An Analysis of Leadership Styles for Lean Projects at SINTEF

This report analyzes various leadership styles, including strategic, cross-cultural, laissez-faire, and democratic leadership, with a specific focus on their application within the SINTEF organization for Lean project implementation. The report examines the characteristics of each style, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each, and ultimately recommends democratic leadership as the most suitable approach for SINTEF. The report explores the characteristics of a successful team member and proposes tools and techniques, such as flow charts, check sheets, and Pareto charts, that can be implemented across different departments within SINTEF to enhance efficiency and drive organizational growth. It emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations, and the need for open communication and collaboration to achieve project success.

RUNNING HEAD: LEADING LEAN PROJECTS 0
Lean Projects- SINTEF

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Executive summary
Various leadership style and there uses as well as one particular style which has to be
followed by the SINTEF to develop their growth will be explained in this report. This report
will mainly focus on the SINTEF organization. The company has carried out various
numbers of projects on a daily basis. SINTEF is one of the most independent research
company which has approximately 2000 employees. Various tools and techniques should be
implemented by human capital management, sales, and marketing, procurement and
warehousing department of the SINTEF to enhance their growth.
An individual can run a team if he or she is having the quality of leadership. The
company have been helping the society in providing the various solutions from the period of
the 60 years. This company serves customers globally. This report will focus on the
democratic, strategic and various other leadership styles from which the SINTEF Company
will implement one of the leadership styles.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
SINTEF- Leading Lean Project.................................................................................................5
Strategic leadership style........................................................................................................6
Cross-cultural leadership style...............................................................................................7
Laissez-faire leadership..........................................................................................................8
Democratic leadership............................................................................................................9
SINTEF leadership Style- Democratic Leadership style.........................................................10
Characteristics of the member in the team...............................................................................12
Self- Aware..........................................................................................................................12
Clear decision.......................................................................................................................12
Open doors and clear communication..................................................................................12
Collaboration spirit...............................................................................................................13
Not dependent......................................................................................................................13
Patience................................................................................................................................13
Tools/techniques that could be implemented in various departments of SINTEF...................13
Flow Chart............................................................................................................................13
Check sheet..........................................................................................................................14
Cause and effect diagram.....................................................................................................15
Pareto chart...........................................................................................................................15
Control chart.........................................................................................................................16
Scatter diagram.....................................................................................................................17

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Histogram.............................................................................................................................18
Conclusion................................................................................................................................18

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Introduction
(SINTEF, 2019).
SINTEF (Stiftelsen for industriell og teknisk forskning) participates as a research
partner in openly funded research plans, both at the national and to a large degree at the EU
stage, so they aim to contribute the value formation and improved competitiveness among
the private-public segments (Carlile, 2013).
SINTEF, which was established in 1950 and its headquarter is in Trondheim, Norway.
This is one of the largest independent research organization situated in Europe. Contract
research has been conducted by the SINTEF which is a multidisciplinary organization. The
company applies there multidisciplinary approach in there worldwide projects from the stage
of the small test, expert evaluation, and verification projects to the stage of the multinational
research programs with various types of the partner.
This company helps in proving public financing to its customers by collaborating with
the universities and institutes and start-ups.
SINTEF faces very ethical challenges, in their business where they contact with the
clients and many business partners.
SINTEF ethical guidelines help them in unethical situations. The guidelines of ethical
conduct are kept in mind every year to make sure that SINTEF stays up to date with
developments (Ose, 2013).
Lean is the global philosophy which helps in the communication in the company and
types of the tools which are needed to run the organization. This helps in balancing the

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philosophical viewpoints and improvements at operational levels. By implementing leans
system in the organization, the company can achieve success. SINTEF has wide experience
in line management and management of Lean procedures (Chiarini, 2012).
Lean has various meaning due to which misconception regarding its meaning has been
generated in the organization. Lean aim is to lowering the resource and increasing the value.
In other words, it can be said that Lean is to capitalize value by minimizing leftover.
This report will be going to focus on the different types of potential style that can be
implemented by the project manager, the most beneficial style that can be implemented in
the SINTEF organization, various characteristic of the individual to lead a team, and various
kinds of tools and techniques which can help the SINTEF department in improving their
efficiency.
SINTEF- Leading Lean Project
SINTEF is the organization which performs contract basic research and develop the
areas of the health, information and communication technology, petroleum and energy, and
construction of building for the wide range of the Norwegian and international industry
consumers. As per the SINTEF case study, it has been noticed that Agile is one of the best
practice to implement lean principles. Interaction between the stakeholders is of much
importance, which is facilitated by the SINTEF. This also promotes open innovation
processes. Agile practices are generally seen within the IT department, due to which there is
a need of the many leadership styles, which can help in developing the growth of the
business (Korsvold, 2010).
There are numerous kinds of leaderships which can be adopted by the project
manager.

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Strategic leadership style
(Smith, 2019).
This is a category of
leadership in which a person is the leader of the organization. This pioneer is not restricted to
the top management of the company. This leadership style is geared to a broader viewers at
all stages who want to have a high-performance lifetime, group or business entities. The
strategic pioneer fills the opening among the essential for a new option and the want for
realism by giving that a rigid set of ways. Effective planned direction delivers the properties
in the context of an association naturally supposes from its management in times of
modification. 55% of this leadership usually involves planned rationale (Phipps, 2012).
Leadership style helps in
dealing up with future needs. This leadership differs from the other leadership. In this
leadership style leaders has the potential to express a vision and motivate the employees to
acquire such a vision. As is it is more to the cross-cultural leadership style then the
organizational culture is created by the strategy leader. The strategic leader has the potential
to influence the cross-cultural leader in the organization.

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Cross-cultural leadership style
(Mendoza, 2016).
This is one of the new
concepts as compared to the traditional leadership style. This leadership style helps in coping
up with the different cultures in the environment. This leadership established as a way to
classify front-runners who effort in the recent globalized marketplace. The worldwide
organization is of much need to have such a layer which can help easily adjust the leadership
style in a different culture of the environment.
Most of the leadership
style of the United States are of cross-cultural due to the diverse culture person living there
and working there. Cross leadership is a complex leadership style but it is still trying this
leadership style is proven to be more real as a traditional leadership style. Cross leadership is
similar like E-commerce leadership style because in both the styles, use of the technology is
needed, leader presence cannot be insured physically (Mendoza, 2016).
This type of leadership is
quite complex if it compares to other leadership style but when the management of the
company is vastly cultured then this leadership style is best for the organization. As that time
this leadership style helps organizational members buy in cultural norms and beliefs, this
dynamic bonds them to the association and increases their commitment to finding new ways.

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Laissez-faire leadership
(Cherry, 2019).
This is the leadership
style which gives the authority to the employees of the company. In these departments and
employees are free to work as their own choice i.e. minimal or zero interference. This
leadership style is also called as delgative style. However, as per the research, it has been
identified that this leadership style is the least effective and least satisfied leadership style in
the organization. But in some situation, it can be beneficial, because delegation them power
is much beneficial. There are a few examples of this leadership which facilitates success.
Famous historical plans
led by laissez-faire leaders comprise the building of the Panama Canal and the Hoover Dam.
In both the projects, the presidents tangled to delegate many responsibilities in order to get
the project success. The success of this project was very tough, but by delegating the power
to the professional help in achieving the positive result and made the project successful
(Cherry, 2019).
This leadership style
cannot be used by the organization when the management has known that their employees
are that much knowledge and are inexperienced. This leadership is successful when the team

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is capable of doing it has plenty of knowledge and the organization can trust them. Size of
the team is not that much important factor in this leadership style.
Democratic leadership
(Bhatti, 2012).
This is a kind of
leadership style through by employees of the organizations take an extra active part in the
process of forming the decisions. This leadership can be applied in several organizations
whether it is private business or schools/government. This leadership style is called as
Participative leadership or shared leadership style.
In this category of
management style, associates of the collection take an extra active role in the administrative
procedure. Everyone has the opportunity to pay, ideas are substituted freely, and discussion
is stirred. This help in making the organization very effective and friendly. And do not build
in the conflict in the organization (Bhatti, 2012).
This leadership style is
very much real for every type of organization. As this leadership, style helps in eliminating
the conflict from the environment of the organization which will overall help the company in
achieving the success of the organization.

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SINTEF leadership Style- Democratic Leadership style
(Nanjundeswaraswamy, 2014).
The finest leadership
style for the SINTEF is the democratic leadership style according to their organizational
structure. As in, in the SINTEF, many decisions are been taken by the top organization of the
management and they do not involve the subordinate group to the decision making the
process, due to which the environment of the company does not remain friendly. A
democratic style involves the subordinate in the decision-making method. The pioneer and
the subordinate share an equal voice without any display hierarchy. This leadership style
helps the organization to develop a well friendly structure (Nanjundeswaraswamy, 2014).
There are some of the qualities which should be present in a democratic leader:-
• Intelligence
• Honesty
• Creative
• Fairness
There are various pros
and cons of democratic leadership

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Pros of the democratic leadership Cons of the democratic leadership
Develop plans to help the employees to
evaluate their actions.
Evasive workers, who favoured not to be
involved, may create problem in the
environment.
Allow the employees to establish their gaols
and set standards.
Leaders can become fully needy on the
expertise and knowledge of juniors.
Absenteeism is lower between workforce
with a stronger promise to act.
Due to short of communication skulls, some
major suggestion may get unheard.
(Hendriks, 2014).
This leadership style will be going to give the benefits to the SINTEF association
SINTEF organizations consist of numerous experts which are well situated for the
well suited to the democratic process. This leadership style helps the organization because in
this leadership style group supporter are forced to show their opinions which help in
achieving the best ideas and more creative answers for the problems.
When this type of leadership is applied then the management of the company will feel
motivated and they will concern about the result of the particular decision as their
involvement will also be there. SINTEF organization does not give facility to the employees
to take the decision will create the stressful environment of the company. This can be
overcome by the help of a democratic leadership style. Group members and the employee of