Case Study Analysis: Leadership Styles and Communication Techniques

This report discusses the different leadership styles and communication techniques that can be used in project teams. It explores the tools and techniques for influencing team members, managing communication outside the project group, and motivating team members. It also provides methods for developing self-managed teams for agile projects and steps to alleviate challenges faced by project teams.

Running head: CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Analysis...........................................................................................................................................2
Leadership style chosen...............................................................................................................2
Tools and techniques used to influence the team........................................................................3
Tools and techniques to manage communication outside the project group...............................4
Power used to motivate the team members.................................................................................4
Methods for developing self-managed teams for agile project...................................................5
Steps to be taken by the project manager to alleviate the different challenges as faced by the
project team.................................................................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

2CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Introduction
In order to undertake some new project or a new assignment, the firm would be required
to create a project team which will enable the firm to ensure that the project can be completed in
a timely manner (Bovée, Thill & Raina, 2016). Additionally, although the creation of a project
team can be considered to be an easy task, the management of the different members as present
in the project team is very difficult and the project team leader would be required to ensure that,
in order to achieve the overall goals of the team, they are able to implement certain tools as well
as techniques with the help of which the project team will be successfully able to achieve the
overall goals as well as objectives. Hence, this report is based on the discussion on the different
communication tools and techniques, leadership styles and strategies to be adopted by the project
leader.
Analysis
Leadership style chosen
After the analysis of the project team, it can be stated that in order to bring about parity in
the different operations of the firm and in order to ensure that the team is able to attain its long
term objectives, a sound leadership style needs to be employed in the organization which will
ensure that the firm is successfully able to attain its goals (Botha et al., 2016). Hence, in line of
this, the leadership style which can be recommended can be stated to be the Strategic Leadership
Style. In the Strategic leadership style, the leader is the head of the organization or the team. The
leader is not necessarily restricted to the top level of the team but can be any high performance
member who has the right capability. The strategic leader would be required to ensure that he is
successfully able to fill in the gaps between the new possibilities which exist and the current
scenario which is being faced by the firm. A strategic leader encourages strategic thinking. The

3CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
given leadership style will be very appropriate for the team as it will assist the team in achieving
its different objectives and attain the different results as well.
Tools and techniques used to influence the team
If an individual is the head of a team, it becomes considerably important for him to
ensure that he has the power to influence the different members as present in a team as this will
help him in attaining the different objectives of the team and also go a long way in assisting the
manager to align the organizational goals with the team goals (Coffelt, Baker & Corey, 2016).
The different tools and techniques which can be used by the project team head can be stated to be
as follows:
1. Influencing: The influencing refers to the power sharing which may exist in a firm and
greatly relies on interpersonal skills which will help the firm in cooperating with the goal
achievement. Hence, the project manager is required to make use of the personal skills to
encourage influencing within the realm of the firm (Binder, 2016). Additionally, to
achieve this, the project head can articulate in various activities which will help in
influencing the behavior of the individuals and build the networks in the organization.
2. Project performance appraisals: The project performance appraisals are also understood
to be considerable part of the firm and any organization which wants to ensure that the
project team performs well will be required to engage in the systematic evaluation of the
performance of the different employees (David & David, 2016). Hence, this procedure
not only assists in understanding the overall performance of the different team member
but tends to improve their morale which will help them in performing well.
3. Conflict management: The conflict management can be understood as another relevant
technique or tool which can be made use of to ensure that the morale of the team always

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remains at a considerate high. Moreover, through the conflict management, the different
issues which are faced by the firm may not be escalated to another high level. The
techniques of Withdraw/Avoid, Force/Direct, Compromise, Reconcile and Smooth and
Accommodate may be used by the project team head.
Tools and techniques to manage communication outside the project group
Although the tools and techniques of communication within the project group has a
crucial role to play, it is considered to be important for the team to maintain and engage in
communication with the members of the organization outside the team (DeCenzo, Robbins &
Verhulst, 2016). The different tools which can be made use of in order to communicate outside
the group members in order to allow clear communication. The tools can be stated to be as
follows:
 Instant messaging: The medium of instant messaging can be made use of by the
organization as it will go a long way in assisting the firm to maintain the record of the
different chats which tend to take place and in addition to this, it will also allow the
different members to maintain the communication at a constant flow.
 Social intranet: The social intranet can also be used as a medium to ensure that the team
is able to maintain a constant communication with the different employees in the
organization and maintain a constant chain of communication with them (Fuller et al.,
2017).
 Discussion board: Through the organization discussion board, the different members of
the firm will be able to communicate with one other and ensure that, they are able to
share with one another the different problems being faced by the firm.

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Power used to motivate the team members
In order to ensure that the firm is able to gain considerable success in the long run, the
firm will be required to ensure that they are successful be able to make use of the power in order
to assist the different members and guide them accordingly The five different power types are:
1. Reward Power
2. Legitimate Power
3. Referent Power
4. Expert Power
5. Representative Power
Hence, the power which can be used by the project head can be stated to be as follows:
Representative power
The representative power can be rightfully defined as a phenomenon whereby one of the
parties aims to voluntarily chose or lead the other party. The particular power is usually granted
by a particular group. The consensus as played by the group tends to determine the kind of power
and who becomes the particular leader. Hence, all these powers tend to accumulate and have an
influence on the overall decision making of the group. In a project management group, the
different teams often possess a different knowledge and different personalities. It is with respect
to this, that the different members who have an overpowering personality tend to take up charge
and guide the other members as present in the team (Harrison & Lock, 2017). Additionally, the
other members as present in the team do not get into a conflict because of the leadership of the
other person becoming the head because it is chosen through a consensus.

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Methods for developing self-managed teams for agile project
In an agile project, it becomes important for the firm to ensure that they are able to
manage the teams appropriately because the project decisions are required to be taken in a
manner such that, it is successfully able to help the different members of the firm to attain their
overall objectives. Hence, if the firm wants to develop self-managed teams for the agile projects,
then they will be required to incur in the following:
a. Giving the employees, the power to manage on their own and take decisions
The decision making tends to play a major role in assisting the organization to decide
upon the management of a team as it forms a crucial part of the operations which are incurred by
a firm. Hence, if the firm wants to develop self-managed teams, the first step which is required to
be adopted by them can be stated to be providing the decision making authorities to the
members. Through this, it would be easier for the firm to attain its objectives and the process
becomes faster (Noe et al., 2017).
b. Promoting strong communication
Another initiative which can be undertaken by the organization to ensure self-managed
teams can be stated to be promoting strong communication network (Lock, 2017). If all the
members in a team are well connected, then the firm would be able to ensure that it is
successfully able to communicate amongst themselves and ensure that the overall objectives of
the firm are met with successfully.

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Steps to be taken by the project manager to alleviate the different challenges as faced by
the project team
In order to ensure smoother operations, it becomes considerably important for a project
manager, to alleviate the different challenges as faced by the team members and take the
following steps to ensure smooth operations.
 Employee autonomy: The different employees are required to be provided with complete
autonomy which shall ensure that the different members are successfully able to take
decisions on their own and foresee the initial challenges as faced by the firm which shall
then assist them to perform considerably well and mitigate any larger challenges which
may be faced by the organization in the long run (van Doorn, Heyden & Volberda, 2017).
 Networking: The networking forms a crucial part of the organization and with respect to
this, for a project team to achieve complete mitigation of the different challenges as being
faced by them, the team would be required to remain connected to one another through a
certain medium and in a similar fashion, may be able to connect to one another in case
any scenario arises which is not favorable for them (Wheelen et al., 2017).
 Holding regular meetings: Lastly, the project manager will be required to hold meetings
regular which shall allow the different members to tell about their problems to the senior
management. In such a scenario, the manager will be required to foresee the dynamics of
the group and predict and challenges.
Conclusion
Hence, from the given analysis as presented in the report, it can be largely understood
that the management of a project team has various components and dynamics which very often
make it very difficult for the organization to maintain a good project team. Hence, it is important

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for the different project managers to ensure that they are successfully able to control the team
and allow success in the long run. The report provided an examination of the appropriate
leadership style, methods to improve autonomy and strategies to alleviate challenges in a project
team.

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References
Binder, J. (2016). Global project management: communication, collaboration and management
across borders. Routledge.
Botha, T., Van Rensburg, M., Du Toit, G. S., & Motlatla, M. D. C. (2016). Introduction to
business management. B. Erasmus, J. W. Strydom, & S. Rudansky-Kloppers (Eds.).
Oxford University Press Southern Africa.
Bovée, C. L., Thill, J. V., & Raina, R. L. (2016). Business communication today. Pearson
Education India.
Coffelt, T. A., Baker, M. J., & Corey, R. C. (2016). Business communication practices from
employers’ perspectives. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 79(3),
300-316.
David, F. R., & David, F. R. (2016). Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach,
concepts and cases. Pearson.
DeCenzo, D. A., Robbins, S. P., & Verhulst, S. L. (2016). Fundamentals of Human Resource
Management, Binder Ready Version. John Wiley & Sons.
Fuller, M. A., Valacich, J. S., George, J. F., & Schneider, C. (2017). Information Systems Project
Management: A Process and Team Approach, Edition 1.1. Prospect Press.
Harrison, F., & Lock, D. (2017). Advanced project management: a structured approach.
Routledge.
Lock, D. (2017). The essentials of project management. Routledge.

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Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2017). Human resource
management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Education.
van Doorn, S., Heyden, M. L., & Volberda, H. W. (2017). Enhancing entrepreneurial orientation
in dynamic environments: the interplay between top management team advice-seeking
and absorptive capacity. Long Range Planning, 50(2), 134-144.
Wheelen, T. L., Hunger, J. D., Hoffman, A. N., & Bamford, C. E. (2017). Strategic management
and business policy (p. 55). Boston: pearson.