Project Management

Project Management

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Project Management

Activity 1

Systemic and cascading risks are a challenge to comprehend let alone manage. The myriad of intersecting systems complicates the structure of their systems and corresponding actions. A causative agent in a point of the system has ripple effects that have far-reaching repercussions throughout the framework (C5 Risk Management, 2012). For instance, the contemporary world has increasingly become digital. As a result, critical infrastructure such as the electrical grid of majority of the developed states is linked to the cyberspace. The above makes the infrastructure susceptible to malicious entities that characterize the web such as black hats. The hackers may penetrate the electrical grid and switch off a state’s power leading to the collapse of its financial and transportation systems. The economic collapse of the autonomous state will take a toll on the global market leading to its subsequent disintegration. The chain reaction may continue until it lowers the living standard of the family of these hackers. In essence, consequences of cascading risks bestow no immunity even to the causative agents.

The cascading risk is confounded by the interdependence within the system where interlinked systems define the multiple and autonomous entities. Given their independence, they cannot be managed from a centralized system. The members of the system pursue diverse interests that often do not align. Management strives to reach a consensus by reconciling said conflicting interests. A successful negotiation would be possible if the conflict areas could be easily identified. Given the expanse of the systems, finding the roots of various problems is constrained limiting management to assumptions that at times prove erroneous. Software that clarifies the inter-linkages of the multiple variables in the system and their contexts is essential. However, the digital solution may not be a guarantee given the vulnerability of technology to manipulation as seen above. The unpredictability of systemic risk mitigates its manageability.

Activity 3

Question One

At the core of any vision is leadership. The management’s capacity to communicate the vision effectively to the employees determines its actualization. A preexisting culture of excellence will simplify the change process by utilizing a useful benchmark of quality as opposed to starting from the ground up (C3 Lean Management, 2012). The management’s primary function is the standardization of operations. The importance of leadership is confounded in dealing with the inevitable resistance to change. Navigating through arising problems is enhanced by understanding the situational factors surrounding their occurrence. By visualizing of the inter-linkages, the critical drivers and the flaws in their process can quickly be addressed. The leadership strives to optimize the skill sets that their workforce possesses through example. The employees should be included from the strategy to implementation. There should be strategic units among the management that are wholly dedicated to clarifying the vision by highlighting tangible steps towards its fulfillment. The leadership is accountable to the organization’s stakeholders hence the need for visible changes. The short-term wins are milestones that boost the leaders, employees, and stakeholders’ resolve. Towards this end, the organization’s mission, the consistent value promised from daily processes, should be defined. Management and leadership are inextricably intertwined.

In my experience, change management is easily implemented when the employees believe that there is a problem to be solved. The leadership should spin a convincing story to elucidate the problem areas and how the resolution will be beneficial to everyone. This tactic is more effective than the use of coercion where the leadership strives to change the mindsets of the employees as if they were initially heading in the wrong direction. In reality, the change management implies the process of aiding formidable employees to settle into their recent roles in the overarching vision given the new infrastructure and resources that have been injected into the system.

Question Two

At the heart of enterprise formation, is process management. The process defines the operational viability of the guiding vision towards aligning with the proposed new business model (C6 Business Process Management, 2012). The survival of any enterprise is founded on their ability to innovate and thus change with respect to the external environment. In contemporary society, the change is linked to operational efficiency that in informed by quality human resource and their ability to leverage the present information technologies. When dealing with employees, intermittent reinforcement is the most efficient and enduring. It follows that the grand vision should be broken down to small wins to maintain the staff morale and to initiate them fully into the vision. The best way to communicate the new paradigm is to show it, make the gains observable, quantifiable, and measurable. As they get a taste of the success, the picture of the vision becomes clearer. The smaller objectives enable the management to handle emergent issues contextually before they become systemic.

Enterprise formation is susceptible to external shifts, but its success is equally founded on its ability to optimize internal process towards creating value for its customers. The management is tasked with showing the urgency of the vision to stimulate immediate change relative to the capacity of the existing systems (C8 Organisational Change Management, 2012). Complacency is the enemy of change whereas frustration illustrates the lack of capacity equal to the task. The management coordinates the transformation of the enterprise through reinforcing the new methodologies. The business grounds the change to its overarching culture to make to sustainable. The culture enables the management to adopt the modern techniques selectively relative to their capacity. A technical nuance exists between management and leadership based on their focus orientation. While the former is focused on processes, the latter concentrates on the people. The equilibrium between the urgency for a change and the need for incremental growth to allow the process to mature is critical.

Activity 2

What contributions do concepts of complexity bring to an understanding of leadership?

The concepts of complexity aid management to break down problems into small proportions in resolve them efficiently (Hayes, 2014). Attempting to handle the problem manifestation at a systemic level is often too overwhelming as the real issues are blurred by the myriad of interacting variables. The concepts reiterate that model leadership is based on correcting small problems to address the larger problem.

How do leaders differ in their thinking from more junior staff? How important is vision?

Leaders have access to critical information about the bigger picture that junior staff lacks. The junior staff’s effectiveness is limited to the short-term goals within their purview (Hayes, 2014). The leaders can connect the impact of the small wins to the organization’s objectives. Vision gives an organization direction, a central point to unite all of its resources.

What essentially does Dancing with Systems contribute?

Dancing with systems enables a user to avoid exaggerating the essence of systems in of themselves. The caveat allows the user to take a holistic approach to the entire system and the relationships of the variables rather than concentrating on physical effects (Meadows, 2002).It helps a user to comprehend the systems in order fully leverage its benefits thoroughly.

Evaluate and respond to the following statement: the availability of a range of tools and techniques is likely to inhibit truly perceptive management of complex projects.

The diversity of instruments and their accompaniment interactions often lead to an emphasis on immediate problem solving (De Roo & Hillier, 2016). In contrast, an insightful management allows the dust to settle entertaining a level of chaos to fully grasp the scope of the issue. The litany of techniques advanced limit management to rigid controls toward maintaining stability rather than stimulating innovation.

References

Class Notes

‘C3 Lean Management’, in Business transformation management methodology eds. Axel Uhl and Lars Alexande Gollenia (Farnham: Gower, 2012), pp. 69.

‘C5 Risk Management’, in Business transformation management methodology eds. Axel Uhl and Lars Alexande Gollenia (Farnham: Gower, 2012), pp. 88.

‘C6 Business Process Management’, in Business transformation management methodology eds. Axel Uhl and Lars Alexande Gollenia (Farnham: Gower, 2012), pp. 112.

‘C8 Organisational Change Management’, in Business transformation management methodology eds. Axel Uhl and Lars Alexande Gollenia (Farnham: Gower, 2012), pp. 174.

External  Sources

De Roo, G., & Hillier, J. (2016). Complexity and planning: Systems, assemblages and simulations. Routledge.

Hayes, J. (2014). The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan.

Meadows, D. (2002). Dancing with systems. Systems thinker, 13, 2-6.