Angela Hemmrich Project Leadership potx

Project leader versus line manager Project leaders generally have no disciplinary authority over their project employees, only functional and/or planning authority.. The main differences

Angela Hemmrich

Project Leadership

Project leadership is a difficult functional, psychological and political process

This white paper shows you how to master it

Project Leadership

“Organising appropriately can limit the chaos and ensuing uncertainty with guiding structures“

1 Introduction

Project work involves handling complex tasks within an interdisciplinary

team over a limited period of time Project leadership is therefore a

“temporary leadership task“ Being a project leader means being a manager

— from both a professional and a personal perspective Cooperation within

the project team is important; people from different departments and levels

have to work together on an interdisciplinary basis to attain the project

goals

This is no easy task — different views on goals, procedures, priorities,

formalities and departmental etiquette make cooperation difficult The

project leader’s task is to reconcile the divisive professional and personal

needs while, in many cases, having no managerial responsibility for the

project team members

This task is all the more challenging when the team members are also

physically separated from one another — a “virtual team“ or “remote team“

The specific leadership requirements for projects are:

Dealing with complexity: What is part of the project assignment and what

is not? Which aspects do I need to take into account? What impacts do I

need to consider from a business, personal, organisational, professional

and technological perspective?

Shaping innovative processes: How do I engender a creative project

atmosphere? How do I ensure that the people involved will not resist new

solutions? What support is available to the project during difficult phases?

Dealing with uncertainty: How do I respond to uncertainties caused by

complexity and innovation within the team? Do I go for “revolutionary”

or “evolutionary” solutions? Whom do I need to inform and how? How

do I organise development and introductory phases? How do I deal with

unclearly formulated goals, new requirements and delaying factors?

Implementing a specific project organisation: Within a secure

framework, innovation and creativity can also create chaos Organising

appropriately can limit the chaos and ensuing uncertainty with guiding

structures: phases, work steps, result specifications, defined procedures,

methods, tools and reports, as well as rules and standards for teamwork

and discussions

Leading an interdisciplinary team: How do I bring the often-unfamiliar

employees together as a team as quickly as possible? Who should take on

which functions and tasks? How do I promote synergy effects? How do I

best involve part-time employees? What role should I take when managing

specialists?

Dealing with structure and creativity: The key question for project

leadership is this: How do I balance structure and freedom so that creativity

flourishes and chaos diminishes? Order is the love of reason; chaos is the

passion of fantasy

Project Leadership

“Treat your employees

as equal partners

in the project”

2 Project leader versus line manager

Project leaders generally have no disciplinary authority over their project

employees, only functional and/or planning authority This means that, in

their role as a manager, they must be considerably more attentive and

sensitive than people in a line manager role must be

The main differences between a line manager and a project manager are

outlined below:

Influence through

formal authorisation ◄─► interaction between manager Influence through

and employee Based on a relationship

defined by the organisational

Based on a relationship that comes from trust, support and credibility Influence through

the relationship of

hierarchical positions ◄─►

Influence through the relationships between people Influence through the right

to make decisions and

acceptance of authority ◄─►

Influence through commitment, cooperation and ability to inspire Influence through

control and power ◄─► relationship qualityInfluence through

Authority limited by

the hierarchy ◄─► down, across and outside Authority possible up,

the hierarchy

Project leadership involves a challenge that every project leader should

be aware of: Although I do not have the authority a line manager has,

as a project leader I can still influence others through my behaviour and

leadership style

The following points for managing well have proved very helpful in

practice:

• Treat your employees as equal partners in the project

• Focus on your own role as a manager and let your employees handle

the functional tasks independently as much as possible (even if you

believe you can do better yourself)

• Involve your employees in your deliberations, plans and decisions

• Create a foundation for trust and cooperation within your team right

from the start

• Lead using strong social skills to compensate for a lack of authority

Project Leadership

3 Tasks of the project leader

Project leaders are responsible for the overall operational leadership of

a project They are responsible for achieving the goals within the agreed

schedule and economic parameters

A project leader’s responsibility can be divided into various levels:

Overall operational leadership of a project

Employees Goals, results Resources Environment

Choice,

consultation Clarification of goals Planning Information to client, steering

committee Team leadership Managing

achievement

of goals

Controlling, monitoring

Management consultation Partial

management of

employees Checking, accepting

results

Post-controlling

Transferring results into practice Conflict

management Quality

assurance

Ensuring acceptance of results

Clarification of project objectives and constraints: The project leader

carves out a realistic project assignment by participating in the goal-setting

process, confirming the goals’ feasibility and considering the account

objectives, timeframes, resources and other parameters

Selection of project employees: The project leader selects employees

in consultation with the relevant line managers Before this takes place, a

realistic time and cost estimate must be made and a requirement profile for

the employees drawn up It is important to realistically assess whether the

workload for each individual is feasible

Leadership of the project team: The leader leads the team in such a way

that the goals are achieved within the agreed timeframe

The leader leads the team in such a way that the goals are achieved

within the agreed timeframe Communication and information form the

project’s central nervous system The project leader sets up the information

pathways so that everyone affected by the project is informed about goals,

procedures, intermediate results and final results in accordance with their

responsibilities

Project planning: The project leader plans the schedule in cooperation

with the team members and, if applicable, with any other people involved

— including the client — and then translates these plans into internal and

external tasks

Systematic project steering and control: The project leader checks

progress, deadline compliance, budgets and interfaces on a continuous

basis with an eye towards results and processes, as this is the only way to

continually make improvements

Informing the client and steering committee about progress: The

project leader reports the progress or status of the project to the client or

project steering committee at defined points in time (milestones) or when

the situation requires

Project Leadership

“Project leadership can be a difficult functional, psychological and political process.”

Conflict management: The project leader acts as a conflict manager

by identifying disputes and opposition within the team or project

environment as early as possible and then formulating solutions

together with the conflicting parties

Lessons learned: The project leader performs a final evaluation that

takes the entire project history into account in order to promote further

project work and process learning within the company

Conclusion of a project: The conclusion of a project takes place in

consultation with the client, and the project leader informs everyone

involved The project does not end until the results are officially

accepted by the line or put into practice The project leader then

officially releases his employees from responsibility for the project

These diverse requirements and tasks can be allocated to three areas,

which call on the following leadership skills:

• Functional

• Organisational

• Social

4 Roles of the project leader

Project leadership can be a difficult functional, psychological and political process The project manager must lead the team appropriately (internal) and ensure acceptance for the project in the project environment (external) while also considering the project’s marketing A project leader therefore has different roles

to assume, depending on the situation:

• The role of the expert/specialist — sharing expertise relevant

to the project, which decreases as the size and complexity of a

project increases

• The role of “salesperson” — representing the project externally

• The role of organiser — applying and implementing project

management methods

• The role of coach — turning the project employees into a team

4.1 The expert/specialist

• Oversees the project scope

• Conveys functional knowledge

• Keeps own specialist expertise up to date

• Solves functional problems and develops innovations

• Focuses on processes and optimises them continually

• Uses learning opportunities to expand specialist expertise

4.2 The “salesperson“

• Presents the project to management

• Reports to the customer and the steering committee

• Fosters good customer relationships

• Represents the project internally and externally

Coach specialistExpert /

Organiser person”

“Sales-Project Leadership

“While project leaders may

be able to handle many areas of responsibility themselves for small projects, large projects necessitate delegating the functional tasks and coordinating work processes and results.”

4.3 The organiser

• Designs processes and draws up schedules

• Keeps track of deadlines and results

• Formulates and establishes methods

• Coordinates different activities and resources

• Chairs teams

• Creates suitable working conditions

• Resolves organisational problems

4.4 The coach

• Agrees on goals

• Delegates responsibility and authority

• Helps people help themselves

• Inspires others to focus on goals

• Promotes acceptance of change

• Provides appropriate information

• Gives constructive feedback

• Resolves conflicts

• Contributes to employee development

• Maintains open dialogues

• Listens actively and asks questions

• Persuades others

• Provides support and eliminates hindrances

• Embraces new ideas willingly

• Correctly assesses the potential of employees

• Brings a team together and aligns it with a shared goal

The balance of the different roles depends primarily on the scope of the

project and the given situation While project leaders may be able to handle

many areas of responsibility themselves for small projects, large projects

necessitate delegating the functional tasks and coordinating work processes

and results The role of the specialist then recedes into the background,

while the leader’s qualities as an “organising supervisor“ or “supervising

organiser“ become very important

This shift in the understanding of roles requires that the leader understands

well the nature of the task as well as the people involved and their

relationships with one another

Key elements of constructive leadership are:

• Setting clear and transparent goals (project goal, responsibilities)

• Providing the necessary working environment (rooms, resources, time)

• Assigning and setting tasks in a precise manner (responsibility, results,

deadlines)

• Ensuring the flow of information (team meetings, reports, informative

literature)

• Making and reviewing agreements

• Fostering good relationships (open communication, feedback,

recognition)

• Involving the employees in decisions (participation, consensus-building)

• Conducting discussions with a focus on goals and relationships (asking

about opinions and interests, emphasising key points, summarising

results)

Project Leadership

“If the leader does not trust employees, then there is

no genuine cooperation, leading to a poorly respected leadership style.“

5 How to lead

Which leadership style is suitable for such a large range of tasks and

complexities?

Leadership style is often interpreted as the behaviour of the leader

Personal characteristics play only a very minor role; the attitude towards

the employees and the project has the more decisive impact If the leader

does not trust employees, then there is no genuine cooperation, leading to a

poorly respected leadership style

Instead, an attitude characterised by openness, interest and appreciation

towards people and their ideas will promote sincere teamwork This means

the leader should not avoid conflict but confront it with curiosity After all,

projects can only be successfully completed as a team

Caritative Cooperative

Laissez-faire Authoritarian

Focus on tasks

5.1 Styles of leadership

In principle, there are four different leadership styles, which focus on either

tasks or employees

5.1.1 Laissez-faire leadership style

The laissez-faire leadership style allows the employees a great deal of

freedom They determine the work, tasks and organisation themselves,

and the flow of information is rather haphazard The line manager does not

intervene, neither supporting nor reprimanding employees

The advantage of the laissez-faire leadership style is that this freedom

allows employees to work independently, preserving their individuality

This is suitable for highly developed employees who can handle the

responsibilities and for situations where creativity is required (e.g., during

the brainstorming process for the development of a new product)

If this leadership style is applied throughout, however, the lack of discipline

risks disputes over responsibilities or even disorder and chaos It can also

result in rivalries and quarrelling, leading to small, divided groups where

outsiders are disadvantaged and the weaker groups are left by the wayside

5.1.2 Authoritarian leadership style

The line manager passes on instructions, tasks and directives without

asking the employees for their opinion, expecting almost unconditional

obedience with no dissent or criticism When employees make mistakes,

they are reprimanded rather than supported An example of an authoritarian

or hierarchical leadership style can be seen in the military

Project Leadership

“Used in appropriate circumstances and for limited periods of time, the authoritarian leadership style is enormously useful for critical or even emergency project

situations.”

The advantages of the authoritarian leadership style are that decisions are

made quickly, responsibilities are clear and the leader has a high degree

of control This type of leadership style also improves efficiency within

an organisational unit, at least in the short term However, performance

increases of this kind cannot be maintained over longer periods of time

The disadvantages include a lack of motivation among employees, limited

personal freedom and mistakes made by overburdened line managers It

can also create rivalries between the individual employees and prevent the

discovery of new talents With a strictly hierarchical leadership style, chaos

may ensue as soon as an important decision-maker is absent

Used in appropriate circumstances and for limited periods of time, the

authoritarian leadership style is enormously useful for critical or even

emergency project situations

5.1.3 Caritative leadership style

The caritative leadership style focuses on the human element This type

of leader shows benevolence, composure and friendliness and considers

everything from the perspective of cooperation Employees are given

freedom, and the leader has trust in their abilities, encouraging and

supporting them in their tasks

Used in appropriate situations, this leadership style is useful for developing

and fostering employees with potential It is also helpful when employees

encounter difficult situations in their personal life (e.g., the death of a close

family member)

5.1.4 Cooperative leadership style

The line manager involves the employees in operational processes

Discussions are permitted, and functional support is expected When

employees make mistakes, they are generally not reprimanded but rather

given assistance

The main advantages of the cooperative leadership style are the high level

of motivation among employees, the development of creativity and the

reduced strain on the line manager In addition, the working environment

is mainly pleasant, and the leadership style can be maintained for a long

period of time without any change in the employees’ efficiency However,

decision-making is slower in comparison with the authoritarian leadership

style

As a project leader, I can increase motivation by appreciating the different

abilities and needs of my employees, something that is achieved through

discussion and observation The project leader thus demonstrates an

interest in the employees while outlining the scope of their activity and

informing them of their work and tasks

Leadership of this kind involves finding the right role and position for

all employees, ensuring that they are given sufficient recognition and

appreciation Everyone has a suitable role that can be accepted by others

So leadership should work in two ways: Involve individuals in such a way

that they use their unique knowledge to benefit the project (promoting

individuality and motivation), and ensure they integrate into the team

(distribution of roles and cooperation) The cooperative leadership style

encompasses both, making it the preferred style In different phases of a

project, it may be necessary to shift your leadership style as appropriate

• Start of the project:

In this phase, focus on employees, as team building is very important

The project’s results depend to a large degree on smooth cooperation

• Conclusion of a project phase:

At the end of a defined project phase, focus on tasks, because specific

results are required by defined points in time (milestones) The focus on

“The cooperative leadership

style encompasses both, making it the preferred style”

Project Leadership

• Project conclusion:

If the project is progressing well, consider changing to more of a

laissez-faire style towards the end, as the project employees usually

know what needs to be done and what matters by this point

From these examples, you can see that each leadership style has its

merits when appropriate The project leader should be proficient in all the

leadership styles so as to be able to use them when the situation requires

5.2 Situational leadership

When you are managing individual employees, situational leadership

depends on not only the employee’s current circumstances but also his or

her level of development As your project progresses, apply an authoritarian,

cooperative, caritative and finally a laissez-faire leadership style

The red arrow in the illustration follows the leadership style progression

as the employee develops from a dependent to a highly independent

employee

In summary, it is important to take the following four factors into account

when deciding your behaviour as a leader:

• Your own personality

• The relevant situation

• The group as a whole

• The individual

3 Caritative:

• Inform and enquire

• Encourage employees

to produce solutions

and decisions

• Check results and give

feedback

2 Cooperative:

• Inform

• Give clear instructions:

who, what, when, how

• Explan and discuss

• Exert high degree of control

4 Laissez-faire

• Inform and transfer

responsibility

• Allow employees

control

• Encourage employees

to report problems

1 Authoritarian:

• Inform

• Give clear instructions:

what, who, when, how

• Allow no discussions

• Maintain control

Employee’s level of development

5.3 Leading virtual teams

Leading virtual teams can be problematic because of its inherent remote

nature The team members work independently at separate locations,

making a large number of decisions themselves As a result, you need to

adapt your leadership approach to virtual teams, because:

• Existing structures and processes in virtual teams are highly

changeable

• Formal arrangements need to be avoided

Project Leadership

Leading virtual teams involves managing complex tasks, primarily

coordinating and chairing processes The following leader characteristics

are needed:

• Organisation and coordination skills

• A focus on results in both thought and action

• Technical interest and understanding

• An interest in the work and the people

• A high level of flexibility

• A willingness to take risks

• Diplomacy skills

• A high degree of sensitivity

• A willingness to trust and cooperate

• Endurance

• Tolerance

• Resilience

As the employees are working at separate locations, often in different time

zones and organisations, you — as a manager — cannot assume the usual

conditions for teamwork apply

When leading virtual teams, you should ensure that all possible avenues of

communication are used effectively In addition, you need to initiate

face-to-face meetings between team members This allows social relationships to

develop, giving the team members a higher level of identification with the

project and team

When leading any project, you need to weave all the different threads of the

project together This is especially important as a virtual team leader, who

must always act as the project’s centre, even if the team members have

a great deal of freedom in their decision-making The leader is the point

of contact for everyone and should therefore ensure there is meaningful

documentation and complete information flow, both internally and externally

It is particularly vital that virtual team managers set up project rules right

from the start (e.g., how feedback is given, how conflicts will be dealt with,

in what form and how often reporting should take place) All this can easily

be achieved in a project kick-off meeting, where the employees also benefit

by getting to know one another

6 Team development and cooperation

Being able to achieve the project goals depends, first and foremost, on

the cooperation of the employees A team that focuses on the goals is

considerably more productive than a team that has to expend its energy

solving interpersonal problems is The manager faces the enormous

challenge of initiating and formulating this necessary development

Assembling individual employees into a state of optimum cooperation

as a high-performance team is a long journey, one also called the “team

development process” In many cases, when team development is left to

chance or when the project members are never able to mingle, the project

fails due to interpersonal factors

The team development process can be divided into

four phases.

6.1 Orientation phase (forming)

At the start, the team members generally view one another guardedly, and

their discourse is aloof and polite Bear in mind that some team members

may already know each other, while others may be complete strangers You

have the role of a host at this point

“Leading virtual teams involves managing complex tasks, primarily coordinating and chairing processes.”

“In many cases, when team development is left to chance or when the project members are never able to mingle, the project fails due

to interpersonal factors.”