leadership and management compare and contrast paper

Running head: COMPARE AND CONTRAST 1

Compare and Contrast Paper

Ginger Drehmel-Leland

MG340 – Leadership and Management

Globe University

COMPARE AND CONTRAST 2

Compare and Contrast Paper

In 2001, as a software engineer for a health care software vendor, I completed

professional development courses in phases I & II of the Personal Software Process (PSP). Both

PSP and its companion Team Software Process (TSP) are strongly grounded in the principals of

project management. Whereas PSP is focused on the individual software engineer, TSP is a

team oriented process built on a foundation of “self-directed team management” (Software

Engineering Institute, 2010). It is through my training in these process frameworks that I was

first introduced to many of the project management principles. Since then, I have focused on

learning and implementing these principles in my career on a personal level. Recently, I was

offered an opportunity to implement those principles at an organizational level which requires

me to develop and implement not only strong management principles but leadership principles as

well.

My Goals

I currently work as a Project Manager/Business Analyst, a position that I’ve held for

nearly a year. Prior to taking this position, I worked as a web developer for my organization and

consistently expressed the need for project management principles in our workplace. After

graduating in June 2010 with my associate’s degree in business administration, my employer

created my position in order to help with resource management and project planning. Since that

time I’ve been involved in five high profile projects within the organization, two of which

completed successfully and three of which are in various stages of development. After the first

successful project completed, my employer saw the benefits of planning and controlling the

project work to ensure that projects were not delayed and that scope creep didn’t prevent us from

successfully delivering solutions.


My professional goal is to implement a Project Management Office at my place of

employment and implement project management principles throughout the organization. Project

management principles help to ensure that the appropriate planning takes place before the

expense of adding resources to a project. Without appropriate planning, resources might be

assigned to projects that do not bring value to the organization or do not align with the future

vision of where we want to be as an organization. Without planning, there is a strong chance that

two resources might be working to implement different solutions for the same problem.

Strategic planning is vital to ensuring that resources are not spending valuable time on the wrong

work.

In addition to my professional goals, I also have a personal goal to obtain the Project

Management Professional (PMP) certification as verification of my skills and abilities. Before I

can sit for the PMP exam, I will need to meet the minimum qualifications of earning a bachelor’s

degree and 4,500 hours of project management experience. Working towards the minimum

requirements of this certification, I would also qualify to sit for the PMI-SP exam which will

require a bachelor’s degree and 3,500 hours of project scheduling experience. These

certifications are well respected worldwide and not easily earned. Achieving these certifications

will help prove to potential employers that I have not only experience but I also have a solid

understanding of best practices within the industry.

My Plan

In order to be effective in project management and in the development of a Project

Management Office, it is important to understand how businesses operate, develop leadership

skills, develop strong planning skills, and learn from best practices in the project management

field. It is also important that I gather experience in the field of project management, show the


benefits of project management principles to upper management, and gain the respect of my

fellow colleagues.

I will be graduating next quarter with my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

My education in business administration helps me understand many of the business concepts that

a project manager works with in the course of their job. In addition to my bachelor’s degree, I

have also taken several professional development courses in project management including the

PMP/CAPM Exam Preparation course at Benchmark Learning. I am also registered for the Real

World Project Management course at Benchmark Learning in April 2011. Seeking out

professional education opportunities to compliment my college degree will prove to employers

my initiative to stay current with my education.

My education combined with my problem solving skills developed during my fifteen year

career as a software engineer contribute to my abilities to effectively evaluate processes and

procedures that would benefit our organization. But the process of bringing the principles of

project management to an entire organization is slow. I have taken the approach to start slowly

within a single department. I need to lay the foundation for success before adding layers of

complexity with other departments. I started by implementing Project Server 2010 and

identifying ways to use the system efficiently within the Information Technology department.

Using Project Server allows me to gather historical information on projects that can help with the

planning process in future projects. Project Server also helps with the task of enterprise resource

management and ensuring we have the resources available to complete projects. So far, this

approach has not critically disrupted resources, allowing them to get used to a new process

before adding more complexity.


The approach that I have taken has been met with many positive comments. More and

more individuals within the organization are beginning to see the value to planning, managing

and adjusting using formal processes. Other departments are starting to show interest in our

approach and looking to implement similar processes within their areas. As the number of

departments using project management principles grow, I need to ensure that we, as an

organization, are consistently using processes across the board. The consistency will help with

cross-functional projects where different departments interact. A Project Management Office

within the organization would be responsible for developing and enforcing those organization-

wide processes and procedures, along with managing the portfolio of projects within the

organization. The PMO would be a valuable tool in helping to determine if resources are

working on the most important projects and that those projects are coordinated to ensure that

only one solution to a problem is being pursued.

I strongly believe that I am in a position to be able to reach my goal of implementing a

Project Management Office and improving the planning and efficiency of our organization

specifically in the area of strategic organizational planning. Currently, there is limited process

for the selection of projects and application of resources. Strategic planning would help ensure

that we are working on the right projects at the right time. Project Server introduces portfolio

management technology which will help evaluate which proposed projects meet organizational

goals. By evaluating projects based on strategic goals, we can ensure that our resources are

working on projects that will benefit the organization and we can prioritize those projects based

on organizational needs. It will also help us justify the needs for additional resources.

Management Practices and Concepts


Fayol identified management’s primary functions as “planning, organizing, staffing and

controlling” (Northhouse, 2010, p. 9). Management activities seek to “provide order and

consistency to organizations” (Northhouse, p. 10). As part of the planning functions of

management, one would “establish agendas, set timetables, and allocate resources” (Northhouse,

p. 10). Organizing and staffing functions include “providing structure, making job placements,

and establishing rules and procedures” (Northhouse, p. 10). Management also involves the

controlling functions of “developing incentives, generating creative solutions, and taking

corrective actions” (Northhouse, p. 10).

Working as a project manager, I spend a good portion of my job performing management

functions, specifically in the planning realm. I establish agendas for meetings; I set schedules for

projects; and, I am responsible for negotiating with resource managers to allocate resources to

projects. A project manager is also responsible for organizing projects and the project teams.

This involves providing the policies and procedures that will be followed by the project team as

they carry out their assigned responsibilities. In any project, it is important to identify and assign

roles and responsibilities to the team members. Each team member needs to know what is

expected of them in order for them to be successful. Following the same type of procedure from

project to project helps provide consistency making it easier for a resource to know what to

expect

Without proper planning prior to starting a project, we would not have the project

schedules in which to perform controlling functions against. A project manager is often

comparing the actual results to the planned estimates in order to try to keep the project work on

schedule and within budget. When projects fall behind schedule, it is the project manager’s job

to address the issue and find ways to get the project back on track. It is also the project


manager’s job to communicate the project status to stakeholders, including other project teams

that might be affected by changes in the schedule.

Much of the work of a project manager involves communication, including

documentation of upcoming tasks, meeting minutes and important decisions. Tracking action

items from meetings and following through to make sure they are completed reduces the

likelihood that something might get missed or be left undone. It also involves adjusting to

changes due to unforeseen circumstances.

Leadership Practices and Concepts

Many of the tasks of a project manager are managerial in nature, but there is a strong

need for leadership skills in any successful project manager. Determining the need for

leadership skills in a project manager might be difficult without first defining what leadership

truly means. There are many different definitions of what leadership means to many different

people, so for the purpose of this paper, I define leadership as “motivating and guiding people to

realize their potential and achieve tougher and challenging organizational goals (Anantatmula,

2010)”. When I read this definition, I realize that this truly is the heart of what a project manager

tries to do. We are handed a set of business objectives and are tasked with finding and

implementing solutions to meet those objectives through the use of project teams. The

leadership aspect is not just about the actual deliverable of a business objective, though; it is also

about building the confidence and abilities of the team members through the life of the project.

Why is leadership so important? The Hay Group conducted considerable research on

leadership in project management teams, and their findings show that “a team with good

leadership can perform at double the effectiveness of teams with poor leadership despite double

the resources” (Anderson, 2010) provided they have positive team climates. I’d say that getting


twice the output out of the same amount of resources would convince just about anyone that it is

important, but it is not just efficiency that results from effective leadership. Project managers

using effective leadership skills also “motivate and guide people to simultaneously grow as

professionals” (Anantatmula, 2010) while completing their project tasks. Successful leadership

for project managers is a win-win situation – the business achieves its objectives and the team

member is provided with a rewarding work environment.

So what exactly is the difference between the leadership skills necessary to be a project

manager as compared to those required of a functional manager? The answer involves the

organizational structure in which a project manager functions. While a functional manager often

works within the confines of a department that may be overseen by a specific individual, project

managers often work on cross-functional project teams which bring together groups of

individuals from various departments within an organization. This creates additional challenges

for a project manager including “providing leadership without documented, formal authority”

(Anantatmula, 2010) and competing for resources. A project manager doesn’t only need to

inspire the team members with the vision and importance of a project; they also need to sell the

project to many different departments within the organization. Just as they sell the project

solution to the project team, in order to mitigate potential issues with resource competition, they

also need to ensure that functional managers believe in the importance of the project.

Anantatmula, Director of Graduate Programs in Project Management at Western Carolina

University, describes the drivers of project management success as “establishing an environment

of trust, creating transparency of decision making, creating consistent processes, ensuring

understanding of expectations, and delivering results” (Anantatmula, 2010). At first glance, this

might not seem too difficult, but in the realm of project management, other environmental factors


come into play to make it more challenging. Anantatmula goes on to state “it is not if the plans

will change, it is when, what will change, and by how much”. Managing changes in a project

requires not only knowing when to address change, but also knowing how and even if change

should be addressed. “Leadership has its efforts directed toward convincing people about the

need to change, aligning them to a new direction, and motivating people to work together to

achieve project objectives under difficult and demanding work environment.” (Anantatmula,

2010)

Compare and Contrast of Leadership and Management

Setting out to compare and contrast two items can often be a difficult process,

specifically when comparing management and leadership. Usually when one compares and

contrasts, they are identifying one item as superior to another; such as buying one vehicle instead

of another. And although one might come to the result of leadership being superior to

management in some ways, a look at project management finds both to be worthy and necessary

to success. Although you might find success using management principles in project

management, being successful using just leadership principles is less likely. You are more likely

to be successful employing both management and leadership principles with a project team.

Looking at leadership and management, they are two distinct ideals to me. Management

involves the processes necessary to help bring about successful completion of goals; whereas

leadership involves motivating, fulfilling and appropriately addressing many of the interpersonal

needs of a group. Can these two ideas of thought really be compared and contrasted? I don’t

believe so. The only comparison that I can make is showing each separately and then in

combination with the other.


For example, a project manager developing a project schedule creates the schedule

without including the project team on the estimates for the work (management). It’s unlikely

that these estimates would be accepted by the team without some friction. If we look at

developing a project schedule from only the position of leadership, then there would be a vision

of where we wanted to go, but not necessarily how we would specifically go about getting there.

That is still not quite a pattern for success. Now, if the project manager developed the project

schedule while consulting the actual project team on task estimates after identifying the vision on

where we want to go and how we might be successful in getting there (leadership), the project

manager would be more likely to achieve buy-in from the project team on meeting the necessary

deadlines for a successful project completion.

Therefore, leadership to me is an additional level of skills placed on top of management

skills that a project manager can employ to improve chances of success in project completion.

One without the other might be a step in the right direction, but having both is truly the key to

success. There are many different ways to motivate and encourage a project team, and the

approach can change based on the type of team you are leading or the stage of the project that

you are in, but without the added value of leadership, a project team can often become

demotivated and discouraged.

When a team member experiences transformational leadership while working as part of a

project team, they can sometimes be changed for life, such as I was. I have worked for many

managers, but I have worked for one truly motivational leader. Once you have experienced that

style and level of leadership, your definition and expectations of leadership change. My previous

manager was a selfless individual who understood the sacrifice that it took to build a team. It

wasn’t all easy for those of us on the team either. We spent many department meetings


discussing soft-skill topics to improve the interaction between team members. We did many

different exercises in managing conflict and learning to move past our own motivations to those

that benefitted the team. In the end, he taught us how to think creatively, look past the black-

and-white answers and to stand up for our values. It was an experience unlike any other than I

have had in my twenty years in the workforce, and it is a dream that I get to work in such a

rewarding environment again someday.

Conclusion

As you have seen, the role of a project manager combines not only managerial skills but

leadership skills as well. For a project manager to be successful, they must not only have

technical skills, but also be able to address the interpersonal issues that come along with any

project. A project manager often needs to take a group of individuals who may not have worked

together and develop a cohesive unit that works towards a single objective. Developing such a

team is not always easy, and leadership skills play a large part in creating the vision and inspiring

individuals to work together. Without the vision and cooperation, a project team is just a group

of individuals working towards their own objectives hoping to achieve the expected deliverable

at the end of a project. Providing the vision up front and achieving the buy-in of the project team

helps improve the chances of there being one objective that is shared amongst team members,

increasing the likelihood of delivering the expected at the end of a project.

Leadership skills have the potential to improve the level of trust on the team and create an

environment where difficult issues can be discussed and solutions to problems can be identified.

Project teams which lack leadership can actually self-destruct. If the team is not working

towards a common goal “with” one another, they are likely working towards their own personal

objectives which may not be those which align with a successful project completion.


Implementing a successful Project Management Office will not just take managerial

skills to put the structure in place. In order to successfully implement a PMO, the whole

organization will need to be on board and realize the benefits that a PMO could bring. This will

require a vision and the ability to motivate people to embrace the changes knowing that those

changes could bring real value. This is leadership, and this is my goal.


References

Anantatmula, V. (2010). Project Manager Leadership Role in Improving Project Performance.

Engineering Management Journal, 22(1), 13-22.

Anderson, B. (2010). Project Leadership and the Art of Managing Relationship. T+D, 64(3), 58-

63.

Northhouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Software Engineering Institute. (2010, September 13). TSP Overview. Retrieved February 14,

2011, from Software Engineering Institute:

http://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/upload/TSPoverview.pdf

leadership and management compare and contrast paper

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