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MOP > Organisation Structure & Leadership issues in Projects > Flashcards

Organisation Structure & Leadership issues in Projects Flashcards

1
Q

What are problems with organising projects?

A
  • The uniqueness and short duration of projects relative to ongoing longer-term organisational activities
  • The multidisciplinary and cross-functional nature of projects creates authority and responsibility dilemmas
  • Transient project team members
  • Sometimes, multiple stakeholders (e.g. suppliers, clients/ customers, end-users etc.)
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2
Q

What are the three types of organisational structure?

A
  1. Pure project organisation
  2. Functional project organisation
  3. Matrix project organisation
    - weak matrix
    - strong matrix
    - balanced matrix
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3
Q

What are the advantages of Pure project structure?

A
  • Speed
  • Dedicated resources
  • Simple
  • Integrated
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4
Q

What are the disadvantages of Pure project structure?

A
  • Supplier costs
  • Knowledge management
  • Instability
  • Expensive
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5
Q

What is the Functional project structure?

A

Different segments of the project are delegated to respective functional units.

Coordination is maintained through normal management channels

Often used when:
- the interest of one functional area dominates
- projects are subsidiary to organisation’s main activities

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6
Q

What are the advantages of Functional project structure?

A
  • No structural change
  • Quality through depth of specialisation
  • Easier post-project transition
  • Possible to ‘hide’ project costs
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7
Q

What are the disadvantages of Functional project structure?

A
  • Slow as a process
  • Difficult to integrate functions
  • Lack of focus
  • Lack of ownership
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8
Q

What is the Matrix project structure?

A

A hybrid organisational form where horizontal project management structure is overlaid on the normal functional hierarchy.
- there are two chains of command
- project participants report simultaneously to functional & project managers

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9
Q

How is the Matrix project structure designed?

A

To utilise resources optimally
- individuals work on multiple projects as well as being capable of performing normal functional duties
- attempts to achieve greater integration by creating and legitimising the authority of a project manager
- provides a dual focus between functional/ technical expertise and project requirements

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10
Q

What is a Weak Matrix form?

A

Project manager co-ordinates departmental input
Little commitment to project success

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11
Q

What is a Strong Matrix form?

A

Departments will second staff on a full-time basis
Strong commitment but draws resource away from departments

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12
Q

What is a Balanced Matrix form?

A

The project manager sets the overall plan and the functional manager determines how work to be done
Typical ‘two bosses’ problem

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13
Q

What are the advantages of the Matrix project structure?

A
  • Close coordination where decisions may conflict
  • Adapts to specific strategic situations
  • Bureaucracy replaced by direct discussion
  • Increased managerial involvement
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14
Q

What are the disadvantages of the Matrix project structure?

A
  • Conflict, the matrix structure internalises conflicts between organisational needs and environmental pressures
  • Stress, reporting to more than one boss/ superior creates role ambiguity
  • Balance of power, perfect balance without cooperation between facing managers can create disputes
  • Costly, administration and communication
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15
Q

What is the relationship between organisational structure & organisational culture?

A

A dependent relationship:
- Hierarchical structure = centralised, top-down decision-making -> culture will reflect lack of freedom and autonomy at lower levels
- Decentralised structured = shared power and authority -> more independent, personalised and accountable culture

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16
Q

What makes up organisational culture?

A

Artefacts & creations, values, and basic assumptions

17
Q

What does organisational culture do?

A
  • Boundary defining
  • Conveys sense of identity
  • Facilitates generation of commitment to aims above self-interest
  • Enhances social system stability
  • Sense-making & control mechanism

BUT no clear link between culture and performance found

18
Q

What are the structural factors in building project teams?

A
  • Organisational structure selection & design
  • Team resources
  • Goals and expectations
19
Q

What are the social/ cultural factors in building project teams?

A
  • Group cohesiveness
  • Team composition and roles
  • Team recognition and rewards
  • Team leadership and sponsorship
20
Q

Who are stakeholders?

A
  • Internal & external
  • End users
  • ‘Interested’ parties
  • People otherwise effected by the project
  • Legitimate/ non-legitimate
21
Q

What is stakeholder management?

A

Project manager must IDENTIFY both internal and external stakeholders to determine project requirements and expectations of involved parties

The project manager must MANAGE THE INFLUENCE of various stakeholders in relation to the project requirements to ensure successful outcome

22
Q

What are the issues with stakeholder management?

A
  • Stakeholder salience in terms of power, legitimacy and urgency
  • Impact of subversive stakeholders
  • Building coalitions and resources
  • Managing conflict escalation
23
Q

What is the stakeholder management process?

A
  1. Identification
  2. Analysis
  3. Management
24
Q

How do you identify project stakeholders?

A

Requires consideration of who is involved in, affected by, or can affect the project:
- resources needed for the project
- organisations or people who will be affected by the project
- organisations or people on the sidelines of the project who will influence attitudes and behaviours
- statutory and regulatory bodies

Consider stakeholders:
- internal to the project team, business or group/corporation
- external to the business

25
Q

How do you understand stakeholder position?

A

Once stakeholders have been identified they must be analysed to establish their position in relation to the project.

This can be done using a power/ interest matrix (power to influence vs level of interest low to high) or an alternative stakeholder grid which includes for/ against project with power/ interest.

26
Q

What are the general strategies for stakeholder management?

A
  • Incorporate them?
  • Marginalise them?
  • Ignore them?
  • Implications?
27
Q

What are some of the project manager roles?

A
  • Integrator
  • Facilitator
  • Communicator
  • Virtual project manager
  • Convenor and chairperson
  • ‘Firefighting’ and troubleshooting
  • Leadership and compromising
  • Negotiation, conflict resolution and persuasion
28
Q

What are the sources of leader power?

A
  • LEGITIMATE POWER, stems from position in the management hierachy and the authority given to this position
  • REWARD POWER, stems from the capacity to control by providing valued rewards to others
  • COERCIVE POWER, stems from the ability to punish others if they do not engage in desired behaviour
  • EXPERT POWER, stems from the possession of expertise that is valued by others
  • INFORMATION POWER, stems from access to/ control over the distribution of important information
  • REFERENT POWER, stems from being admired, personally identified with, or liked by others
29
Q

What are the three theories of leadership?

A
  • Trait theory (the ‘great man’ approach), traits are the distinguishing personal characteristics of a leader such as intelligence, values, appearance etc.
  • Behavioural approaches (the democratic style), leader delegates authority, encourages participation, and relies on expert and referent power
  • Contingency theory (style matches situation), key factors are leader-member relationship, degree of structure of task and leader’s formal power position

MOP (9 decks)

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