretical framework. I have attached some articles for your convenience.

able to employ your organization, department, section, etc. to its fullest capabilities.
2.2 Research Hypothesis

H1. H2. H3. H4.

What are the impacts of active leadership on Project Management? What are the impacts of Principles of Leadership? What are the impacts of factors of Leadership? What are the impacts of changing your strategies to handle team members?
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H5. H6.
3.0

What are the impacts of Critical Success factors for project management success? What are the impacts of leader have a personal interaction with every team member?
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Comment [A3]: Hypotheses are always based upon the theoretical framework.

Methodology refers to the way in which we approach problems and seek answers. A research method is a tool to search for new knowledge. Research methodology is almost a synonym for a research design. It indicates a practical way in which the whole research project has been organized. Methodology, in general, refers to both theoretical and practical aspects of the actual mechanics of research. The research will be covering all aspects regarding role of leadership in the success of projects. During research we take help from previously made reports, books, and articles of successful leaders. We conduct panel interviews of successful leaders. We also will be make different type of questionnaires that will be filled by 5 different successful leaders working right now at 5 different industries.
3.1 RESEARCH TOOLS & DATA COLLECTION

It shall be a primary data collection through a structured questionnaire. The same is annexed as Annexure A. Secondary data from the published records and websites of the business enterprises may be collected. For such a quantitative research design questionnaire shall be used for field survey. Multiple choice questions are used so that respondents should feel comfortable with less time consumed.
3.2 Sampling Technique

For this research report Non-probability sampling procedure is used. Non probability sampling is the sampling procedure which does not provide any basis for estimating the probability that each item in the population possesses to be included in the sample. In pre -testing a questionnaire, we are interested to ascertain it suitability for the problem under consideration. Non probability sampling methods can be used to contact respondents in this case as the primary aim is to probe for the possible range of answers.

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3.3 Sample Size

In this research report the sample size consists on the 50 respondents that are currently working in different types of Projects at different levels such as Leaders, senior management and also the front line workers. The respondent can be from any age, gender, income, and education and position.
3.4 Research Instrument

Five point Liker Scales a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never Five point Liker Scales that anchor from are used as research instrument. For the purpose of this study, although there were many possible ways to communicate with respondents, such as online focus groups and also chat rooms, the self-administrated questionnaire was used. This method is considered to be the most popular method used given the time and budget constraints of the research. More importantly, since the questionnaire was highly structured and relatively straightforward, respondents will be able to complete the survey on their own without much help from the researcher. In addition, secondary data is collected from journals, text book, website and previous studies relevant to this research.
3.5 LIMITATIONS OF RESEARCH

Leaders cannot do everything! In an effort to provide tools and resources for those in leadership positions, the following is a list of items that will brief the limitations of research topic.
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1. Leaders can cast vision and connect the dots but they cannot give you passion. 2. Leaders cannot make sure you get proper rest. 3. Leaders can schedule a brainstorming session but they cannot make you creative. 4. Leaders can create a good environment but they cannot give you a great attitude. 5. Leaders can institute Sensitivity Training but cannot make you get along well with others. 6. Leaders cannot make you get to work on time. 7. Leaders can sacrifice but they cannot make you go the extra mile. 8. Leaders can possess high intelligence but they cannot make you a continual learner. 9. Leaders cannot control shifts in the market. 10. Leaders cannot control how much traffic you were in this morning.

There will be many more limitation points that also will be discussed in the report.

3.6

BENEFITS OF THE RESEARCH

At the end of research work we will gathered all the benefits taken from this research work will be identified.
3.7 RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

Final step of this research work will be contains of the Recommendations and conclusions get from overall research work.
Comment [A4]: Exclude it from synopsis.

References

Comment [A5]: Dear Please provide references list here.

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QUESTIONNAIRE FOR LEADERS

Name of the participant: ______ Age: _____ Designation: ________ Organization: ___________

 According to you what does a good leader means?

______________________
 Name the three moral responsibilities of an effective leader?

_____________________
 Specify the pattern you follow to interact with your employees?

_____________________
 Do you think you have the ability to become a good leader?

a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Do you change your strategies to handle team?

a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

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 Does a leader have a personal interaction with every team member?

a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Does the leader encourage or plan any team outing outside office hours?

a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Have you done any recent change in your leadership policies?

a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Do you think motivational speeches and inspiring quotes are enough to help a weak

employee? a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

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QUESTIONNAIRE FOR EMPLOYEES

Name of the participant: ______ Age: _____ Designation: ________ Organization: ___________

 Is your leader successful in handling the weak members of the team?

a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Do the ideas incorporated by the team leader help in achieving team goal?

a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Does the leader provide coaching or arrange for training if working procedure needs to be

revised? a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Are the suggestions given by the leader cost effective?

a) Always
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b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Do you feel that after having daily meetings with you, the employee union feels empowered?

a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Did you ever notice your leader shouting at any team member if the team member makes a

mistake? a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Does the leader provide coaching or arrange for training if working procedure needs to be

revised? a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Is your leader partial towards any group member?

a) Always b) Frequently c) Seldom d) Never

 Does he or she do anything to make things unpleasant for any member of the group?

a) Always
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b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Are you able to understand him or her clearly?

a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never Does your leader bring in new ideas to improve the working environment? a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never
 Is he or she very critical or insults if one of the group members underperforms?

a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

 Is he or she good at decision making?

a) Always b) Frequently c) Occasionally d) Seldom e) Never

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