...The Reluctant Workers Debra T. Fuqua Professor Lisa Hilton Project Management May 9, 2013 Identify and analyze three of the core skills that were at play in the case of the reluctant workers, referencing the ten skills described in Chapter 4. Reading the Case of the Reluctant Workers, I saw the following skills come into play: Tim Aston will need to pull out his leadership skills for his new team. Since acquiring the position of project manager, Tim has notice that his staff was not motivated to put forth any extra effort in performing projects, wasn’t willing to stay late for the meetings, at times walking out of meeting to catch their car pool. Tim leadership skills will definitely come in handy with this team. Tim leadership skills will help in solving any interpersonal conflicts and he did use his problem solving knowledge in rescheduling the late afternoon meeting to morning meetings. In addition to his leadership skills, Tim can combine that with his knowledge of conflict resolution, to get to the core of why the team is no longer motivated to go beyond the call of their duty, what I have found is that people tend to lose interest in going beyond when they feel either one or more personal are getting favorable treatment or maybe feel that the work they do is not getting recognize. Another skills that Tim was making use of was his management support building skills, Tim spoke Phil Davies who didn’t allow him to quite but at the same time he seems to be putting...
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...Assignment #1: “The Reluctant Workers” 1. Identify and analyze three of the core skills that were at play in the case of the reluctant workers, referencing the ten skills described in Chapter 4. Team Building- is the process of bringing a team of people together for one cause or objective in order to accomplish a mission, goal or project. I feel that Mr. Aston did not have the skills to adequately build his team mainly due to the fact they were older and had longevity in the organization and the age difference they had over him. So it was a natural challenge for him to adapt and find ways to build his team and lead them in the best possible way. He would definitely have to get them committed to the goals of the company and put the organization first. He stated that they would never stay past their clock out time and would leave meetings if it cut into their time because of outside obligations. He would also have to cultivate a sense of team spirit. Teambuilding in my opinion starts with effective communication and a commitment from all involved. Without these elements present in the team the project will in essence be inefficient and more than likely non effective. Conflict Resolution- Conflict is natural in any business because everyone has their way of doing things. I think what brought it to this organization is change. When people are set in their ways change is a challenge, in this case it was a young PM overseeing an older group of seasoned employees that are not...
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...Assignment 1: “The Reluctant Workers” Student: Tyra Johnson Professor: Alberta Thrash Course: BUS 375 – Project Management Date: November 4, 2012 Core Skills Analyses 1. Identify and analyze three of the core skills that were at play in the case of The Reluctant Workers, referencing the ten skills described in Chapter 4. Effective project management has a direct correlation to the project manager’s proficiency in integrating the following core skills; team building, leadership, conflict resolution, technical expertise, planning, organization, entrepreneurship, administration, management support and resource allocation. Managers with technical expertise unaccompanied by multidisciplinary social skills are faced with far more conflicts and unsuccessful projects than that of one who understands that adapting to the societal changes in project management implementation is essential. In reference to The Reluctant Workers case study, team-building, organizational skills and management support building were three of the core skills I found closely represented. Team Building One of the major responsibilities of a project manager is to build a cohesive project team and to foster an environment conducive to collaboration. He or she must nurture a climate with the following characteristics: * Team members committed to the program * Good interpersonal relations and team spirit * The necessary expertise and resources * Clearly defined goals and objectives ...
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...The Reluctant Worker The Reluctant Worker Case Study Melanie Jackson Michael Clark Project Management 375 July 29, 2012 The Reluctant Workers One of the most important but often least understood characteristics of good project managers is the ability to know their own strengths and weaknesses and those of their employees (Kerzner, 2009, p. 148). In the Reluctant Workers case study there were three core skills directly related to proficiency in effective program management at play: Team Building, Conflict Resolution and Leadership skills. This paper will discuss these three core skills along with an analysis of the way the young project manager exercised his effectiveness skills. It will also analyze the degree of support the company provided the project manager and to what extent he received it. Lastly, in order for both the senior executive and the project manager to become effective leaders recommendations will be made relative to personnel and resource allocation. Team Building One of the hardest things for a Project Manager to learn is how to build a team. Project Managers plays several roles, which includes an array of responsibilities such as team management, conflict resolution, coaching, mentoring, scheduling, planning, interviewing, and training. Tim Aston, a newly hired Project Manager arrived on the job excited about his new position. Tim wanted to prove that he was the best project manager this company had ever hired. After Tim was...
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...Assignment #1: “The Reluctant Workers” 1. Identify and analyze three of the core skills that were at play in the case of the reluctant workers, referencing the ten skills described in Chapter 4. Team Building- is the process of bringing a team of people together for one cause or objective in order to accomplish a mission, goal or project. I feel that Mr. Aston did not have the skills to adequately build his team mainly due to the fact they were older and had longevity in the organization and the age difference they had over him. So it was a natural challenge for him to adapt and find ways to build his team and lead them in the best possible way. He would definitely have to get them committed to the goals of the company and put the organization first. He stated that they would never stay past their clock out time and would leave meetings if it cut into their time because of outside obligations. He would also have to cultivate a sense of team spirit. Teambuilding in my opinion starts with effective communication and a commitment from all involved. Without these elements present in the team the project will in essence be inefficient and more than likely non effective. Conflict Resolution- Conflict is natural in any business because everyone has their way of doing things. I think what brought it to this organization is change. When people are set in their ways change is a challenge, in this case it was a young PM overseeing an older group of seasoned employees that are...
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...Class Professor Name Withheld Saturday, May x, 20xx Case Study Analysis: The Reluctant Workers Tim Aston, a young Project Manager only three months into the company, is experiencing difficulty with the operation of his project. The case study is a dialog between Tim and his director, Phil Davies, concerning the advancement of the project. The analysis is on three of the ten effective program management skills and the improvements that should be made for the project to succeed. The three skills identified and analyzed are team building, leadership, and management support, based on my interpretation of the case study. I also have recommendations for both the project manager and the director of project management that will improve environment for the project, and the relationship between the project manager and his staff, and between the project manager and the director of project management. Team Building Team building is described as one of the main responsibilities of the program manager.. "Team building involves a whole spectrum of management skills required to identify, commit, and integrate the various task groups from the traditional functional organization into a single program management system. To be effective, the program manager must provide an atmosphere conducive to teamwork." (Kerzner, 2009, p 148-149) The characteristics for effective team building are choosing committed workers, having a good relationship with the team, the expertise and resources for the project...
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...| Case Study: The Reluctant Workers | Sharon Wellman | BUS 375 Project ManagementProfessor George Dollar | | 4/29/2013 | Case Study: The Reluctant Workers Three Core Skills: Identifying and Analyzing After reading the case study entitled, “The Reluctant Workers,” I have identified the following three core skills of the project manager that were not being fully utilized: Leadership, Team Building, and Management Support. The PM, Tim Aston, did not appear to be able to be able to motivate his team, and therefore had no ability to control their work ethics or habits. His Leadership skills were not fully realized or accepted by his team, possibly due to the age conflict and his “freshman” status, and he therefore lacked the capacity to even influence them to remain at work until afternoon meetings had concluded or ask him for help. He also seemed to lack confidence in his PM position, as evidenced by his failure to require his project staff to change their programmed vacation days when a test was scheduled and the customer’s management team was flying in. It appeared to me as if he presumed he could not order the project staff to make this change, and instead was relying on the staff to make the “right” decision and cancel their vacation days (Kerzner, 2009). Although it is hard to fully ascertain the type of team framework that exists from this short excerpt, I got the distinct impression that Tim is on one side of his team and the project staff...
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...THE RELUCTANT WORKERS 1 Assignment 8: The Reluctant Workers Project Management Prepared for: Professor Larry Grant THE RELUCTANT WORKERS 2 Introduction The objective of this paper is to exam the Reluctant Workers Case. The three core skills that played a role in the case study will be analyzed. The project manager’s skills and relationship with the project staff and functional managers will be discussed. Degrees of support for the project and project manager will be examined. The study concludes by making recommendations to the company on how it can assist the project manager Tim Aston in becoming an effective project manager. Three Core Skills The three core skills that were at play in the case of the reluctant workers are, team building, management support, and conflict resolution. 1. Team building – According to Kerzner, “building the program team is one of the prime responsibilities of the program manager” (Kerzner, 2009,p.149). The project manager’s responsibility it to make the team work by motivating the project staff. The staff should feel that the project manager has an open door policy. The key is for the project manager to learn how to communicate successfully. The manager must show the team members he has a sincere interest in their...
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...Core Skills Analyses 1. Identify and analyze three of the core skills that were at play in the case of The Reluctant Workers, referencing the ten skills described in Chapter 4. Effective project management has a direct correlation to the project manager’s proficiency in integrating the following core skills; team building, leadership, conflict resolution, technical expertise, planning, organization, entrepreneurship, administration, management support and resource allocation. Managers with technical expertise unaccompanied by multidisciplinary social skills are faced with far more conflicts and unsuccessful projects than that of one who understands that adapting to the societal changes in project management implementation is essential. In reference to The Reluctant Workers case study, team-building, organizational skills and management support building were three of the core skills I found closely represented. Team Building One of the major responsibilities of a project manager is to build a cohesive project team and to foster an environment conducive to collaboration. He or she must nurture a climate with the following characteristics: * Team members committed to the program * Good interpersonal relations and team spirit * The necessary expertise and resources * Clearly defined goals and objectives * Involved and supportive top management * Good program leadership * Open communication among team members and support organizations * A low degree...
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...Assignment 1: The Reluctant Workers Carol F. Jackson Project Mgt Professor David Kimble 1. Identify and analyze three of the core skills that were at play in the case of the reluctant workers, referencing the ten skills described in Chapter 4. Based on the dialogue between, Tim Aston and Phil Davies, , it appears that team building skills, leadership skills, and management support building skills were the three core skills that were at play in the case of the reluctant workers. In accordance with the text, the challenge for the project manager consists of attracting the right resources, forming a cohesive team, keeping the team motivated, meeting individual aspirations and getting the work done - all within scope, cost, time, and customer satisfaction (Kerzner, 2009, p.148). He also maintains that, “The project manager must also understand the culture and value system of the organization he is working with” (p.149). In light of the above, a project manager should be proficient in team building, adept in leadership to include establishing clearly defined goals and program objectives which would promote good interpersonal relations and team spirit (Kerzner, 2009, p.150), and have a good rapport with management. As management support plays a key role in project success, the suggests states that there are “four key variables that influence the project manager’s ability to create favorable relationships with...
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...The Reluctant Workers Ros’Mika D. Harris Lisa Hilton Business 375: Project Management 07/19/2012 Identify and analyze three of the core skills that were at play in the case of the reluctant workers, referencing the ten skills described in Chapter 4. The three skills that were lacking in the case study were team building skills, leadership skills, and administrative skills. The first skill team building focuses on “effective communications, sincere interest in the professional growth of team members, and the commitment to the project” (Kerzner, 2009, pg 149). In the case study the workers did not perform as a team they did what they wanted, how they wanted, without regard to the others on the team or the project manger and the project. The workers did not respect Tim Aston as the project manager and were set in their ways according to Phil Davies the director. Phil was not much help stating that in the project environment the workers think they are more important than the project and that is the way it is in a project organizational form. (Kerzner, 2009, pg. 294) In order to build a team there needs to be a great support system from the top down to the workers. Phil was very passive aggressive by acting like the workers were right and the project manner was wrong, this shows that there was not support from the top. Tim came to Phil for advice and all he received were excuses as to why the workers work ethic was lacking. The second skill that is...
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...THE RELUCTANT WORKER Tim Ashton had changed employers three months ago. His new position was project manager. At first he had stars in his eyes about becoming the best project manager that his company had ever seen. Now, he wasn’t sure that project management was worth the effort. He made an appointment to see Phil Davies, director of project management. Tim Ashton: “Phil, I am a little unhappy about the way things are going. I just can’t seem to motivate my people. Everyday at 4:30 P.M., all of my people clean off their desks and go home. I’ve had people walk out of late afternoon team meetings because they were afraid that they would miss their carpool. I have to schedule morning team meetings.” Phil Davies: “Look, Tim. You’re going to have to realize that in a project environment, people think that they come first and that the project is second. This is a way of life in our organizational form.” Tim Ashton: “I’ve continually asked my people to come to me if they have problems. I find that the people do not think that they need help and, therefore, do not want it. I just can’t get my people to communicate more.” Phil Davies: “The average age of our employees is about forty-six. Most of our people have been here for twenty years. They’re set in their ways. You’re the first person that we have hired in the past three years. Some of our people may have just resent seeing a thirty-year-old project manager.” Tim Ashton: “I found one guy in the accounting department...
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...For successful project management, communication has to be a core skill of a project manager (Kerzner, 2009). Effective communications mean the receiver gets the message intended by the sender. This is important as the manager has to pass to his team the objectives and processes of the project. It conveys the ideas and expectations of the manager, the team, and the client. Otherwise, if there is a communication breakdown, there is an impasse as the manager is unable to coordinate the team. The barriers to communication need to be analyzed in terms of the source of the barrier, channels used feedback, the sender, or receiver. The removal of barriers is crucial for effective communication. A body language as well as verbal method determines largely the effectiveness of the communication (Kerzner, 2009). Time Management Effective project management is indistinguishable from effective time management. Time management refers to knowing what to do at the appropriate time, and allocating the time accordingly (Kerzner, 2009). Time management determines how effective you are at tasks you want to accomplish. The difference between a successful project and failure hinges on how the team uses the time at its disposal as productivity is measured in terms of time. The project manager and the team have to know how to prioritize their tasks and other activities. Proper planning and scheduling contribute to effective time management. The challenges that affect time management have to be dealt...
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...The Reluctant Workers Essay BUS/375 April 29, 2012 Managing projects within time, cost, and performance is easier said than done. The project manager’s environment can be extremely brutal and is composed of numerous meetings, reports, conflict resolution, planning, communication, and crisis management. This essay will briefly discuss the case study of the reluctant workers and cover the core skills that were in play with the scenario, along with an analysis of skills and the effectiveness of the project manager’s skills. Additionally, this essay will discuss what kind of support the project manager received and any recommendations for the project manager and his executives. Analysis of Core Skills, Execution, and Effectiveness After analyzing the scenario, the author found some inconsistencies of the way the project manager was handling his team first, one of the responsibilities of a project manager is using his or hers team-building skills. Team-building entails a whole range of management skills required to identify, commit, and integrate the various task groups from the traditional functional organization into a single program management system. He or she must have good interpersonal relations, expertise and resources, good program leadership, open communications, clearly defined goals and objectives, and team members who are committed to the program (Kezner, 2009, p. 149). Motivation is a personal choice and Mr. Aston should understand that he cannot...
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...Analysis: The Reluctant Workers Name Withheld BUS xxx-Business Class Professor Name Withheld Saturday, May x, 20xx Case Study Analysis: The Reluctant Workers Tim Aston, a young Project Manager only three months into the company, is experiencing difficulty with the operation of his project. The case study is a dialog between Tim and his director, Phil Davies, concerning the advancement of the project. The analysis is on three of the ten effective program management skills and the improvements that should be made for the project to succeed. The three skills identified and analyzed are team building, leadership, and management support, based on my interpretation of the case study. I also have recommendations for both the project manager and the director of project management that will improve environment for the project, and the relationship between the project manager and his staff, and between the project manager and the director of project management. Team Building Team building is described as one of the main responsibilities of the program manager.. "Team building involves a whole spectrum of management skills required to identify, commit, and integrate the various task groups from the traditional functional organization into a single program management system. To be effective, the program manager must provide an atmosphere conducive to teamwork." (Kerzner, 2009, p 148-149) The characteristics for effective team building are choosing committed workers, having a good...
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