Leading Complex Projects

This paper provides insights from literature on managing complex and virtual projects, including the dimensions of virtual teams, tackling communication challenges, and skills and tools for successful project delivery.

Running head: LEADING COMPLEX PROJECTS
SOCIOLOGY-LEADING COMPLEX PROJECTS
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1LEADING COMPLEX PROJECTS
Abstract
Several organizations are increasingly developing virtual teams to engage into international
projects. However, by definition, a virtual team is a group of geographically expanded
individuals collaborating in order to accomplish a project or an organizational task. Thus
managing virtual project teams tends to show greater degree of complex situations rather than
managing traditional projects. The paper has provided comprehensive insights several literature
which deals with ways in which complex and virtual projects can be managed by reflecting on
the tools, approaches required to successfully lead and deliver projects.

2LEADING COMPLEX PROJECTS
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Literature of Review........................................................................................................................3
Dimensions of Virtual Teams......................................................................................................3
Virtual Leadership Tackle Communication Challenges..............................................................4
Skills and Tools for Successful Project Delivery........................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

3LEADING COMPLEX PROJECTS
Introduction
Organizations in the twenty-first century are increasingly developing virtual teams to
carry out their global projects. A virtual team is a group of geographically spread persons who
depend greatly on information and communication technology in order to collaborate to achieve
a universal purpose (Wiener et al. 2016). Moreover, virtual teams are likely to offer several
benefits to organizations including greater ability to compete globally and offer rapid
responsiveness to local as well as international market needs. However, challenges related to
different time zones, complexity in communication, different locations in addition to cultures
have been reported to have an adverse impact on the performance in virtual projects. Serrat
(2017) has noted that successfully managing virtual teams call for more wide-ranging sets of
skills in comparison to managing collocated established project teams. The following paper will
present a literature review analysing approaches through which complex and virtual projects can
be managed by reflecting on the tools, approaches required to successfully lead and deliver
projects.
Literature of Review
Dimensions of Virtual Teams
Virtual teams comprises of several attributes that distinguish them from traditional teams.
These dimensions are likely to cause several advantages and disadvantages for organizations
who primarily engage virtual teams to perform tasks. Wiener et al. (2016) in their studies have
mentioned that focus on virtual teams aid organizations to perform their processes in a more
proficient manner than before. Drawing relevance to these factors Marlow, Lacerenza and Salas

4LEADING COMPLEX PROJECTS
(2017) have claimed that factors related to reliance, communication, leadership, goal setting as
well as technical expertise has the propensity to serve decisiveness during the formation of a
successful virtual team. Jimenez et al. (2017) have opined that culture also acts as a critical
element of any traditional or virtual teams. All teams typically encounter challenges in culture,
logistics, and communication patterns, however with virtual teams; these forms of critical
challenges are intensified for lack of opportunities of being in the same room or locale.
Research of Jimenez et al. (2017) on multicultural virtual teaming project implementation
has observed that virtual projects show a tendency to eliminate travel barriers and further endorse
a successful virtual exchange of cultural information between their employees as well as
employees overseas which further leads to an improved understanding of cultural patterns. On
the other hand, studies of Marlow, Lacerenza and Salas (2017) have revealed that culture
constitutes both invisible such as convictions, values, perspectives as well as attitudes along with
visible dimensions related to varied communication patterns, response to negotiations and
decision-making styles which are recognized to be critical in order to be identified by leaders as
well as managers of teams. Jimenez et al. (2017) in their studies have claimed that several cross-
cultural projects are likely to shed light upon the significance of continuing investment in areas
of language and intercultural communication training. Furthermore, Han and Beyerlein (2016)
have noted that virtual teams emphasize on training new members of project teams engaged in
different continents in order to successfully condense probable level of suspect and further
facilitate teams in order to work together efficiently.

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Virtual Leadership Tackle Communication Challenges
There can be identified two major leadership functions in virtual teams namely
performance management and team development. Comprehensive studies of Binder (2016) have
noted that the challenges encountered by virtual teams are that these functions must be attained
by leadership alternatives and further by allocating the functions to the team. Meanwhile, Han
and Beyerlein (2016) have opined that virtual team leaders to tackle these challenges
strategically distribute varied aspects of these functions within the team and strategically forming
a self-managing team. Similar opinion has been stated by Jimenez et al. (2017) who mention that
leaders engaged in virtual teams aims to establish a procedure whereby members can obtain the
ability of regulating individual performances. Furthermore, leaders of virtual teams strategically
investigate factors related to environmental changes as well as advancements due to their high
propensity of posing challenges to the performance of team. Members of virtual team thus show
significant amount of commitment towards the team and need to create reliability which are
primarily conducted by exceptional leadership techniques. Cagiltay, Bichelmeyer and Akilli
(2015) have opined that leaders in virtual teams primarily generate solidarity and sense of unity
between members. However, while members have shown high level of dedication and
commitment to team objectives particularly in well-established and continuing goals they tend to
draw successes of whole of team and thus are likely to exhibit high positivity in order to
instinctively follow as well as practice team’s standards and values.
Skills and Tools for Successful Project Delivery
Comprehensive studies of Binder (2016) has identified Risk management as a vital area
of project management knowledge areas as well as considered to be a pre-requisite for delivering

6LEADING COMPLEX PROJECTS
successful projects. Meanwhile, Tawk, Al-Kilidar and Bagia (2016) have opined that project
managers typically show a tendency to apply risk management procedures in their project.
However, studies of authors have observed project to show greater level of complexities and
challenges particularly in virtual environments mainly due to the inherent challenges in the
setting. Additionally, it has been mentioned that majority of subjects tend to emphasize on
employees’ level of knowledge in order to recognize as well as supervise various uncertainties at
all levels of the project. On the other hand, comprehensive studies of Binder (2016) have
revealed that decision-making competency as another major area of skill which is required by
managers to successfully deliver projects in virtual setting. Major duties of leader significantly
entail decisional roles whereby managers tend to focus substantially on expedient
troubleshooting as well as conflict decisions. Drawing similar opinion to Binder (2016),
Chandran and Walvekar (2018) have noted that as human cognitive development has been
significantly leveraged by predispositions, inclinations and heuristics, these impediments
consequently exhibit a tendency to create challenges on rational decisions. Thus, in order to
endow newly employed managers, organizations are providing employees with decision-making
methodologies in order to successfully augment the level of effectiveness and value of the
evaluation process.
On the other hand, Tawk, Al-Kilidar and Bagia (2016) have noted that learning strategies
also have the propensity to contribute to the progression of managers’ soft skills and leverage
knowledge transfer process to other employees. Furthermore, Binder (2016) has claimed that
programs such as Master of Engineering Management Programs have the ability to aid the
practice-oriented learning used in the higher education, with the primary purpose of encouraging
and developing the expertise of students for proficient activities. This program mainly comprises

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of diverse learning approaches, in which learning primarily has its significance through a vital
range of activities which require engagement, inspiration, and ability of drawing critical thoughts
in addition to verbal communication as well as performance under constraining or demanding
situations. Furthermore, the activities implemented in this program which shed light on
involvement in group discussions along with role playing activities emphasizing on real life
scenarios in which students receive training as well as practices of both leaders as well as
followers.
Conclusion
The paper explores skills required for successfully involving in virtual teams through
various project management programs. In addition to this, the paper has shed light on importance
of obtaining skills and strategies for managers or leaders to successfully deliver projects in
virtual settings. Furthermore, review of various literatures has been explored to comprehend
various types of challenges and implications faced by managers while working in virtual teams
by shedding light on dimensions of virtual teams and its implications on leaders.

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References
Binder, J., 2016. Global project management: communication, collaboration and management
across borders. Routledge.
Cagiltay, K., Bichelmeyer, B. and Akilli, G.K., 2015. Working with multicultural virtual teams:
critical factors for facilitation, satisfaction and success. Smart Learning Environments, 2(1),
p.11.
Chandran, M. and Walvekar, J., 2018. Monitoring in a Virtualized Environment. GSTF Journal
on Computing (JoC), 1(1).
Han, S.J. and Beyerlein, M., 2016. Framing the effects of multinational cultural diversity on
virtual team processes. Small group research, 47(4), pp.351-383.
Jimenez, A., Boehe, D.M., Taras, V. and Caprar, D.V., 2017. Working across boundaries:
Current and future perspectives on global virtual teams. Journal of International
Management, 23(4), pp.341-349.
Liao, C., 2017. Leadership in virtual teams: A multilevel perspective. Human Resource
Management Review, 27(4), pp.648-659.
Marlow, S.L., Lacerenza, C.N. and Salas, E., 2017. Communication in virtual teams: A
conceptual framework and research agenda. Human Resource Management Review, 27(4),
pp.575-589.
Serrat, O., 2017. Managing virtual teams. In Knowledge Solutions (pp. 619-625). Springer,
Singapore.

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Tawk, T., Al-Kilidar, H. and Bagia, R., 2016, December. Skills for Managing Virtual Projects:
Are they Gained Through Graduate Project Management Programs?. In AAEE-Annual
Conference of Australasian Association for Engineering Education. Australasian Association for
Engineering Education.
Tawk, T., Al-Kilidar, H. and Bagia, R., 2016, December. Skills for Managing Virtual Projects:
Are they Gained Through Graduate Project Management Programs?. In AAEE-Annual
Conference of Australasian Association for Engineering Education. Australasian Association for
Engineering Education.
Wiener, M., Mähring, M., Remus, U. and Saunders, C.S., 2016. Control Configuration and
Control Enactment in Information Systems Projects: Review and Expanded Theoretical
Framework. Mis Quarterly, 40(3), pp.741-774.