PROJ6006: Case Study Analysis of Project Leadership and Management

This case study analyzes leadership approaches within the context of Acorn Industries, a company undergoing significant changes and expanding into project-based work. The analysis focuses on the selection of appropriate leadership styles, specifically highlighting the benefits of democratic leadership in fostering team collaboration, valuing diverse opinions, and addressing employee retention issues. The study examines various techniques for influencing project team members, including facilitating decision-making, managing conflict, motivating the workforce, and strengthening accountability. Furthermore, it explores the use of legitimate and reward power, and the development of self-managed teams within agile projects, emphasizing the importance of communication, clear feedback, and encouragement. Finally, the case study outlines a structured approach for project managers to overcome challenges, including goal setting, performance monitoring, deviation identification, and technical problem-solving, all aimed at ensuring project success.

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Management

Leadership style that will be used for managing the project team
It is seen that new project management is required to work on some new project with
different team members. Due to this, it is essential to include the varied ideas of team
member. In this case, democratic leadership will be helpful, as it will assist in getting the
ideas of team members before making any decision. When opinions of member are valued,
they give their best while working in any project. Inclusion of flexibility and open working
culture will also bring the new ideas while working in new project. in the given case, it is also
seen that organisation has employee retention issue. For reducing or eliminating such issue,
democratic leadership style will prove to be helpful as member in the organisation will feel
valued by respective their opinion.
Techniques that can be used to influence project team members
In the recent time, continuous changes in business environment require companies to
seek flexibility as well as innovation in the project. it is true that powerful leaders always
know how to drive the success of team through understanding content, process and
behaviour. At the same time, project manager in the given case will also have influence on
the behaviour of members. for forming the cooperating, motivated, and confident team,
project manager is required to develop some skills that will integrate, built as well as develop
the team. in this way, democratic leadership style as per the case will help the organisation
team members to feel valued and respected in the organisation (Scott-Young, Georgy &
Grisinger, 2019).
Some of the techniques that can be used by project manager are:
 Facilitating the team decision
 Managing difficulty among people
 Motivating diversified workforce
 Communication
 Strengthening the accountability of team
 Leadership

Techniques and tools for managing communication outside the project group
It is true that project manager spend too much of their time in communicating with
different stakeholder (external as well as internal clients), team member at different level of
organisation and some key external customers such as sponsors, suppliers and media. as per
the given case, it is however significant to know as well as evaluate the proper
communication as well as techniques and tools that will be adopted to manage and create the
communication outside of group project.
As per the given case, project managers have to work on several tools, communicating tools,
and mechanism at the time of communicating outside the team. due to global challenges and
stakeholder demand, these tools are required to get known in their comprehensive way to
select as well as respond adequately and effective to every message.
Power that will be used for the collaboration and team success
At the time of giving instructions, legitimate power will be used so that team
members are clarified for their role. Legitimate power will used so that members will get
clear what are their own responsibilities and with whom they will coordinate. This will help
members in ensuring collaboration with each other completely performing their own part. In
addition to this, reward power will also be sued where employees will be given rewards as
per their performance. Those who have completed their target as well as those who
performed extraordinary will be given reward. In the given case, it is also essential to keep
the employees motivated. Different motivational theories also included the importance of
reward for motivating employees to work better in the project. When company will be having
specific reward, employees will also work accordingly by keeping those rewards in their
mind. Reward achievers in the company will be announced in team meeting as well as on the
website of company (Li, Liu & Luo, 2018). This is because when every person appreciates
the person, he or she becomes motivated to work. In this way, both the reward techniques
will help in ensuring the completion of the project by keeping employees motivated. During
these reward policies, an effective meeting will be undertaking which will invite the ideas
from team member (Gerpott et al, 2020).
Methods for developing the self managed team for agile projects
Agile projects are considered as demanding and valuable. Due to this, getting the self-
managed team is found to be critical. In this situation, project team managers are required to

implement the development approaches that will ensure the regular improvements for success
of team. There are different ways through which project manager can create the self-managed
team in order to enhance the project success (Annosi et al, 2018). In the case, it is seen that
singular philosophy of autonomy has made the people to leave the project. therefore, the
approach of self managed project will definitely help the members to stay motivated.
In starting, project manager should consider hiring the people with different background and
expertise. Every member in the team should be able to collaborate with other people and be
valuable. It is therefore significant for the leader to allow this kind of team for making proper
decision. In the given case also, self managed team will encourage the innovation as every
member of the team is unique. When leading the self managed team, it is necessary to ensure
the efficient and effective decision (Bunger & Lengnick-Hall, 2018). Communication is
required to be clear especially at the time of giving feedback. Team is also required to use
such tools that foster collaboration and cooperation for the team benefits. Project manager is
also required to encourage metrics use for measuring the success of team. Outcomes are
required to present continuously in front of members for enforcing the accountability as well
as leveraging the team success. At the time of self-managed team, it is also necessary to
decide the employee driven decision. However, internal support will also be provided to the
team members so that nay confusion faced by members can get clear (Den Hartog et al,
2019). Time-to-tome encouragement activities will be started on the part of company so that
creative and innovative ideas can be brought forward. In this situation also, participative
approach will be used so that members will come together to share the different perspective
and bring the successful completion of project. At the same time, trust will be maintained
among the team members which will be the mix of humility, transparency as well as
honesty. . However, effective direction time-to-time will be provided from the side of
management team for bringing the success in self-managed ream. Encouragement is also
effective method for bringing the success in self-managed team (Sinclair, 2019).
Steps that will be undertaken by project manager in order to overcome challenges
 Goal setting: in the first stage, specific goals will be set as per the capability and expertise of
the team members. A team charter will be prepared where every person responsibilities and
work that he or she has to do will be noted. This will not create confusion between any of the
team regarding role that they have to perform (Raven, 2017).

 Time-to-time checking of the work at work areas: In rode to ensure the correct working from
the employee’s side, timely checking of the performance will be done. This will help in
ensuring the improvement in productivity if any deviation is seen. Monitoring of the
performance is better to do in middle of the work so that a proper check can be made.
 Finding deviations: after checking the performance of the project team members, areas where
they are doing mistake will be found. A person will be appointed who will note out the
problems that team member is facing along with their name and role.
 Formation of meeting: one-on-one meeting will be undertaken of every member who are
facing any difficulty in performing their part. In such a meeting, discussion of problem will
be done with the members in order to know any personal or workplace issue that they are
facing.
 Taking corrective actions: After discussion the problem with respective project team
members. In this situation, ways to overcome the problem will be discussed so that team
members can bring changes in their working. Corrective actions will be communicated to the
project team members. In overcoming from such deviations, team members will also be given
the necessary instructions and information regarding the problem. On the project area training
will also be provided to the team members so that they will come to know how actually the
work will be done.
 Solving the technical problems: at the time of handling technical situation in organisation,
employees re given the technical resources. Due to this, they might issues whole handling
those resources. In such a situation, a technical leader will be appointed who will help the
project team members whenever they will face any technical issue during the project
completion.
 Serving as peacemaker: While performing the role of project team manager, it is quite
essential to complete the job. At the time of any conflict also, I will take the things
peacefully. Rather than raking stress during the conflict, I will solve the problem and issues
by peacefully thinking about the ways to solve problem.
 Making the trade-off among cost, time and project scope: During the project, trade-offs will
help in ensuring the project feasibility. When contractor will give the duration of 8 months, I
will tell the team members to complete it in 5 members so that any deviation found in
between of the project. At the same time, cost reduction strategy will also be adopted in order
shorten the time period of completion.

References
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communication? A comparison of organizational team communication networks over
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Gerpott, F. H., Lehmann-Willenbrock, N., Voelpel, S. C., & Van Vugt, M. (2019). It’s not
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