Examining the Influence of Shared Leadership and Political Skill on the Relationship between Project Management Complexity and Project Team Effectiveness in Organizations

Organizations are experiencing increasing complexity due to global competition, technological advances, and dynamic political and environmental circumstances. Therefore, organizations are driven to find new ways to stay competitive, including the increased use of project teams and the formulation of new types of project team leadership structures to manage complex and innovative work. The aim of this study was to examine shared leadership and political skill in project teams within the context of project management complexity, and the influence of these factors on project team effectiveness. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used as the approach for data collection. A pilot study was conducted with a small sample of six project teams in one organization to evaluate and pre-test the design approach used in the main study. The main study was conducted with a sample of thirty project teams in seventeen organizations within six industries in the supply chain. Using multi-level techniques, regression-based path analysis was performed to test the hypotheses. Results showed that project management complexity was significant in predicting team effectiveness and that shared leadership was significant in partially mediating this relationship. Results also showed that the strength of the mediated relationship was stronger under high team political skill than under low team political skill. Findings from the study suggest practical implications for HRD professionals in leveraging shared leadership and political skill in organizations with complex management initiatives. Implications for theory and future research are discussed based upon the findings of the study

Compiling in-house & external design capabilities: Design managerial perceptions of enabling trust within in-house design teams

Trust and team dynamics are at the core of successful design teams and collaboration of in-house and external designers. In-house design capabilities are often enhanced with external capabilities in organizations, and therefore the relationships and team dynamics need careful managerial approaches from the design management practitioners. Hence, this Master’s thesis addresses how design management practitioners perceive the in-house design team dynamics when compiling in-house and external design capabilities in their organizations. Furthermore, the study focuses on the interpersonal trust of professional in-house and external designers. The research is conducted in two parts: through a literature review on the topic and gathering primary data from design management practitioners. The empiric research was done as an interview study in two technology corporations. The interview study consisted of two rounds of semi-structured interviews with design management practitioners. Theoretically, the frameworks of structuring design capabilities in organizations and design management of in-house design, external design, and especially the combination, are covered. There are three concrete outcomes from this study. Firstly, the identified elements design management practitioners perceive affect interpersonal trust in design team dynamics. Secondly, the identified means practitioners can have in establishing and enforcing trust between in-house and external designers. Thirdly, a tool that helps in enabling trust in the team by impacting on the onboarding process for a designer. The elements affecting trust between in-house and external designers are related to practicalities,design culture and designers themselves. Within these categories are eight identified elements in total. Moreover, this thesis identifies seven means, which design management practitioners can have in enhancing design team dynamics. As one of the outcomes, a concept for a design management tool is proposed. Team Integration Template is a tool that concretizes the findings and makes it easier to take action in actual design teams. This tool is designed for design management practitioners who are responsible for setting the premises and practices for the collaboration of in-house and external designers. The emphasis in the tool is on the onboarding and integration of a new designer to a particular design team. In the end, this thesis aims to evoke discussion on the notion of trust within design teams of professional in-house and external designers. The study and its results should open eyes in organizations where external designers are used in enhancing in-house capabilities: design management practitioners can see how they are in a key role in defining the culture of trust in their design organization. Practitioners can utilize the key findings in their work and see how their actions affect the design team dynamics.Luottamus ja tiimidynamiikka ovat menestyksekkäiden design-tiimien sekä organisaation sisäisten muotoilijoiden ja konsulttien yhteistyön keskiössä. Organisaatioiden sisäistä muotoilukyvykkyyttä vahvistetaan usein ulkoisilla kyvykkyyksillä, ja siksi kyseinen yhteistyö ja tiimidynamiikka vaativat tarkkaa johtajuutta muotoilujohtamistehtävissä toimivilta. Tässä opinnäytetyössä keskitytään siihen, miten muotoilujohtamistehtävissä toimivat henkilöt kokevat sisäisen design-tiimin dynamiikan organisaation hyödyntäessä sekä sisäisiä että ulkoisia kyvykkyyksiä. Tutkimus keskittyy etenkin sisäisten ja ulkoisten muotoilijoiden väliseen luottamukseen. Tutkimus toteutettiin kahdessa osassa: aiheeseen liittyvällä kirjallisuuskatsauksella sekä keräämällä ensisijaista tietoa muotoilujohtamisen ammattilaisilta. Empiirinen tutkimus toteutettiin haastattelututkimuksena kahdessa teknologiayrityksessä ja se koostui kahdesta puoli-strukturoitujen haastatteluiden kierroksesta. Opinnäytetyön teoriaosuudessa käsitellään eri tavat järjestää organisaatioiden muotoilukyvykkyyksiä. Lisäksi esitellään in-house-, ja ulkoisen muotoilukyvykkyyden, ja etenkin niiden yhdistelmän johtamiseen liittyviä viitekehyksiä. Tutkimuksessa on kolme konkreettista lopputulosta. Ensiksi löydökset tunnistetuista elementeistä, jotka muotoilujohtamistehtävissä toimivien mukaan vaikuttavat henkilöidenväliseen luottamukseen muotoilutiimissä. Toiseksi tutkimuksessa tunnistettiin keinoja, joita muotoilutehtävissä toimivat henkilöt voivat käyttää luodessaan ja vahvistaessaan luottamusta in-house- ja konsulttimuotoilijoiden välillä. Kolmanneksi esitelläänkonsepti työkalusta, joka helpottaa tiiminsisäisen luottamuksen mahdollistamisessa uuden muotoilijan sisäänottoprosessin kautta. In-house- ja konsulttimuotoilijoiden väliseen luottamukseen vaikuttavat elementit liittyvät käytännönasioihin, muotoilukulttuuriin tai itse muotoilijoihin, ja tutkimuksessa niitä tunnistettiin yhteensä kahdeksan. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa esitellään seitsemän keinoa, joilla muotoilujohtamistehtävissä toimivat henkilöt voivat vaikuttaa muotoilutiimin dynamiikan kehittämiseen. Yksi lopputuloksista on konsepti muotoilujohtamistyökalusta. Team Integration Template on työkalu, joka havainnollistaa tutkimuksen löydöksiä ja helpottaa konkreettisia toimia design-tiimeissä. Työkalu on suunniteltu muotoilujohtamisen ammattilaisille, jotka ovat vastuussa in-house- ja konsulttimuotoilijoiden yhteistyöasetelmasta. Työkalu keskittyy uuden muotoilijan sisäänotto- ja tiimiyttämisprosessiin. Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena on herättää keskustelua design-tiimien sisäisestä luottamuksesta in-house ja konsulttimuotoilijoiden välillä. Tutkimus ja sen tulosten merkitys korostuvat varsinkin organisaatioissa, joissa hyödynnetään sekä sisäistä että ulkoista muotoilukyvykkyyttä. Etenkin muotoilujohtamistehtävissä toimivat henkilöt voivat huomata, kuinka oleellisessa asemassa ovat määrittäessään luottamuksen kulttuuria muotoiluorganisaatioissaan. Ammattilaiset voivat hyödyntää tutkimuksen tuloksia ja suunniteltua työkalua työssään ja nähdä miten voivat vaikuttaa muotoilutiimin sisäiseen dynamiikkaan

Mempelajari Faktor-Faktor yang Memengaruhi Efektivitas Kepemimpinan di Perusahaan XYZ

The Covid-19 pandemic is one of the disruptive elements in this modern era. In addition to the rapid spread, other impacts in the form of progress and increased use of communication technology, especially the internet, require organizations to be able to adapt quickly. For large organizations, of course, is a challenge in itself in the adaptation process. Like other companies, XYZ Company has also been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This research tries to study the influence of group and work team behavior factors, leadership model, organizational structure and design, organizational culture, organizational communication, change management and career management on the effectiveness of organizational leadership in XYZ Company. The methodology used in this research is literature study, namely the method in the form of a series of activities related to the methods of collecting library data, reading and taking notes, and managing research materials. The study found that the variables of group and work team behavior, leadership model, organizational structure and design, organizational culture, organizational communication, change management and career management affect the effectiveness of organizational leadership in XYZ Company. It is suggested in further research to study organizational planning variables and their effect on leadership effectiveness

Exploring External Leadership in Agile Software Development Teams and its Influence on Team Empowerment

Agile software development (ASD) practices are used in a variety of contexts nowadays, transforming not only IT departments but entire organizations. One of the preconditions for ASD to be successful is that the teams are empowered: they self-organize and act autonomously, thereby taking on traditional management tasks themselves. Hence, the role of traditional managers changes extensively to a more hands-off, enabling management style. With agile teams emerging in large numbers, organizations need to give guidance to external team leaders – managers without a designated position in an agile team – who struggle to find their role in the new environment. If those managers do not take part in the transformation or openly oppose ASD, it can negatively influence team performance. We propose a case study-based research design to develop a theoretical model on the interplay between agile teams and external team leaders and its influence on the teams’ empowerment

Management of Service Innovation Projects: A Case Study from a German Financial Services Provider

The ability to design innovative services is becoming an important capability for organizations in the 21st century. Information technology plays a major role as an enabler for a broad range of innovative services, and IT organizations need to design services in collaboration with business units to address evolving customer requirements. This paper offers an exploratory case study on the application of a design methodology at the intersection of business and IT, focusing on a German financial services provider that sought to develop new IT-based service innovations. The key finding of this case study is that while processes, methods, and tools are important for managing service design, socio-technical aspects such as context, environment, team management, and project setup also are essential for the successful design of innovative services. The current literature provides rudimentary guidance in these areas, yet a thorough description of these factors and their integration into a service design methodology has not yet been documented. Based on the findings of the case study, we suggest further investigation of the roles played by factors such as environment, team management, and project setup, as well as of the ways in which these factors can be incorporated into methods to facilitate more effective service design

Requisite variety and intercultural teams: to what extent is Ashby's law useful ?

Requisite variety and intercultural teams: To what extent is Ashby's law useful? The “Law of Requisite Variety” (LRV) is frequently evoked to explain the design, functioning and performance of intercultural teams. But to what extent does the law really enhance understanding in this particular field? The authors consider that LRV has rarely been questioned in-depth in management studies. The paper briefly details LRV in the cybernetics context before “translating” it to social systems, organizations and intercultural teams. Using a qualitative case-study method, the case of an intercultural team is analysed and questioned from the perspective of LRV. The results show that LRV superficially fits the composition of this team, but is unable to explain the human and social dynamics that evolve during the work process.law of requisite variety; requisite variety; intercultural teams ; complexity ; diversity; systems; case study

Quest for survival: What comprises and effective team

The journey to thrive competitively in the millenium will demand teamwork. Historically, corporate America has had difficulty implementing teams to drive performance. In theory building effective teams seems easy but in reality putting this knowledge into practice that changes behavior and fosters learning is a difficult challenge for corporations today. Through a series of 13 interviews this study benchmarks both the service and manufacturing industry to identify the characteristics about what comprises an effective team in organizations today, how their organizational design impacts team development and the different ways that people learn, think about and understand teams in organizations. Developing a team-based learning organization requires implementing a systems approach that focuses on its leadership, cultural environment, process management, change management and knowledge management. Change leaders, continuous learning, constant communication and total commitment throughout the continuum is required to sustain the teaming journey. In an environment of constant change, organizations must have perseverance and courage to stay on course with the evolution of teams. As a result, they can expect rewards in both their profit margins as well as in creating an organizational culture that values people

Outcomes of Dialogic Communication Training on a City Government Management Team

Managing diversity in today\u27s organizational environments can challenge many organizations. This action research study addresses that challenge by investigating the outcomes of dialogic communication training on a city government management team experiencing organizational diversity. The study consisted of four phases: (1) individual interviews for needs assessment, (2) focus group meeting for training design, (3) dialogic communication training, and (4) individual interviews for assessment of the outcomes. The results of this study indicate that dialogic communication and the development of dialogic style of leadership through dialogic communication training provide a valuable and practical approach for work teams. Specifically, management team members\u27 communication skills improved, they adopted a more participatory management style, and they reported higher levels of relational satisfaction. Study findings highlight the need for practitioners to assist in developing communication training that facilitates emergent dialogue

Critical Success Factors for Effective Risk Management

Risk management is extremely important in achieving overall organizational goals and objectives. Achieving organizational goals amid risks entails determining and implementing critical success factors (CSFs). This chapter presents composite CSFs which organizations can focus on to achieve their overall goals and objectives by portraying a case study of the construction industry. Using this case study reveals statistical significance of impact of risk management on the project as reduction in design/production time, improved public perception, and improved team morale and productivity. Similarly, CSFs mostly implemented are awareness of risk management processes, appreciating that risk management practice is viable in the construction industry, organizations have policies to support the development of risk management and organization deal with internal/external environment that influences risk management in their organizations. The chapter also presents nine composite CSFs determined by the case study namely: management approach; goals and objectives of the organization; risk management policy and experts; information technology and culture; environment and usage of tools; teamwork and commitment of the top management; communication and training; awareness of risk management process and legal requirements; and risk monitoring and review. Lastly, the conclusion is drawn on nine composite CSFs for effective risk management

Managing team learning in a Spanish commercial bank

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze how team management affects team-learning activities. Design/methodology/approach – The authors empirically study 68 teams as they operate in the natural business context of a major Spanish bank. Quantitative research utilizing multiple regression analyses is used to test hypotheses. Findings – The leadership behaviour (consideration, initiation of structure) displayed by the team leader plays a key role in facilitating team learning. Team leader behaviour characterised by consideration and in particular by initiation of structure are both positively related to team-learning activities. Cross-training of team members also contributes to team-learning behaviour. Research limitations/implications – A specific setting may limit the generalizability of findings. Further research may accordingly investigate to what extent these results can be generalized to other settings or other aspects of team learning. Practical implications – The leadership style adopted by the team leader, as well as cross-training of members, affect team-learning activities. These results link leadership theory to collective learning in teams and organizations, and suggest ways leaders can contribute to improved learning. Originality/value – The study provides new insight into how management of teams facilitates team-learning activities. While consideration is somewhat related to team learning, initiation of structure as well as cross-training appear as key variables