Business-Management for the Modern Business,

Business-Management

For the modern business, project management involves far more than simply telling others what to do and waiting for results. Effective project management requires the careful assessment and management of different personalities, work styles, interpersonal goals, and attitudes, all the while keeping focused on a successful outcome for the project itself. This paper will discuss this topic, within the scope of a provided scenario.

Scenario

This paper involves various aspects of project management and interpersonal relationships, based on this scenario: "You have just been brought in on a project, as the previous project manager has left. The project is behind schedule and over budget, and several key team members have quit in disgust, plummeting the morale of the rest of the team, who fear they will have to do the extra work without compensation." With this scenario in mind, topics are discussed as follows:

Assessment of How Organizational Culture and Human Behavior Influence the Success of Projects, in Particular Projects Beset with Issues Like Those Presented in the Scenario

Organization culture and human behavior are vital ingredients that can lead to the success or failure of projects, as indicated in the scenario; to be more specific, the culture of the organization is perhaps the defining factor that will set the pace for the progress of a particular project (Stuckenbruck, 1981). If the organization culture is one that holds macro management as an important tool, for example, the members of the project team will be less likely to view input and direction from the project manager as valuable, and may in fact resent it and go against the project manager in an act of defiance (Hanlan, 2004). In contrast, a culture that works best when micromanaged will require a great deal of hands-on project management.

Projects beset with issues like those presented in the scenario need to be approached in certain ways for them to be salvaged; in terms of the influence of human nature, if the team members are afraid that they will be forced to put in extra effort without additional compensation, an effective project manager may attach some sort of a financial incentive to the project, based upon successful completion of the project itself, as this technique has been shown to be highly useful in a variety of firms (Hannigan, et al., 2000). Also, the new project manager must make a special effort to learn the communication style and personality of the individuals on the team in order to give each member the feeling that they are valued and will be respected.

Morale that is low, such as in the scenario, can also be boosted in the team through the introduction of hard working, knowledgeable members within the team. What this will do is energize the team from the inside out, which will transform the productivity and outlook of the entire team and the results will surely follow (Project Management, 2000).

What are Some Strategies that Could be Used by a Project Manager to Successfully Manage the Relationships Among Project Team Members and the Relationships Among the Project Team and External Resources