The Project Management Process - Week 7 Managing Teams

Project Management 7. Managing Teams

Week 7

Our goal today is to develop and facilitate leadership, team building, performance management, and conflict management skills in the context of an IT environment

Main reference: Gray & Larson, 2006, Ch 11.

Effective Team Characteristics
Why Join Teams?
Team Development
Keys to Managing People
Managing Project Teams
Project Team Conflict
Project Team Pitfalls

What is a Team?

A team
is a group of individuals who cooperate and work together to achieve a given set of objectives or goals (Horodyski, 1995).

is close cooperation between cross-trained employees who are familiar with a wide range of jobs in their organization
Teamwork

Team-building
is high interaction among group members to increase trust and openness

1
Project Team Size
2
Common Characteristics

Project Team Size
Performance is based on balance of members carrying out roles and meeting social and emotional needs

Project teams of 5 to 12 members work best

There are problems you encounter as size increases

It gets more difficult to interact with and influence the group
Individuals get less satisfaction from their involvement in the team
People end up with less commitment to the team goals
It requires more centralized decision making
There is lesser feeling as being part of team

Project Team Size
The Mythical Man-Month

Assigning more programmers to a project running behind schedule will make it even later, due to the time required for the new programmers to learn about the project, as well as the increased communication overhead. - Fred Brooks

Fred Brooks The Mythical Man-Month
Group Intercommunication Formula
n ( n − 1) / 2

n ( n − 1) / 2
Examples

n ( n − 1) / 2
Examples
5 developers -> 5(5 − 1) / 2 = 10 channels of communication

n ( n − 1) / 2
Examples

Common Characteristics of High Performing Teams

Goals are clearly defined and matched with measurable outcomes

Accurate effective 2-way communication

Leadership is shared and participation encouraged

Effective decision making and problem solving

Team identity and cohesiveness

Diverse backgrounds and experience

Cooperation and collaboration

They share a common identity

Figure 1 Characteristics or needs of effective teams ( Horodyski, 1995 , p12)

Why Join Teams?

Why do people want to join teams?

Individual reasons
Security
Status
Self-esteem
Affiliation
Power
Goal achievement

Why do teams work well for organizations?

Team Development

Project teams usually come together for a project and then disband. What challenges does this create?
Project team

Tuckman (1960s) published five stage model of team development

Figure 9.1 Stages of Team Development ( Robbins et al, 1998 , p309)

Figure 11.1 The Five-Stage Team Development Model ( Gray & Larson, 2006 , p345)

Implications for teams:
A project manager needs to devote initial attention to helping the group evolve quickly to the (performing phase).
This model provides a framework for the group to understand its own development.
It stresses the importance of the norming phase which contributes to the level of productivity.

Recent studies suggest that there is no standardized pattern of group development. What do you think about Tuckman’s model?
Does it feel right to you?

Punctuated Equilibrium Model
(1988) Gersick found that there are natural transition points during the life of teams in which the group is receptive to change and that such a moment naturally occurs at the scheduled midpoint of a project
By imposing a series of deadlines, with milestones, it is possible to create multiple transition points for natural group development

Figure 11.2 The Punctuated Equilibrium Model of Group Development ( Gray & Larson, 2006 , p346)

Training can help people understand themselves and each other, and understand how to work better in teams.
Training The main goal of team development is to help people work together more effectively to improve project performance.

Team building activities include physical challenges and psychological preference indicator tools

MBTI
What are you?

extrovert introvert sensation intuition thinking feeling judgement perception e s t j i n f p

extrovert introvert sensation intuition thinking feeling judgement perception e s t j i n f p e n t j me

NTs are attracted to technology fields
There is a belief that IT people differ from population in a tendency to not be extroverted or sensing.
extrovert introvert sensation intuition thinking feeling judgement perception e s t j i n f p n i

The Max Wideman MTBI article “ Do we have enough of the right kind of people?”
R. Max Wideman, (1998) Project Teamwork, Personality Profiles and the Population at Large: Do we have enough of the right kind of people? FPMI, AEW Services, Vancouver, BC, Canada. http://www.maxwideman.com/papers/profiles/profiles.pdf

What is your suitability to Project Work? * Wideman, R. Max. “Project Teamwork, Personality Profiles and the Population at Large: Do we have enough of the right kind of people?” (http://www.maxwideman.com/papers/profiles/profiles.pdf ).

Another model
Social Styles Profile
People are perceived as behaving primarily in one of four zones, based on their assertiveness and responsiveness
Assertiveness Responsiveness

Another model Analytical Driver Amiable Expressive Responsiveness Assertiveness Ask Tell People Task

Reward and Recognition Systems
Team-based reward and recognition systems can promote teamwork
Focus on rewarding teams for achieving specific goals
Allow time for team members to mentor and help each other to meet project goals and develop human resources

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hi-phi/1100036300/

Reward and Recognition Systems cont’d…
Recognize individual performance?
letters of commendation
public recognition for outstanding work
desirable job assignments
increased personal flexibility
Team Development cont’d…

Keys to Managing People

Psychologists and management theorists have devoted much research and thought to the field of managing people at work. Important areas related to project management include (1)Motivation, (2)Influence and power, and (3) Effectiveness

Intrinsic motivation causes people to participate in an activity for their own enjoyment
eg. read, gardening…
Extrinsic motivation causes people to do something for a reward or to avoid a penalty
eg. homework
Motivation

Motivation Theorists
Maslow’s hierarch of needs
Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene
McClelland’s acquired-needs
McGregor’s X and Y

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
(1960s) Abraham Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs to illustrate his theory that people’s behaviors are guided by a sequence of needs
Maslow argued that humans possess unique qualities that enable them to make independent choices, thus giving them control of their destiny

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs http://talkingtails.wordpress.com/2007/07/23/maslow-greek-philosophy-indian-mysticism/

Hertzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory
In the late 1960s Frederick Herzberg wrote about worker motivation.
He distinguished between motivation factors and hygiene factors.
motivation factors Help motivate workers directly eg. achievement, recognition, work, responsibility hygiene factors cause dissatisfaction if absent but do not motivate, eg. Money, working conditions,

http://www.provenmodels.com/21/motivation-hygiene-theory/herzberg-mausner-snyderman

( Robbins et al, 1998, p221)

McClelland’s Acquired-Needs Theory
(1961) David McClelland proposed an individual’s specific needs are acquired or learned over time and shaped by life experiences.
Categories:
achievement
affiliation
power

McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y
In the 1960’s Douglas McGregor popularized the human relations approach
Theory X: workers dislike and avoid work
Theory Y: work is as natural as play or rest
Theory Z: emphasizing trust, quality, collective decision making, and cultural values

http://www.provenmodels.com/20/theory-x-&-y/mcgregor

Thamhain and Wilemon’s influence bases
(1970’s) HJ Thamhain and DL Wilemon identified nine influence bases available to project managers
authority
assignment
budget
promotion
money
penalty
work challenge
expertise
friendship

Steven Covey’s 7 habits
Ca be applied to improve effectiveness on projects
Be proactive
Begin with the end in mind
Put first things first
Think win/win
Seek first to understand, then to be understood
Synergize
Sharpen the saw

Covey’s Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood

Managing Project Teams

Project managers must lead their teams in performing various project activities

After assessing team performance and related information, the project manager must decide:
if changes should be requested to the project
if corrective or preventive actions should be recommended
if updates are needed to the project management plan or organizational process assets

Tools and techniques available to assist in managing project teams include:
observation and conversation
project performance appraisals
conflict management
issue logs

Develop your team

Be patient and kind with your team
Fix the problem instead of blaming people
Establish regular, effective meetings
Allow time for teams to go through the basic team-building stages
Limit the size of work teams to five to twelve members
Plan some social activities to help project team members and other stakeholders
Stress team identity
Nurture team members and encourage them to help each other
Take additional actions to work with virtual team members
Develop your team

Voluntary team membership
Continuous service on the team
Full-time assignment to the team
An organization culture of cooperation and trust
Members report only to the project manager
Functional areas are represented on the team
The project has a compelling objective
Members are in speaking distance of each other
Know the conditions favorable for development of high performing teams

Meetings?

A brief diversion into Management and Meetings

Don’t waste my time

Conducting Project Meetings Conducting Project Meetings Establishing Ground Rules Planning Decisions Tracking Decisions Managing Change Decisions Relationship Decisions Managing Subsequent Meetings

Time
Date
Place
Who must be there
Meeting goals
Agenda
Expected outcome
Preparation required

Factors affecting recruiting
importance of the project
management structure used to complete the project
How to recruit?
ask for volunteers
Who to recruit?
problem-solving ability
availability
technological expertise
credibility
political connections
ambition, initiative, and energy
Recruiting Project Members

Figure 11.32 Creating a High-Performance Project Team ( Gray & Larson, 2006 , p348)

Establishing a Team Identity
Effective Use of Meetings Co-location of team members Creation of project team name Team rituals

Figure 11.4 Requirements for an Effective Project Vision ( Gray & Larson, 2006 , p357)

Orchestrating the Decision-Making Process
Problem Identification Generating Alternatives Reaching a Decision Follow-up

Rejuvenating the Project Team
Informal Techniques
institute new rituals
take an off-site break as a team from the project
view an inspiration message or movie
have the project sponsor give a pep talk

Rejuvenating the Project Team
Formal Techniques
team building session facilitated by an outsider to clarify ownership issues affecting performance
engage in an outside activity that provides an intense common experience to promote social development of the team

Challenges of Managing Virtual Teams

Developing trust
exchange of social information
set clear roles for each team member

Developing effective patterns of communication
include face-to-face if at all possible
keep team members informed on how the overall project is going
don’t let team members vanish
establish a code of conduct to avoid delays
establish clear norms and protocols for surfacing assumptions and conflicts

Figure 11.6 24-Hour Global Clock ( Gray & Larson, 2006 , p369)

Project Team Conflict

Managing Conflict in the Project Team

Encouraging Functional Conflict
encourage dissent by asking tough questions
bring in people with different points of view
designate someone to be a devil’s advocate
ask the team to consider an alternative

Encouraging Functional Conflict
encourage dissent by asking tough questions
bring in people with different points of view
designate someone to be a devil’s advocate
ask the team to consider an alternative
Managing Dysfunctional Conflict
mediate the conflict
arbitrate the conflict
control the conflict
accept the conflict
eliminate the conflict

Project Team Pitfalls

Figure 11.5 Conflict Intensity over the Project Life Cycle ( Gray & Larson, 2006 , p363)

Project Team Pitfalls Groupthink Bureaucratic Bypass Syndrome Team Spirit Becomes Team Infatuation Going Native

Review
Effective teams have common characteristics such as; size range, purpose, communication, leadership, cohesiveness, identity, diversity, and cooperation.
Traditional research suggests teams develop in 5-stage process ; forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Modern approach indicates growth occurs at project transition points.
Team development can be facilitated through training, personality indicators, social styles profiles, and reward systems.
PM’s can utilize people handling strategies from motivation theorists and other theorists such as; Maslow, Hertzberg, McClelland, McGregor and Covey …
Other areas of importance include; recruitment, maintenance, and conflict management of project teams.

References
Horodyski, K. (1995). Managing and developing teams . Footscray, Vic.: Open Training Services.
Greenberg, J. & Baron, R. (1993). Behavior in organizations (4 th ed.). Syd., NSW: Allyn and Bacon.
Robbins, S., et al. (1998). Organisational behaviour (2nd ed.). Sydney: Prentice-Hall

BetterProjects.net
Title page pic care of atomicShed & CC @ Flickr

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The Project Management Process - Week 7 Managing Teams

by Craig Brown on Sep 07, 2008

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