Leading projects people and teams Flashcards
Can you name the types of leadership?
- Autocratic – Autocratic leadership, also known as authoritarian leadership, is a leadership style characterized by individual control over all decisions and little input from group members. Autocratic leaders typically make choices based on their ideas and judgments and rarely accept advice from followers. Autocratic leadership involves absolute, authoritarian control over a group.
Autocratic leaders dictate to their team how they want things done. - Democratic – Democratic leadership, also known as participative leadership or shared leadership, is a leadership style in which members of the group participate in the decision-making process. This type of leadership can apply to any organization, from private businesses to schools to the government. With a democratic leadership style, everyone is given the opportunity to participate, ideas are exchanged freely, and discussion is encouraged. While this process tends to focus on group equality and the free flow of ideas, the democratic leader is still there to offer guidance and control.
- Laissez-faire / Delegative – Laissez-faire leadership, also known as delegative leadership, is a type of leadership style in which leaders are hands-off and allow group members to make the decisions.
What type of leadership do you use and why?
I use democratic leadership as I believe across a team use of a wide pool of opinions, expertise and honing in on varied experience allows for a better collective outcome and encourages a collaborative, engaging working environment.
Can you explain the difference between a manager and a leader?
- Management involves planning, budgeting, organising, resourcing, problem solving, goal setting.
- Leadership involves setting direction, aligning people, provides motivation, and empowers the team.
Have you ever used an autocratic style of leadership, if so when and why?
I have used an autocratic style leadership when our programme was slipping which was going to result in not meeting a key RIBA 2 milestone for the CAMUS project which would have significantly delayed the programme. I held a team meeting setting out deliverables required, by when and who was to undertake what task by when and report back to myself and the wider team once complete. Dictating to the team when they should complete tasks was accompanied with explaining the reasoning for and the implications for the project and team if the deadlines were not met.
How did you go about appointing consultants on the CAMUS project?
Consultants are pre-selected and work across all the Defence projects, they have been selected based on their experience, resource capacity, capabilities, which is shown more recently in an introduction of a new subcon due to their experience across a wide pool of Defence projects.
Explain positive and negative leadership?
Carrot Stick
+ The team are motivated through reward (Carrot)
- The team are penalised when not performing (stick)
Can you explain the stages of team development?
Forming (or undeveloped): when people are working as individuals rather than a team.
Storming: teams need to pass through a stage of conflict if they are to achieve their potential. The team becomes more aggressive, both internally and in relation to outside groups, rules and requirements.
Norming (or consolidating): the team begins to achieve its potential, effectively applying the resource it has to the tasks it has, using a process it has developed itself.
Performing: when the team is characterised by openness and flexibility. It challenges itself constantly but without emotionally charged conflict, and places a high priority on the development of other team members.
Mourning: when the team disbands.
Do you have an example of a team development and how you managed it?
On the LOC project, the process was different compared to our other projects due to the introduction of a new technical provider within our suppliers due to their experience. The forming stage which can often be short on other projects within Defence due to the team being familiar with each other was longer in this instance and was managed through close communication, and implementation of all our usual governance such as weekly team meetings where the project brief, programme and expectations were all discussed at length to ensure all was understood. Once communicated it meant the team quickly moved into the storming phase whilst moving on to develop the project and followed into norming and performing.
Taylors theory
Scientific Management theory - Concentrates on analysing workflows to find the best way tasks can be performed to maximise efficiency.
The scientific study of finding the best method is called the ‘time and motion study’. Taylor believed that employee motivation was only limited to monetary achievements. Therefore, to motivate employees Taylor’s theory suggests that instead of paying employees a fixed salary they should receive performance-based pay.
Mayo – Hawthorn Effect
Focused on managers taking more of an interest in the workers, treating them as people who have worthwhile opinions and realising that workers enjoy interacting together. Mayo believed that both social relationships and job content affected job performance.
* Workers motivated by having social needs met
* Workers should work in teams
* Managers should have greater involvement in employee’s working life
* More two-way communication between managers and workers
* Working in groups or teams
Hertzberg’s motivation theory
Hypothesized that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction were independent of each other and that the provision of more hygiene factors will not motivate beyond a certain point. Such as interpersonal relations, salary, company policies and administration, relationship with supervisors and working conditions.
The true motivators will have the biggest influence on the motivation of the individuals within the team, such as achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement.
The top factors causing dissatisfaction and satisfaction for individuals when considering their workplace, conditions, policy, supervision, relationships.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs
Motivation theory.
This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfil basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs.
The four levels (lower-order needs) are considered physiological needs, while the top level of the pyramid is considered growth needs. The lower-level needs must be satisfied before higher-order needs can influence behaviour.
Motivation increases as needs are met
McGregor X and Y Theories
McGregor’s X and Y Theories are contrasting theories that depict two different aspects of human behaviour at work. Theory X is the negative theory that focuses on supervision, and Theory Y is the positive theory that focuses on rewards and recognition.
Theory X is an authoritative approach to motivating employees where the manager has a pessimistic opinion about their team members. Managers believe employees are not motivated because they dislike the work. Therefore, they have to motivate their employees with a carrot and stick approach. The approach focuses on persuading employees to complete work by motivating them with incentives and punishing them if they cannot complete the task. Managers follow their team members until they complete the task.
Theory Y contradicts Theory X; in this approach, managers believe that control does not motivate employees. Instead, self-actualization, self-esteem, and social needs must be fulfilled to motivate the team members
Theory Y is a participative approach to enhance employee motivation where the manager has an optimistic view of their team members. Managers assume that employee demotivation can be solved collaboration, trust, and team relationships are enhanced.
Situational leadership
This is when the leader of an organisation must adjust his style to fit the development level of the followers he is trying to influence.
With situational leadership, it is up to the leader to change his style, not the follower to adapt
The style may change continually to meet the needs of the organisation based on the situation; it includes supporting, delegating, coaching and directing
Types of situational leadership
- Delegating - Low directive and low supportive behaviour
- Participating - Low directive and high supportive behaviour
- Coaching - High directive and high support
- Directing - High directive low support
Situational leadership - Directing
In directing, the leader of the organisation is the one making the decision and informing the others in the organisation of the decision.
There is high directive behaviour and low supportive behaviour
Team members are enthusiastic as they are engaging in a new task but they do not have much experience. Therefore, they are said to have high commitment and low competence
Essentially, these people need to be told how to do it and when to do it to ensure that they learn
Situational leadership - Coaching
The leader is very involved in the day to day leadership process
The decision is still ultimately with the leader, however, input is requested from the employees before the decision is implemented.
Employees are still supervised, but it is more of a coaching manner rather than a leadership manner
Team members are said to have some competence but low commitment
The team have started to realise that the task they need to perform is not that engaging but they have been engaged in the task for a brief period of time so they do have experience
The leader will coach the team to try and improve their commitment
Situational leadership - Supporting
The participating and supporting style of situational leadership passes more responsibility to the followers
While the leader still provides some direction, the decisions ultimately lie with the follower
Leader is low directive and highly supportive in behaviour
The leader is there to provide feedback and to increase their confidence and motivation with praise and feedback for the tasks completed
Team members are said to have high competence but variable commitment
In other words, sometimes the individuals are committed, but sometimes they just loose that confidence to carry out the task
They have the competence, but as the leader, you need to remind of that now and again
Situational leadership - Delegating
Delegating is the situational leadership style where the leader is involved the least amount with the employees
The employees are responsible for choosing the tasks and the directions they will take
The leader is low directive and low supportive
Although the leader may still be involved for direction / feedback, it is on a much lower level than with other situational leadership styles
With this style of leadership, employees know their role and perform it with little supervision required
Team members have high competence and high commitment
Tell me of a communication strategy you have developed?
In developing the PEP for my projects, I develop elements such as an organogram, project directory and a RACI. Meeting and reporting schedules are also set out and a communications section set out the preferred lines of communication, setting out email subject lines, and so on. The PEP is then issued to the project team and client to advise them of the communication strategy, and I also include it as an agenda item in the kick off meeting as well as regularly in our team meetings.
Can you give me an example of how you applied the Tuckman model on one of your projects?
On the LOC project where a new ecosystem partner was involved as part of the design team I applied the Tuckman model, addressing that the team had not worked together prior so would go through the forming, norming, storming at a slower rate than my other projects where the team have worked together for several years. Through these phases I ensured regular communication across the tam, gave the team the opportunity through the back brief process to advise the team on their role and understanding of the project and regularly reiterated best practice and the project objectives.
Tell me of a time you have advised on recruitment.
Whilst I haven’t advised on the recruitment of a project member, on the Sandhurst project we required intrusive surveys which hadn’t been undertaken across a Defence project to date. I sought a suitable company and advised they would be who we would use, based on their work undertaken on projects with our supply chain, their reputation, availability, security clearance and quality of outputs. As such I advised on their high performance on the project and they are now the preferred supplier for this survey across our commission.
Tell me of a time you’ve advised / acted on poor performance?
On AEMP, I highlighted to my seniors an underperforming commercial lead on the project. Their lack of NEC knowledge was identified and necessary training provided alongside additional resource to support.
