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Module 4 Paper

Module 3: Paper

Yunshuang Victoria He

Arizona State University

OGL 321 – Module 3

11/26/2021

The number of words:

1256
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Module 4 Paper

Part 1 – Reflection on Behavioral Excellence

The project manager is a challenging role. After reading Behavioral Excellence, my

impression of a project manager has wholly changed that this position requires many soft and

hard skills. As the project team leader, the importance of the project manager’s role and tasks are

affirmative. In many cases, project managers need to understand project management techniques

and have the leadership ability to deal with multiple relations. Sometimes they may need to know

well on organizational code of conduct and customer experience because a project manager must

communicate with all stakeholders in order to correctly convey the project concept and results

that the project should achieve. Thus, it is beyond doubt that a project manager’s behavior

influences the team members and the success or failure of the entire project.

According to the book, “Project managers who have strong behavioral skills are more

likely to involve their teams in decision-making, and shared decision-making is one of the

hallmarks of successful project management.” (Kerzner) First of all, some relatively complex

projects are often cross-professional, which requires the project manager to handle multiple

reporting relationships to plan and coordinate the overall process. However, in reality, the project

managers are not experts in every field of study. Sometimes, the team members are transferred

from other functional departments to complete a specific project. Their backgrounds and

experiences are different, which will significantly increase the risks of the project. As the project

leader, the main point to a successful PM lies in expertise or resources, and leadership.

Project managers need to have the ability to understand the environment in order to detect

potential risks. The ability to recognize the environment is to understand the work and living
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situation in order to recognize contingency where it is located. Like self-knowledge, it is a step

beyond that, and improving the ability to interpret the surrounding environment is a necessary

skill for project managers. In the book, the author states that “Companies excellent in project

management are prepared for crises. Both the project manager and the line managers are

encouraged to bring problems to the surface as quickly as possible so that there is time for

contingency planning and problem solving.” (Kerzner) Identifying the environment aims to help

project managers and teams eliminate management boundaries for their projects and determine

the project scope and risk management. Based on this information, develop comprehensive

guidance for project risk management to help project managers and project teams to carry out

risk management activities throughout the project life cycle.

For example, staffing conflict is one of the project risks. Resolving conflicts focuses on

management and whether they are handled well has a significant impact on the project.

Generally speaking, conflicts will lead to a lack of respect and trust between project members

and lead to interruption of communication and the phenomenon of information being blocked.

According to the book, “Conflicts are a way of life in companies with project management

cultures. Conflict can occur on any level of the organization, and conflict is usually the result of

conflicting objectives.” (Kerzner) In the conflict environment of the project, the project manager

must be aware of the possible sources of conflicts and deal with them in time to avoid the

negative impact due to the team conflict on the project. In handling project conflicts, the project

manager should directly face the conflict, not to avoid it.

Part 2 – Discussion of Two blog entries

Team Setup.” Everyone has their specific role in the team. Some people are born to play the role

of leader, and some like to be the coordinator. According to the blog, “This is an important

aspect as it helps to build trust among team members, and trust is the foundation of any efficient

team. Trust will not be built overnight but planning a team-building activity to allow people to

share about themselves will at least give it an initial boost.” (Bisson, 2021) Communication is

always an essential factor within the team. It is based on the understanding of the environment to

get to know the team’s goal, the team’s development, the interests of all parties, and the potential

risks. There can be a basis for persuading the relevant parties to achieve the goal with a clear

understanding.

Another factor of building a team’s cohesion is Looking for a general agreement. The

blogger states that “The team should agree on day-to-day aspects of how they will work. For

example: What time are the scrum ceremonies? What is the decision-making process? What

tools will be used? What are the communication channels? What standards dictate how to work

(ex. coding standards)?” (Bisson, 2021) Many teams seem to have a good atmosphere. However,

the team’s goals have not been pointed out. The main reason is that there is no team agreement

has been reached. The premise for the team to reach a consensus is to reach an agreement on the

team itself, which is the mutual recognition and appreciation of team members. The team should

fully understand the rationality of the existence of opposition because it is impossible to reach an

entire agreement that makes everyone happy. The team should actively manage opposition and

communicate patiently to eliminate conflicts as much as possible. The team should always be

looking for a common goal while reserving differences. It cannot rise to personal attacks, nor can

it avoid communication.
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The second blog I want to discuss today is “3 Skills PMs Need in a Changing World.”

This blog mainly focused on the efficient communication of project management. Undoubtedly,

communication is a critical factor for the teams, and it plays an important role in the team’s

performance. Many studies have shown that there is a correlation between team communication

and evaluation. The author states, “The key to being a successful communicator in a changing

world is that you need to focus on the receiver of the communication—with an emphasis placed

on things that might make your communications fall flat. Because even when you share a

common language, the gulf in understanding can be significant.” (Wakeman, 2021)

Communicating effectively will establish solid cohesion between team members, enabling the

team to reach the common goals of the project quickly. Frequent updates from the leadership

teams can help each individual strengthen interpersonal relationships and change the team’s

atmosphere, just as every organization has its own culture. Every team should also have its own

team spirit. As long as team cohesion is established, the entire department can always work

towards the same direction. It is not too difficult to have an incredible team as long as long as we

start with every bit of small steps, carefully select team members, and build a good team spirit.

It is important to respect others in order to have efficient communication within a project

team. Showing respect can be as simple as respecting the team’s work and time. In any team, the

most crucial factor is having proficient communication. As a leader, it is imperative to evaluate

communication skills.

References
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Bisson, C. (2021, November 10). 4 Things You Should Include During a Team Setup. Retrieved from

projectmanagement.com: https://www.projectmanagement.com/blog-post/70808/4-things-you-

should-include-during-a-team-setup

Kerzner, H. (n.d.). Project Management: Best Practices - Achieving Global Excellence. Wiley.

Wakeman, D. (2021, October 26). 3 Skills PMs Need in a Changing World. Retrieved from

projectmanagement.com: https://www.projectmanagement.com/blog-post/70662/3-skills-pms-

need-in-a-changing-world