The Impact on Projects
Now that the evolution of enterprise stewardship has been addressed, it is time to focus on Wideman's comparisons of the actions associated with leaders and that of managers. It is in the context of the product life cycle that he discusses this topic. Wideman believes that the success of a project is heavily dependent on the motivation provided by strong leadership.
But, he adds that "managership" is equally important because it centers on accomplishing the tasks needed to successfully finish the project. I agree with this conclusion. A good project manager must focus on both of these duties. Without proper execution, motivation leads nowhere, and without a motivated team, the level of performance is sure to suffer.
Wideman points out that leadership is essential in the early phases of the "Project Team Development Cycle" (the feasibility and conceptual phases). But the style of leadership has to change toward "managership" as the project progresses toward the execution and finishing stages.
He then devotes a section to leadership and team building, describing the project team leader as a "social architect," putting the right people together while understanding organizational constraints. This role, when executed properly, reduces corrosive conflict and enhances team performance. The goal of the team leader is to create a unit that is a Self Directed Work Team (SDWT), by progressively "telling, selling, gelling and producing" in project activities. (These are also referred to as "forming, storming, norming, and performing" by Tuckman.)
|
The 1990s to the Present Day
