Management and Leadership: Selection Criteria for Project Managers

This article discusses the selection criteria for employing a project manager, including leadership qualities, conflict management, team building, decision-making abilities, and negotiation skills. It also explores the challenges faced by NGOs and the differences between Taylorism and Managerialism.

Running head : MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
Name of the Student :
Name of the University :
Author Note :

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Question 1:
A. The selection criteria for employing a project manager are as follows:
 Leadership qualities – A project manager should have specific leadership qualities on
order to lead a team of experts (Kerzner&kerzner, 2017). Qualities of a leader like vision,
integrity, passion, and others are necessary to take responsibility of a project. A project
manager lacking leadership qualities will not be able to execute his plans or communicate
among his team members.
 Conflict management – The most important quality of any project manager is the ability
to resolve conflicts. It is evident that in a team everyone will have their own opinions and
views (Chhokar et al.,,2013). It is up to the project manager to have regard for everyone’s
thoughts and ideas but also to make sure that these ideas do not clash with each other. He
should be able to deal with conflict with ease and a calm mind.
 Team building – A project manager should have the capability to build a strong team
under his leadership (Block,2016). His team should know how to collaborate, distribute
work and communicate among the team members (Sunindijo,2015). The bonding should
be not only for work but also for celebration, team spirit and motivation.
 Decision-making abilities – A decision can affect not only the team but also the entire
organization. Therefore, being able to take constructive and sound decisions is very
important (Carnall,2018). Decisions are made in order to achieve managerial or long-
term goals. A wrong decision can prove to be fatal for the company.
 Negotiator – One of the most important aspects of any business enterprise is its
negotiating abilities (Peters,2013). Negotiation also deals with communicating with
clients, different departments, co-workers, directors, sales, finance, legal matters, and

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others. Good communicating skills help in dealing with day-to-day interactions and also
formal transactions (Hwang&Ng,2013). Negotiations should be such that it is a win-win
situation for all. Maintaining goodwill irrespective of the differences is very important.

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B. Cover letter
Respected Sir/Madam,
Our board of directors is keen about hiring a project manager specifically for this project.
The funding is important, as the project needs a project manager who will be capable of leading
the team and ready for new ventures. This project is one of the most awaited projects of this year
and can change the game for the company.
I strongly believe that this project will open new doors of opportunities for the company as a
whole. It is necessary to remain flexible and open-minded when it comes to investing for the
growth of this organization, as this will give fruitful results in the future.
I would request you to consider the matter and grant us with the funding required to hire a
trained and skilled project manager that will be beneficial not only for the company but also for
the organization as a whole.
Thanking You,
Yours Faithfully,
(Full Name).

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Question 2:
NGOs dates back to 1945 when the United Nations established its first NGO. Every NGO has
some specific objectives and a goal. The mission differs according to what a NGO strives to do
and what social change it strives to bring about. From improving human rights to educating and
empowering women- NGOs can support numerous causes and work towards the same. In order
to fulfill these NGOs must face with conflicts and uncertain difficulties. We must understand that
striving for change and working towards it every day is not an easy task but requires a lot of
focus, tenacity, patience and perseverance. Some of the challenges that NGOs have to face are –
 Lack of Funds – An NGO requires finance on order to operate smoothly. It becomes
difficult to work and fulfill the desired goals when there is a lack of funding (Ho,2001).
Monetary crunch can leave NGOs crippled. Therefore, having a good network of
fundraisers, donors, sponsors is very important (Kerzner&kerzner, 2017).
 No Strategic Planning – NGOs also suffer from lack of solidarity and strategic planning.
Absence of a constructive plan can be fatal and lead to severe consequences
(Redpath,2013). It is necessary to stick to a plan and work towards it that way everything
is sorted and distributed.
 Poor Networking – For any NGO to work it is of utmost importance to have a well-
developed and well-maintained network of people. Disorganized networking can lead to
time consumption, duplicate efforts, and other grave situations (Bebbington,
Hickey&Mitlin,2013).
 Limited Capacity – Many NGOs lack the far sightedness to invest in training and
investing in various projects. They are unwilling to spent on training individuals for

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various skill sets and capacity building (Ramsbotham&Woodhouse,2013). This
indirectly, hinders the growth of the organization.
 Traditional Methods of Approach – Most NGOs follow a ‘hardware’ method of
approach. These methods only include building an infrastructure, giving services and
empowering people. Their approach lacks flexibility, relevance and sustainability
required for the development of community services.
Question 3:
Some major differences between Taylorism and Managerialism are :
 Managerialism is the concept of relying on professional use of managers in administering
an organization. The term Taylorism was coined by Frederick Taylor to denote the use of
scientific approach to management (Busher&Saran,2013). This method includes
economic efficiency, labor productivity, scientific study and others. Though it is an age
old theory, it is still used today in various industries.
 Taylor laid emphasis on the problems of shop floor. Fayol on the other hand concentrated
on the functions of managers at the top level.
 Taylor worked his way from the bottom of the industry to the top. Fayol focused on the
executive and worked his way downwards to the hierarchy(Carpenter,2018).
 Taylor’s main aim was to give due importance to labor and reduce wastages
(Doherty,Horne&Wootton,2013). Fayol firmly believed in the reliance in managers.
 Taylor termed his theory as “Scientific Management” (Waring,2016). Fayol exhibited his
work under the term “General Theory of Administration”.

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The basic similarities between the two concepts are that both Taylor and Fayol believed
in the universality of management. They applied scientific methods to approach the
problems of management. Both of them wanted to improve the management practices
and stressed on the mutual co-operation among employers and employees.

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