People and Behaviours Flashcards
What are the two main types of stakeholders and how are they defined
- Internal stakeholders: include individuals within your organisation, like your colleagues from different departments (marketing, sales, engineering). While they share a common mission and vision of the organisation, they can have competing needs or priorities from the project
- External stakeholders: individuals or groups outside your organisation who are influenced by, or can influence your project. The primary external stakeholders are, of course, your customers, but there are also many other individuals whose impact might be relevant to your project like regulators, business partners, and resellers.
What would you use to categorise stakeholders based on decision-making authority and level of interest in your project
A Power/Interest grid
How would you use a Power/Interest Grid
- List all the stakeholders who are impacted by or wish to influence.
- Mapping each of the stakeholders will guide how (and how often) you should engage with them.
- Stakeholders may have conflicting interests, the aim should always be to manage their expectations and ensure their continued support.
- Categorise them; e.g.
High power, high interest, against the project:
Needs intensive engagement from the PM, the project sponsor, or the senior management team, to address their concerns and mitigate their opposition
High power, high interest, for the project:
Needs regular engagement to maintain their support and commitment to champion the project and support the removal of any obstacles or risks
Why is a stakeholder communication plan important?
- Help provide each stakeholder with the information they need at the right time.
- In line with your organisation’s information, reporting & policies.
- Should use stakeholder analysis: know who stakeholders are, identify their goals, motivations, and attitudes.
What should your stakeholder communication plan include?
- What information you’re communicating.
- Who needs to receive or send information (this may also include contact details).
- Why they need to send or receive the information.
- When they need to send or receive the information.
- How they should send the information (method and media).
- Where they should communicate (e.g., meeting venues).
It should also include the following:
- Level of feedback you want to encourage and how you will collect it
- Barriers which can be proactively identified and acted upon prior to communication taking place.
- Stakeholders who should/should not directly communicate with each other
What should a Communication plan template include
- Description: Clearly outline the communication activity (e.g., project status update, team meeting).
- Frequency: Determine how often communication will occur (e.g., weekly, monthly).
- Method: Specify the communication channel (e.g., Zoom, email).
- Audience: Identify the target recipients (e.g., internal stakeholders, project team).
- Owner: Assign responsibility for the communication (e.g., project manager, team lead).
What are the benefits of an effective stakeholder communication plan
- Enhance stakeholder engagement: identify target audience and tailoring communications, provide information relevant to them.
- Identify the best method of communication: analysing stakeholders’ needs and preferences, tailor communication methods accordingly.
- Ensure a consistent approach to communication: assigning responsibilities, providing structure, and ensuring clarity of requirements for the project team, eliminates confusion in team.
What are the three parts to effective communication
- Identify and analyse stakeholders: to establish the target audience and content for project communications.
- Provide a system for message delivery: so stakeholders receive the right communications at the right time throughout project.
- Provide a system of monitoring and feedback: so stakeholders understand your messages, and can assess effectiveness of communication process.
What are the main means of communication media
Oral, face-to-face: vocal (words), verbal (the way you speak the words), and visual (body language and hand gestures) communication.
Oral, not face to face: form of a telephone conversation and misses the visual impact of face-to-face communication.
Written: letters, newsletters, reports, and noticeboards, but this approach is limited to using words and visual images.
Visual: This could be through displays and exhibitions.
Electronic: This takes place via the internet and includes email, visual images and words in websites, and web meetings, which are a great alternative to face-to-face meetings! Rise of remote work has led to a surge in ‘virtual teams’, where project teams collaborate across geographical boundaries.
What counts as communication blockers, provide Challenge and Solution of each.
- Physical location and time zones: different locations - virtual meetings
- Cultural diversity and language: diverse backgrounds of individuals and differences in the organisational culture - consider cultural sensitivities.
- Skills and technical capabilities: variety of skills and capabilities - Support mechanisms to assist those with less experience and knowledge.
- Physical environment: Distractions and noise can lead to a loss of focus - suitable, safe, and comfortable environment with necessary facilities.
- Body language: Non-verbal signals can affect communication and be misinterpreted - clear and concise explanation is delivered with visual comms to support (e.g. slides)
- Personal circumstances and personality traits: A person’s interest and attitude can affect communication - flexible and understanding of individual needs
When is it particularly relevant to manage your stakeholders expectations?
- Effective risk management: communicating project goals, timelines, and potential challenges, you can proactively identify and mitigate risks. E.g. delay to a deliverable, less likely to be surprised.
- Improved communication planning: Clear and consistent communication, based on stakeholder expectations, builds trust and prevents misunderstandings. Regularly updates.
- Effective engagement actions: fosters a positive and collaborative project environment. By actively involving stakeholders in decision-making and providing regular updates, increases buy-in.
- Increased likelihood of project acceptance: expectations are managed effectively, likelihood of project acceptance increases significantly. Satisfied stakeholders are more likely to support project recommendations and outcomes.
Describe one communication method you would adopt for:
Stakeholders who have high interest and influence.
- Frequent/regular face-to-face meetings/video/telephone calls/presentations, etc.
- Frequent/regular written/emailed updates
- Interactive/collaborative workshops/meetings
- Frequent/regular project status reports
Describe one communication method you would adopt for:
Stakeholders who have low interest and influence
- Infrequent written/emailed updates
- Newsletters/bulletins
- Website/intranet/social media updates
description of two clear reasons why managing stakeholder expectations is important for the success of any project
- Makes sure that they are engaged and supportive of the project
- Avoids misunderstanding and conflict over what the project is trying to achieve
- Supports effective risk management by surfacing concerns
- Makes sure that the project and the stakeholder expectations are aligned
- Increases the likelihood that the project outputs will be accepted by stakeholders
When does conflict arise in a project
conflict arises in a project when differences in opinions or opposing attitudes between stakeholders aren’t easily reconciled or haven’t been effectively managed.
Detail different sources of conflict by project phases for a linear LC
Concept:
1. Securing funding, business case approval or ongoing support for the project.
2. Balancing stakeholder influences and agreeing high-level scope for the project.
Definition:
1. Alignment of scope to project budget and priorities.
2. Agreeing resource plan and securing resources for the project.
3. Establishing the various components of the project management plan.
Deployment:
1. Maintaining resource availability and commitment.
2. Deadlines not being met, or progress not as expected.
3. Agreed plan, processes or methods not being followed.
Transition:
1. Acceptance criteria not met.
2. End-user expectations not achieved.
Adoption:
1. Outputs not adopted as intended by BAU.
Benefits Realisation:
1. Agreement of measurement and realisation.
What is the difference between positive & negative conflict:
Positive:
1. Facilitate open conversations to allow debate and discussion.
2. Allow the expression of feelings and agendas.
3. Enable clarity of direction.
Negative:
1. stress, which can affect the overall team spirit
2. increased costs and delay in delivery
3. poor quality caused by lack of due diligence
4. high staff turnover and increase in sickness
5. reduced communication.
Name a strategy that can be used to resolve conflict in your team, and the two dimensions within this strategy.
Thomas-Kilmann Model which encourages people to think about conflict using two dimensions:
- The desire to achieve one’s own objectives (assertiveness - How important is it for you as project manager to satisfy your needs?)
- The desire to help others achieve their objectives (cooperation - How important is it for your team members to satisfy their needs?).
Using the Thomas-Kilmann conflict resolution model describes five ways of resolving conflict and what they’re based on:
TK based on:
Cooperation (X Axis): desire to help others achieve their objectives (uncooperative - cooperative) & assertiveness (Y Axis): desire to achieve one’s own objectives (submissive - assertive).
- Compete (‘I win, you lose’) (Top Left): focus on achieving your goals by working alone to exclude others. pursuing your rights/ enforcing position needed (e.g., legislation or company policy).
- Collaborate (‘I win, you win’) (TR): both parties to work together in order to find a beneficial solution. Agree and work together towards creative solutions.
- Compromise (‘We both half win and half lose’) (Middle): in between competing and accommodating. Both should partly achieve goals making some sacrifices.
- Avoid (‘I lose, you lose’) (BL): you don’t raise concerns or issues with the other party, ‘ignore’ the conflict, delay dealing with it, or even set the issues aside altogether.
- Accommodate (‘I lose, you win’) (BR):
sacrifice your own goals and accept the decision made by the other person. Decide not to challenge, or you want to gain some ‘credit’ with the other party.
When resolving conflict what are the key elements:
- Anticipate conflicts happening.
- Don’t ignore a conflict.
- Think about a resolution.
- Encourage discussions
- Be a facilitator.
- Keep conversations neutral.
What are two typical causes of conflict within the deployment phase of a project?
- Disagreements within the project team on how the solution/project deliverable/project outputs are being delivered
- Misalignment between the project and key stakeholders on progress made
- Commitment may lessen as the project continues
- Agreed processes/methods not being followed by the project team
- Resource availability/commitment may change
- Deadlines being missed/progress not being made according to the project plan
- Scope creep putting pressure on the team
- Technical challenges arising from the solution being developed
- Third-party suppliers not meeting expectations
The Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument or TKI suggests that Low Assertiveness and Low Cooperation are otherwise known as [blank]
Avoidance (I loose, you loose)
The Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument or TKI suggests that High Assertiveness and Low Cooperation are otherwise known as [blank]
Competition (I win, you loose)
The Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument or TKI suggests that a neutral position of Assertiveness and Cooperation are otherwise known as [blank]
Compromise (we both half win, half loose)
The Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument or TKI suggests that High Assertiveness and High Cooperation are otherwise known as [blank]
Collaboration (I win, you win)
The Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument or TKI suggests that Low Assertiveness and Low Cooperation are otherwise known as [blank]
Accommodation (I loose, you win)
What does it mean to be a leader?
- GOALS: vision, direction, momentum, responsible for building and retaining the vision and, through this, the direction of the project.
- STAKEHOLDERS: feedback, influence, commitment, understand stakeholders so they remain committed and motivated to achieve the vision.
- TEAM MEMBERS: motivate, support, develop your team through the challenges they may face in an environment of change and uncertainty.
What is the key difference between leadership and management?
Leadership focusses on motivating your team, management focusses more on the mechanics of getting things done. This involves planning, monitoring, and controlling.
Name three different leadership models
Theory X and Theory Y (McGregor)
Hygiene factors and motivators (Herzberg)
Hierarchy of needs (Maslow)
Explain Hierarchy of needs (Maslow)
motivational theory showing human needs in a pyramid, with lower-level needs having to be satisfied before you can address higher-level needs. Starting from the bottom, the levels in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs are:
Physiological - basic needs, food, water
Security - safety, job security
Social - Sense of belonging, being a team
Esteem - Being valued, self-respect
Self-actualisation - raising your potential
Explain Hygiene factors and motivators (Herzberg)
two independent categories of need which influence team behaviour in different ways. Hygiene factors are necessary to avoid dissatisfaction, but they don’t necessarily lead to high motivation. Addressing both will keep your team happy, engaged, and productive.
Hygiene factors: The need to avoid unpleasantness and discomfort. These factors influence the degree of dissatisfaction of a worker without necessarily increasing their motivation. Examples of hygiene factors include company policies, direct supervision, personal life, and salary.
Motivators: These factors cater for the higher-level needs of the team and should help to positively influence their behaviour, often relating to the need for personal development. Examples of motivators include achievement, recognition, increased responsibility, and career advancement.
Describe Theory X and Theory Y (McGregor)
Perceptions that managers hold on their employees, not the way they generally behave – it is about attitude, not attributes. For example, an inexperienced team in the early stages of a task might need to be managed using Theory X
Theory X: In this theory, management assumes employees are inherently lazy, will avoid work if they can, and that they inherently dislike work.
Theory Y: In this theory, management assumes employees may be ambitious and self-motivated, exercise self-control, and enjoy their mental and physical work duties.
Name the three key leadership styles
(PAD)
1. Participative/democratic:
Leader involves team members in decision-making process. Suitable when time to focus on development of the team, to build team relationships, collaboration is valued. Some decision-making will be passed on to suitably skilled team members.
- Autocratic:
Strong one-dimensional leadership style, where the leader has full authority. Appropriate to address an issue that threatens the achievement of objectives, where issues become critical, or where team members are new and lacking motivation. - Delegative/laissez-faire
Self-rule, where employees are empowered to make decisions. Suitable when the team is established and working well and has the required knowledge to work independently without direction.
Describe a coaching/leadership model
Max Landsberg coaching/leadership model
When a team is first assembled, it represents a group of people with different skills, competences, and personalities. To lead your team successfully, you need to choose an appropriate management style for both the team as a whole and for the individuals in the team.
Coaching/leadership model that accounts for the individuals’ skill and willingness to perform the task. The model maps skill against will.
Detail Max Landsberg Coaching/leadership model
Matrix:
Will (Y) - refers to the desire of a team member to achieve.
Skill (X) refers to the experience, training, and understanding of the task allocated to a team member.
Appy the matrix:
1. Identify the skill and will level of the team member to accomplish the task.
2. Use matrix to identify an appropriate style to lead the team member.
3. Discuss your approach and reasons for the approach with the team member.
What categories of Will & Skill is Max Landsberg’s coaching / leadership model broken down into.
Guide – High Will/Low Skill: an enthusiastic beginner, new to a particular task, project, or role.
- Use a combination of directing & guiding/coaching, Invest time, Create a risk-free environment.
Delegate - High will/high skill: a skilled worker looking for more opportunities to grow and develop.
- Provide freedom to complete the work. Set the objective, not the method. Encourage.
Direct – Low will/low skill
Use when the team member: new to the task, project, or role, has low confidence &
has tried before and failed.
- Build the will & skill, sustain the will.
Excite – Low will/high skill: skilled, experienced person who has hit a plateau.
needs a new challenge & is being affected by some other factor.
-Identify the reason for low willingness and low motivation. Monitor & provide regular feedback.
What are the six steps to leading virtual teams:
- Get the team together physically early on - face2face, building relationships and fostering trust.
- Clarify tasks and processes, not just goals and roles - Align goals, roles, and responsibilities.
- Commit to a communication charter - clear communication plan.
- Leverage the best communication technologies - collaborative technologies, e.g. multi-point video conferencing.
- Agree on a shared language - magnifies the communication challenges, prevent ambiguity.
- Create a ‘virtual water cooler’ - informal interactions that share information and reinforce social bonds.
What are the key factors in a coaching/mentoring styles:
- Understanding individual strengths and weaknesses: tailoring your leadership style to individual needs.
- greater amount of direction for new team members & learning appetite for advancing the project.
- Coach when team members become more embedded and experienced.
- Engage and delegate responsibilities where skill is fully established, and motivation is high. - Understanding the situation: adapting your style to the situation.
- In critical, urgent, or changing situations, a directive style appropriate.
- Provide guidance during periods of change.
- Shift to a supportive, coaching style once changes are implemented. - Dealing with uncertainty:
- create supportive environment via coaching and engagement.
- demonstrate trust in the team’s ability to handle challenges.
- empower team members by reducing a directive approach
Describe the two main categories of EQ:
Intrapersonal intelligence: focusses inward and includes self-management, self-awareness, and self-regard. This involves recognising and managing your own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and motivations.
Interpersonal intelligence: guides our interactions with others and includes relationship management, awareness of others, and regard for others. This means you can understand and respond to the emotions, needs, and perspectives of people around you.
How can you demonstrate emotional intelligence:
Demonstrate via a combination of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills:
Behavioural – managing our personality and directing our behaviour to be both personally and interpersonally effective. Staying calm under pressure or being able to adapt to different situations.
Feelings – the practice of ‘thinking about feeling’ and ‘feeling about thinking’ as a guide for our behaviour. Understanding your own emotions and recognising how your emotions might be impacting your thoughts and actions.
Attitude – attitude toward yourself and others (positive or negative) will impact how you approach various situations behaviourally and emotionally.
Explain three benefits of why a coaching and mentoring style of leadership is essential for leading a team with less experienced members.
Skill development: A coaching and mentoring style of leadership is essential during Phase 2 to facilitate the growth and development of less experienced team members. Unlike Phase 1, where a directive approach may have been necessary to meet tight deadlines, Phase 2 offers a more conducive environment for skill-building and knowledge transfer.
Empowerment and ownership: Coaching and mentoring empower team members to take ownership of their roles and responsibilities, fostering a sense of autonomy and accountability.
Long-term success: Investing in the development of less experienced team members through coaching and mentoring contributes to the long-term success of the project and the organisation as a whole.
Explain two benefits of the role of emotional intelligence in effectively implementing a coaching and mentoring approach within the team.
Empathy and understanding: Emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in effectively implementing a coaching and mentoring approach within the team. Leaders with high emotional intelligence demonstrate empathy and understanding towards the unique needs, strengths, and challenges of each team member. By recognising and validating individual experiences and emotions, leaders can establish trust and rapport, creating a supportive environment conducive to learning and growth.
Adaptability and flexibility: Emotional intelligence enables leaders to adapt their coaching and mentoring style to suit the preferences and learning styles of different team members. By recognising when to provide guidance, when to offer autonomy, and when to adjust their approach based on individual needs, leaders can tailor their interactions to maximise effectiveness and foster positive outcomes.
What is a characteristic of a Theory X worker and what management style would be appropriate for them? (
state characteristic of a Theory X worker, e.g.:
Unmotivated
Dislike of work
Unambitious
Unwilling to take responsibility
Motivated by self-interest
stating a management approach most suited to a Theory X worker, e.g.:
Directive management style
Close supervision/management/monitoring
Rewards and punishment/‘carrot and stick’ approach/reward good performance and punish poor performance
Checking each piece of work to ensure it’s correct
What makes a team effective
(COC)
1. Clear roles and responsibilities aligned to skill and experience - allows team to know expectation.
2. Open, clear, and honest communication will build trust and confidence between the leader and the team, as well as providing a platform for innovative discussion to take place.
3. Common goal and sense of community led by the project manager will develop a common focus to deliver the outputs to achieve the goal.
Why do you need an effective team
essential for project success, ensures a cohesive, motivated, and high-performing workforce dynamic.
(MPP)
1. Motivation; sense of belonging and a shared sense of accomplishment within the team.
2. Problem solving through people-sharing ideas, knowledge, and experience to overcome challenges.
3. Productivity increases, because team members share workload and allocate tasks to match skill and experience.
Name two frameworks for analysing people within your team.
- Belbin’s team roles
- The Margerison-McCann team management profile
Describe Belbin’s team roles
Tool that you can use to ensure that your team members can work together effectively and efficiently.
It identifies nine roles that people typically assume in teams.
Each of the nine roles contributes uniquely to a team’s success, and effective teams contain a variety of roles. The key is to identify where these roles exist in the team, because by recognising these roles, you can help your team to balance their strengths and address their weaknesses.
Describe the nine roles that form the Belbin team roles:
- The Plant, who is creative and solves problems
- The Monitor Evaluator, who analyses options logically
- The Coordinator, who focusses on the team’s objectives and delegates tasks
- The Resource Investigator, who explores opportunities and builds external contacts
- The Implementer, who turns ideas into actions
- The Completer Finisher, who ensures thorough, timely completion of tasks
- The Teamworker, who promotes harmony and helps the team to work together
- The Shaper, who drives the team forward with energy and direction
- The Specialist, who provides in-depth knowledge of a key area
Describe Margerison-McCann team management profile
Margerison-McCann team management profile is all about understanding someone’s preferred role within a team. It’s a tool to identify team members’ strengths, preferences, and work styles to improve teamwork and productivity. In the Margerison-McCann model, there are eight key roles that people play in teams:
How do Belbin’s and McCann’s roles differ?
The Margerison-McCann roles focus on understanding individual work preferences and strengths to enhance teamwork, whereas Belbin’s roles identify specific behaviours and contributions people make.
What are the eight key roles of the Margerison-McCann model, that people play in teams:
- Reporter-Adviser, who gathers and shares information
- Creator-Innovator, who generates new ideas
- Explorer-Promoter, who explores new possibilities and promotes them
- Assessor-Developer, who assesses ideas and develops them further
- Thruster-Organizer, who pushes the team to achieve goals
- Concluder-Producer, who focuses on completing tasks efficiently
- Controller-Inspector, who ensures standards and accuracy
- Upholder-Maintainer, who maintains principles and stability
What is the Myers-Briggs model.
A personality assessment, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which categorises people into 16 types based on four dimensions:
- Extraversion (E) vs. Introversion (I), which describes where you get your energy
- Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N), which indicates how you take in information
- Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F), which shows how you make decisions
- Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P), which reveals how you approach life and work
Each combination of these preferences helps explain their natural tendencies and behaviours. Understanding and reacting to them in your team can help team members integrate more easily into the project environment, thereby improving performance.
how does the Myers-Briggs model differ from the Belbin’s and Margerison-McCann’s models.
The Belbin and Margerison-McCann models analyse someone in the context of the roles they play within a team, Myers-Briggs’ preferences model analyses how a person approaches or reacts to situations.
Why would you use a management model
- Understanding which roles the members of your team fill is essential to long-term project success.
- Used to understand and leverage the strengths and preferences of the individuals in your team.
- Maximise the performance and effectiveness of your team.
- Gaps in a particular focus area or an imbalance of preferred roles will likely impact negatively on your team’s ability to deliver their outputs successfully.
What models can be used to create an effective team:
- Hackman’s five factors of team effectiveness.
- the Katzenbach and Smith model of team effectiveness.
Describe Hackman’s five factors of team effectiveness:
five conditions need to be put in place and maintained by the leader for the team to be effective:
1. The team must be a real team, rather than a team in name only, with a strong sense of commitment and confidence in achieving the team’s objectives.
2. The direction of work must be clear, so everyone knows the goals and why they matter.
3. The structure of the team must support team working, ensuring the right mix of skills and roles.
4. The organisation must be supportive, providing resources such as information, training, and rewards.
5. Coaching must be available within the team, to offer guidance and help team members improve.
Describe the Katzenbach and Smith model of team effectiveness
- highlights importance of balancing performance results with the personal growth and commitment of team members.
- Model identifies key actions and requirements you need to address to create and manage an effective team.
- According to the model, effective teams need:
a small size (typically fewer than 12 people).
complementary skills.
a common purpose.
specific goals.
a clear approach.
and mutual accountability. - Ensuring each member brings different skills and works toward shared objectives with clear strategies and responsibilities - teams can achieve high performance while also fostering strong interpersonal connections and commitment among members.
How are Hackman’s and Katzenbach/smith models similar .
Centred around what you as a leader can do to improve the effectiveness of your team, common purpose, etc.
Describe Tuckman’s stages of team development
Use when considering the development of your team.
Project team may take time to mature into a performing team.
Facilitate team’s progression through stages of team development..
Teams evolve through four key stages of development:
Forming: Team members get acquainted with each other and individual working styles.
Storming: Conflicts may arise between team members.
Norming: Establishing and maintaining team cultural ‘norms’.
Performing: The team becomes fully productive.
Adjourning: Team are disbanding/ breaking up
Detail of Tuckman’s stages
(FSNP)
Forming:
new team forms high level of initial energy and excitement.
As new may show confusion /uncertainty as unfamiliar situation.
Establish clear project, team, and individual objectives. This might occur during a project kick-off meeting.
Storming:
team might evolve to mistrust as each member eyes up the ‘competition’.
Team members roles may overlap/require clarity.
Tensions and cliques may form.
Team members may challenge authority.
Deal with conflict as it arises and ensure that all team members feel that their ideas heard. Facilitation and coaching skills are crucial.
Norming
Understand their designated roles, build relationships, co-operate to set clear and achievable goals. Establishing team ‘norms’ to resolve their differences.
Ensure team agrees WoW & clear comms before taking more responsibility.
Performing
team deliver results in an open, honest and productive environment.
Problems are resolved
Team adopts a flexible approach to working arrangements.
Each team member will feel satisfaction in seeing the achievements of their colleagues
List challenges in managing virtual & hybrid teams
- A lack of trust
- Cultural differences
- Lack of communication
- Lack of contribution
How do you build strong hybrid & virtual teams
- Fostering trust and collaboration - Coordinate activities, meetings, team opportunities.
- Overcoming cultural differences - clear messages about expectations, encourage listening and sharing, promote right behaviours.
- Overcoming lack of communication - agree norms of communication and terminology, agree technology usage.
- Facilitating contributions from all team members - ensure the team has the right training, encourage equal participation, provide opportunities to collaborate outside of meetings.
What are four stages of team development in Tuckman’s model of team development?
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Describe one model that can be used to understand team development
Belbin
Margerison-McCann
Myers-Briggs
Hackman
Tuckman
Katzenbach and Smith
& describe the the model.
In order for a project team to be as effective as possible, it’s important that the team has [blank]
A shared sense of accountability
If a team has [blank] they will feel more confident to be innovative and creative when developing solutions
Open and honest communication
Summaries the following models:
1. Belbin
2. Margerison-McCann
3. Myers-Briggs
4. Hackman
5. Tuckman
6. Katzenbach and Smith
- Belbin explains the different roles that are optimal for an effective team and identifies what roles individuals can take on within a team. Belbin identifies an individual’s preferred role within a team.
- Margerison-McCann explores understanding an individual’s preferred role within a team/covers how individuals work within a team.
- Myers-Briggs includes how individuals perceive a situation, along with their communication preferences and identifies individual’s personality types through four lenses. This includes where individuals put their focus and attention, how they perceive information, how they make decisions, and how they plan/structure their work. They assess four dimensions of extraversion vs. introversion, sensing/intuition, thinking vs. feeling, and judging vs. perceiving.
- Hackman suggests that five conditions need to be put in place for the team to be effective. This includes five conditions for team effectiveness.
- Tuckman recognises how a project team may take time to mature into a performing team, and this includes four stages of team development e.g., forming, storming, norming, and performing.
- Katzenbach and Smith recognises that the more effective the group are as a team, the higher the performance. There are four key elements, e.g., common purpose, goals, complementary skills, and mutual accountability.
What are the benefits of incorporating diversity
Covers a variety of leadership.
Communication styles can foster an open, honest, and supportive work environment. Opens great opportunities for everyone in the team.
Taking different perspectives, abilities, and skills into account.
Empowered community spirit, means a higher performance level throughout the whole team.
What are the considerations, to ensure the team is functioning.
Do people feel like they can be themselves at work?
Are people encouraged to share ideas, and challenge respectfully?
Do people understand and welcome differences?
Describe the two main types of bias
- Conscious bias: A deliberate thought or attitude. You are aware of your beliefs and adapt your behaviour as a result.
- Unconscious bias: Often a subconscious response that affects your behaviour. Though usually involuntary this can be a result of societal stereotypes or learned cultural behaviour.
list the considerations to create a fair working environment
- Create and sustain a positive, inclusive working environment, address any potential barriers.
- Make reasonable adjustments to give everyone a fair chance.
- Explore differences so beneficial & achieve a common purpose.
- Meaningful communication at organisational and individual level.
- Embrace multiple dimensions of culture to exist, incl; gender, religious beliefs, race, marital status, ethnicity, parental status, age, education, physical and mental ability, income, sexual orientation, occupation, language, geographic location, etc.
- Demonstrate appropriate behaviours and communication - lead by example.
- Allow for adaptations in individual and organisational working styles to encourage valuable contributions.
- Promote inclusion and diversity, both individually and organisationally, by exploring and responding to signs of bias. 9. Learn to recognise signs of resistance in order to investigate further if necessary.
How to encourage diversity in a team
- Mix teams up: share ideas, could result in new ways of working.
- Make training available to all: Offering training and workshops, aligns all and empowers progress.
- Teach colleagues how to hold others accountable: check in, raising concerns is encouraged without prejudice.
- Celebrate all achievements: raise each other up and feel empowered to reach for their own goals, whether this is learning a new skill or promotion.
How can you overcome challenges when they occur?
- Establish a process: Avoid being reactive, use an established process, reassure the team that their thoughts are protected.
- Take appropriate action: If an issue is raised, don’t ignore it. Taking action helps to solidify the culture within team or company. If unacceptable behaviour continues after a grievance and training, shows processes aren’t working. Over time will affect morale and trust.
- Create or be a safe space: have difficult conversations, be open to challenging. Check your own behaviour to ensure you appear open and approachable.
- Provide ongoing training: Keeping everyone aware, beyond initial training at onboarding, further solidifies the company culture. Mentorships can be a great way to promote understanding and empathy between colleagues as well as offering growth opportunities.
What are three benefits the project team will gain by having team members from a mixture of diverse backgrounds?
Higher performance
Greater adaptability
Greater creativity
More perspectives
Broader skills
Stronger community
What are two behaviours that would demonstrate a project is a positive environment for the team to work within?
People feel they can be themselves at work.
Ideas and respectful challenges are encouraged.
Differences are understood and welcomed.
Communication is collaborative.
Team members support each other through challenging times.
Success is celebrated together.
As a project manager, you need to ensure all people are treated fairly. Describe two practices you can use to do make sure this happens
- Create and sustain a positive, inclusive working environment and address any potential barriers.
- Make reasonable adjustments to ensure that all individuals have a fair chance.
- Explore how differences can be managed to achieve a common purpose.
- Recognise contributions that can be made by individual team members.
- Ensure communication at an organisational and individual level is conducted in a meaningful way.
- Enable multiple dimensions of culture to exist - incl; gender, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation etc
- Balance priorities of any project and active acceptance of the need to treat people fairly.
- Lead by example – demonstrate appropriate behaviours and communication.
- Adapt individual working styles and organisational ways of working to facilitate contributions from all team members.
- Explore and respond to signs of bias and recognise signs of resistance, either individually or organisationally, to inclusion and diversity.
Embracing diverse thinking in teams is crucial for generating innovative solutions because it encourages [blank].
Open communication
To support a positive working environment, it is important that the project team members [blank].
Understand and welcome difference
How does ethics benefit a project
- Decisions based on a strong moral code ensures transparency with the team and external to team, e.g clients.
- Standing by ethically made decisions also builds and maintains integrity.
- Being firm on set values creates a baseline for all aspects of a project, allowing it to run smoothly.
How does compliance benefit a project
- Remaining compliant with all relevant laws or regulations will ensure that the team is all on the same page and, therefore, mitigate any legal risks.
How does professionalism benefit a project
- Maintaining integrity and compliance is the basis of a professional attitude.
- Set ethical and maintain values; displaying competence, reliability, and showing respect towards both your team and stakeholders.
What does Continued Professional Development (CPD) demonstrate on an project:
allow you to demonstrate:
your capability of the standards,
desire to develop further and remain compliant.
What is the step-by-step process of CPD
- Identify current and future needs.
- Set specific learning objectives.
- Plan activities and tasks to support your development.
- Record activities, tasks, and achievements.
How can you implement CPD
- Take responsibility - take responsibility for identifying where your own knowledge or competence gaps might be, then pursue learning.
- Plan your approach - variety of options for learning, job/informal training, peer-peer.
- Reflect on your skills and achievements - ‘reflection on practice’.
Describe the CPD cycle
Demonstrates continual growth through developmental training will keep your skillset current and ensure that you always have the right tools for each project you work on.
Planning – How can I learn?
Action – Learning/implementation
Evaluation – What have I learned? How is it benefitting my practice?
Reflection on practice – What do I need to know or be able to do?
What are the APM Five Dimensions of Professionalism
(BAD CA)
Breadth: The APM Body of Knowledge defines the scope of knowledge required to manage any kind of project.
Achievement: Your APM recognised qualifications.
Depth: The APM Competence Framework maps levels of knowledge and experience so that you can clearly see where there is scope for progression in skills and abilities.
Commitment: Maintain your CPD processes to help develop project management practices further and build on your skillset.
Accountability: The ethical practice expected of a professional is to remain accountable for your own development, knowledge gaps and on-going behaviours. For further information see the APM Code of Professional Conduct where this is outlined further.
What are the scope of ethics and responsibilities on a project
if ethical conduct are not being met, you have a duty to report your findings.
scope of ethics within an organisation includes:
Rules and regulations
Values
Code of practice
Moral principles
Ethical practices
Rules of conduct
What are the two categories of regulations
- Advice set out with specific instructions that must be taken
- Advice set out that help employers set procedures where they can decide how they control any risks identified
What happens if you fail to comply with regulations.
Failure to comply with regulations carries risk to you, your colleagues, and your employer.
Failure to comply could result in action taken, whether that’s a recognised training requirement right through to custodial sentences for both individuals and the organisation.
How does the regulatory environment affect project process
Requirements capture
Issue management
Quality planning
Change control
Integrated planning
Assurance arrangements
Risk analysis and management
Describe the legal and regulatory requirements that are fundamental to project management
Laws and acts: The foundation of the legal framework.
International directives and regulations: As laws and acts become directives and regulations, they might be more focused at an industry level.
International standards: Agreed-upon protocols and practices to facilitate cooperation and consistency across borders.
Organisational governance: Your organisation will use all the above steps to ensure their own policies are drafted in line with the law.
Why are legal and regulatory constraints placed on projects
Legal and regulatory constraints are there to keep everyone safe and ensure projects run smoothly
What are three project processes that the regulatory environment influences?
Risk management
Requirements capture
Procurement
Quality management
Issue management
Change control
Assurance
Continuing professional development (CPD) is the primary responsibility of the [blank] to ensure competency gaps are identified, training plans are developed, and the achievement of learning is recorded.
The CPD cycle can support this activity – the steps include reflection on practice, planning, action and [blank].
Employee
Evaluation
You are a project manager of a large infrastructure construction project at a charity. During the project, you encounter a situation where a potential subcontractor offers the charity a financial donation.
What are two sources of specialist advice or standards that you would rely on to guide how you would approach this situation?
- APM’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
- Speak with your project sponsor and seek advice on how best to progress.
- Consult with legal experts/lawyers.
- Seek advice from industry-specific professional organisations.
- Refer to relevant government regulatory bodies e.g., Charity Commission.
- Consult organisational/industry standards e.g. the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
What two things can you do as a project manager to stay up to date with the latest regulations?
Relevant CPD (Continuing Professional Development)
Collaborating with industry experts/legal professionals
Participate in forums
Monitoring regulation updates regularly
Sign up to newsletters from regulatory organisations
Consult with experts within your organisation e.g. Company secretary/data protection officer
A more flexible working, and the general feedback on the new arrangement is positive, however, it has been difficult for some team members to adapt to the new way of working. Which one of the following changes to your leadership approach would be effective in helping your team adapt to the new hybrid model?
Give the team freedom to manage their own time, but schedule regular in-person meetings to build rapport and check in on team wellbeing.
When considering leadership impact on team performance and motivation, which leadership model emphasises the importance of addressing basic human requirements?
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Which of the following is a source of conflict which you would expect to see in the Definition phase of a project?
Interpersonal friction in the team caused by a difference in background and experience
How does carrying out a stakeholder analysis contribute to the development of an effective communication management plan?
By assessing stakeholder needs, preferences, and dynamics
Following the meeting, you undergo a stakeholder identification activity and are now updating your stakeholder management plan. Thinking about the stakeholder analysis matrix, which of these stakeholders would you “Keep informed”
(low power, high interest)
As a project manager, which leadership style would be best when solving a critical issue that threatens your project’s success?
Directive
