MN601 Network Project Management | Leadership Skills

Task

Write a report on the above case study that addresses the following issues; and carry out research on project management practice and discuss the ethical implications in this case. In your report, you must use the headings given.We encourage you to use at least 10 key peer reviewed sources for your analysis.

1.Discuss, how well are leadership skills demonstrated? Justify your answer in relation to the incidents in the cases study.

2.Elaborate on how well is the execution of the project going. What could be the alternatives to the current processes being followed?

3.Which risk(s) should the project plan have identified, and what could be their risk mitigation plan(s)?

4.Document facts about the ethical dilemma(s) arising in this case, and explore questions such as:

Does it abide by the law?

• Does it align with the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct?

5.Consider the choices available to the concerned parties by documenting the following questions:

• What are the possible alternative choices?
• What are the pros and cons for each possible choice?

6.Identify the candidate decision and test its validity using the factors suggested by PMI Ethical Decision?Making Framework.

7.Apply ethical principles to your candidate decision by asking questions such as:

• Would the choice result in the greatest good?
  
  
• Would the choice be fair and beneficial to all concerned?

8.Make a decision after considering relevant questions, and justify your choice.

Answers:

1. PM Leadership

Leadership is an important aspect of project management. In relation to the case study, it is seen that Boob Moore tried to keep his team motivated while managing the project. Motivation is a key factor of leadership as it is observed that a motivated employee tends to perform better [2]. Jim Ray on the other hand has shown a transformational leadership by trying to bring in certain change in the approach of project management that is followed by Bob [3]. This can be observed from the fact that Jim tried to communicate with Bob about the matter [5]. Quite contrast to the leadership style followed by Jim, Bob mainly followed an autocratic leadership style driven by his experience of 25 years in the field of project management [1]. This can be deduced from the fact that Bob decided to send the carpenters to his home without consulting the other members of the team [4].

2. PM Execution

It can be seen that the execution of the project is not going as expected. Due to the rains, there will have been a considerably delay in project schedule. The rains not only hampered the work schedule but also are a reason of cost overruns that the project might face in future. This is because the carpenters are paid from the project funds even if they are not working for the project. This will definitely result in increase in the project cost which is not acceptable.

The current process that is being followed will not guarantee the completion of the project within the scheduled time. As an alternative to this, the project plan could have be designed in such a manner that all outdoor works associated with the project will not be performed in winter or spring. The project schedule should have considered the issue of winter and spring rains [7]. Alternatively, the carpenters could have been hired on a contractual basis and not on daily payment basis.

3. PM Risk Analysis

An accurate project plan should have identified a number of risks associated with the project. The risk of inefficiency in the work processes of the carpenters was obvious and therefore the project plan should have identified [6]. Apart from that, the risk of budget overruns due to an interruption in the work processes because of rains. Identification of these two major risks in the project during the project initiation phase could have helped in elimination of the same during the execution phase.

The risks of project experiencing cost overruns can be mitigated by entirely stop paying the carpenters in their non working days. However, it is difficult to control the schedule of the project since the winter and spring rains have interrupted the normal flow of the project. As a mitigation plan, the project will have to incorporate additional resources to complete the project within a given schedule.

4. Ethics Assessment

It can be seen that the step taken by Bob to keep the carpenters motivated is unethical. This is because paying the carpenters from the project cost for his personal works is not appropriate. One of the ethical dilemmas that arise from the situation is that whether the use of company’s resources for personal works is ethical or not. Another ethical dilemma that arises from the situation is that whether making the carpenters jobless during the rains is ethical or not.

The use of company’s resources for personal works is unethical and does not abide by law. According to the PMI code of ethics and professional, honesty, responsibility, fairness and respect drive ethical conduct for a project [9]. The use of company’s resources for personal use violates the fairness of the project and therefore it does not align with the PMI code of ethics and professional conduct.

5. Ethics Alternatives

The possible alternative choice available to Bob is to either pay the carpenters on his own or to pay the carpenters at a subsidised rate during the non working days. This will prevent the wastage of resources of the project. The disadvantage of this approach is that, the carpenters can become de motivates if they are paid at a subsided rate for a longer time or might leave the project.

 The carpenters can be engaged to some other works of the organization as well. The advantage is that in this case even if the carpenters are paid from the project cost, it would not be unethical. The disadvantage is that the current project will be further delayed in this case.

6. Ethics Analysis

The PMI ethical decision-making framework includes a number of stages which are assessment, alternatives, analysis, application and action.

The assessment stages indicate that paying the carpenters from the resources of the company is unethical [8]. The alternatives are identified and analysed as well. The candidate decision is to involve the carpenters in some other internal works of the project or to pay them at a subsidised rate during the rains [10]. This action will involve enforcing this decision in the project.

7. Ethics Application

The choice will definitely result in greatest good mainly because it will help in saving the project cost. If the carpenters are kept engaged with the other works and are paid on daily rate it will keep motivated and will also eliminate the ethical issue of paying the carpenters from the project cost for the personal works of Bob.

8. Ethics Action

The decision of the preventing the carpenters to work in Bob’s house is the decision that is taken against the current situation. The choice of engaging the carpenters to some other works or being paid at a subsided rate is justified since it aims at reducing the unethical use of the resources of the project. Jim will have to enforce this decision on the project team irrespective of the decision of Bob. Since the use of resources of the project for any personal work is unethical, enforcement of this decision was necessary and the decision is justified as well.

References

[1]. Morales-Sánchez, Rafael, and Carmen Cabello-Medina. "The role of four universal moral competencies[in ethical decision-making." Journal of Business Ethics 116, no. 4 (2013): 717-734.

[2]. Du, Shuili, Valérie Swaen, Adam Lindgreen, and Sankar Sen. "The roles of leadership styles in corporate social responsibility." Journal of business ethics 114, no. 1 (2013): 155-169.

[3]. Giltinane, Charlotte Louise. "Leadership styles and theories." Nursing Standard 27, no. 41 (2013).

[4]. Nanjundeswaraswamy, T. S., and D. R. Swamy. "Leadership styles." Advances in management 7, no. 2 (2014): 57.

[5]. Mahdinezhad, Maryam, and Bin Suandi. "Transformational, Transactional Leadership Styles and Job Performance of Academic Leaders." International Education Studies 6, no. 11 (2013): 29-34.

[6]. Kerzner, Harold, and Harold R. Kerzner. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons, 2017.

[7]. Heagney, Joseph. Fundamentals of project management. Amacom, 2016.

[8]. Bredillet, Christophe. "Ethics in project management: some Aristotelian insights." International Journal of Managing Projects in Business 7, no. 4 (2014): 548-565.

[9]. Phillips, Joseph. PMP, Project Management Professional (Certification Study Guides). McGraw-Hill Osborne Media, 2013.

[10]. Heldman, Kim. PMP: project management professional exam study guide. John Wiley & Sons, 2018.