Team leadership and

Management
Team management is the ability of an individual to
administer and coordinate a group of individuals to
perform a task
It involves teamwork, Communication, Objective
setting and performance appraisals
It is the ability to identify problems and resolve
conflicts within a team
There are various methods and leadership styles a
team manager can take to increase productivity and
build an effective team
A team must be managed effectively to expect the
best from the team members.
The team leader plays an essential role in managing
the team well.
Project managers require both management and
leadership skills to manage project teams
 Leaders vs Managers
Leaders
A leader is someone who is there to motivate and
inspire and is concerned with strategic vision.
They have a skill for getting others to do what
needs done.
They use power and politics.
Power is the ability to get people to do what they
wouldn’t do ordinarily.
◦ It’s also the ability to influence behaviour.

Politics imparts pressure to conform regardless of

whether people agree with the decision.
Managers
Is someone who is generally task oriented and
concerned with issues such as plans, controls,
budgets, policies, and procedures.
Their primary goal is satisfying stakeholder needs.
They also possess motivational skills and the
ability to recognize and reward behaviour.
 Leadership vs
Management
Management is a discipline of managing things in the
best possible manner.
It is the art or skill of getting the work done through and
with others.
Leadership is a quality of influencing people, so that the
objectives are attained willingly and enthusiastically.
Leadership is about imparting vision and rallying people
around that vision.
It is not exactly the same as management, as leadership
is one of the major element of management
The main role of a Project manager is to manage and lead
the team
To explain this relationship John Adair's simple Action-
Centered Leadership model is used.
It provides a great blueprint for leadership and the
management of any team, group or organization.
Adair's famous 'three circles' model is one of the most
recognizable and iconic symbols within management
theory.
The model illustrates the core management
responsibilities:
Achieving the task
Managing the team or group
Managing individuals
The model gives good management framework for a
manager to achieve core management responsibilities
Responsibilities of a manager for achieving the task are:
 identify aims and vision for the team, purpose, and direction
- define the activity (the task)
 identify resources, people, processes, systems and tools
 create the plan to achieve the task - deliverables,
measures, timescales, strategy and tactics
 establish responsibilities, objectives, accountabilities
and measures, by agreement and delegation
 set standards, quality, time and reporting parameters
control and maintain activities against
parameters
monitor and maintain overall
performance against plan
report on progress towards the group's
aim
review, re-assess, adjust plan, methods
and targets as necessary
Responsibilities of a manager for the team are:
 establish, agree and communicate standards of
performance and behaviour
 establish style, culture, approach of the group/team - soft
skill elements
 monitor and maintain discipline, ethics, integrity and focus
on objectives
 anticipate and resolve group conflict, struggles or
disagreements
 assess and change as necessary the balance and
composition of the group
 develop team-working, cooperation, morale and team-spirit
 develop the collective maturity and capability of the
group/team - progressively increase group/team freedom
and authority
 encourage the team towards objectives and aims - motivate
the group and provide a collective sense of purpose
 identify, develop and agree team- and project-leadership
roles within group
 enable, facilitate and ensure effective internal and external
group communications
 identify and meet group/ team training needs
 give feedback to the group on overall progress; consult
with, and seek feedback and input from the group
Responsibilities of a manager for each individual
are:
understand the team members as individuals -
personality, skills, strengths, needs, aims and fears
assist and support individuals - plans, problems,
challenges, highs and lows
identify and agree appropriate individual
responsibilities and objectives
give recognition and praise to individuals -
acknowledge effort and good work
where appropriate reward individuals with extra
responsibility, advancement and status identify,
develop and utilise each individual's capabilities and
strengths
train and develop individual team members
develop individual freedom and authority
LEADERSHIP STYLES
Individual managers have their own styles of
managing, and within organizations there is often
a predominant style of leadership.
The predominant leadership style e.g autocratic,
democratic, and laissez-faire etc.
Autocratic Leadership
• This style of leadership is both directive and controlling.
• The leader will make all decisions without
consulting employees and will also dictate
employee roles.
• The autocratic style of leadership limits employee
freedom of expression and participation in the
decision-making process.
• It may result in isolating employees from leadership
and will not serve to create trust between
managers and subordinates.
Democratic Leadership
• This style of management is centred on employee
participation and involves decision making by consensus
and consultation.
• The leader will involve employees in the decision-making
process and they will be encouraged to give input and
delegate assignments.
• Democratic leadership often leads to empowerment of
employees because it gives them a sense of responsibility
for the decisions made by management.
 • This can also be a very effective form of management
when employees offer a different perspective than the
manager, due to their daily involvement with work.
Laissez-Faire Leadership
• It is the style of leadership that makes employees
responsible for most of the decisions that are made,
and in which they are minimally supervised.
• Employees are responsible for motivating and
managing themselves on a daily basis under this
leadership style.
Laissez-faire leadership may best be used when
employees are educated, knowledgeable, and self-
motivated.
Employees must have the drive and ambition to
achieve goals on their own for this style to be most
effective.
Laissez-faire leadership is not a good idea in
situations where employees feel insecure about the
manager’s lack of availability or the manager is
using the employees to cover for his or her inability
to carry out his or her own work.
Transformational and Transactional Leadership
Two additional styles of leadership worth exploring are
transformational and transactional.
Both have strong ethical components and philosophical
underpinnings.
Transformational Leadership.
• Leaders who have a clear vision and are able to articulate
it effectively to others often characterize this style of
leadership.
• Transformational leaders look beyond themselves in
order to work for the greater good of everyone.
• This type of leader brings others into the decision-
making process and allow those around them
opportunity to learn and grow as individuals
• Transformational leaders spend time coaching
their employees and learning from them as well.
Transactional Leadership.
• This leadership style is characterized by centralized
control over employees.
• The leader controls outcomes and strive for
behavioural compliance.
• Employees under a transactional leader are
motivated by the transactional leader’s praise,
reward, and promise.
• They may also be corrected by the leader’s
negative feedback, threats, or disciplinary action.
The most effective leadership style is using a
combination of styles.
Leaders should know when it is best to be
autocratic and when to be democratic.
They can also be transformational and
transactional at the same time; these are not
mutually exclusive styles and in fact can
complement one another extremely well.
Leadership Trends
In today’s competitive environment, leaders are
continually searching for new ideas and approaches to
improving their understanding of leadership.
The current leadership trends.
Directive
• Controlling and clear about what they want team
members to do.
• They do not appreciate arguments or suggestions
from the team.
• This style suits new, inexperienced staff.
Coaching
• More open style.
• Asking for suggestions and input, they still take
most of the decisions and guide staff closely.
• This style is appropriate for a developing team.
Supportive
• Encourage team to take most decisions on a day-to-day
basis.
• They monitor closely and provide support.
• This style suits an improving team that still lacks confidence.
Delegating
• Allow the team to take their own decisions within
boundaries they have set
• They have a monitoring role and make themselves
available to the team as needed.
• This style is excellent for skilled and experienced
staff.
An effective manager has to be able to move
between these leadership styles in order to ensure
the most appropriate and motivational is used for
each member of staff and each task
(e.g. a directive style may still be appropriate for
an experienced and confident staff member if an
entirely new task is given).
Construction project managers should adopt a
leadership style or combination of styles
depending on circumstances.
Different leadership styles can be used at different
phases of the project life cycle.
 LEADERSHIP AND MOTIVATION

A successful project manager in any field must

strongly grasp how to keep their employees
motivated.  
The project manager, in the broadest sense of the
term, is the most important person for the success
or failure of a project.
He is responsible for planning, organizing and
controlling the project.
As a leader he has an important role of motivating
employees to do the best job possible.
There are many ways a leader can motivate
employees as such various motivational theories
are available which can assist in motivation of
employees and they include the following:
Maslow: Hierarchy of needs
Hygiene theory: Work environment (pay,
benefits, and working conditions) prevents
dissatisfaction
Expectancy theory: Expectation of positive
outcomes drives motivation
Achievement theory: People are motivated by
achievement, power, and affiliation.
Contingency Theory: People are motivated to
achieve levels of competency and will continue to
be motivated after competency is reached.
Theory X: Most people don’t like work.
Theory Y: People are motivated to perform their
best given proper expectations and motivation.
Sometimes motivation is brought about through creative means e.g. Good
communication
Communication is key to motivating employees.
•When employees feel that they will be listened to and managers openly
discuss matters with employees, a trusting relationship is created
Another method to motivate is to ensure that employees are matched up
with the right job.
•It is the leader’s job to learn what employees’ abilities and preferences
are and match them accordingly to tasks that utilize their skills and when
possible match with their preferences.

 
 MANAGING CONFLICTS IN TEAMS

Conflict arises from differences.

When individuals come together in work teams
their differences in terms of power, values and
attitudes, and social factors all contribute to the
creation of conflict.
It is often difficult to expose the sources of
conflict.
Conflict can arise from numerous sources within
a team setting and generally falls into three
categories:
  Communication factors
 Structural factors
 Personal factors (Varney, 1989).
Communication factors
Barriers to communication are among the most
important factors and can be a major source of
misunderstanding.
• Communication barriers include poor listening skills;
insufficient sharing of information; differences in
interpretation and perception; and nonverbal cues
being ignored or missed.
Structural Factors
• Disagreements include the size of the organisation,
turnover rate, levels of participation, reward systems,
and levels of interdependence among employees.
Personal factors
• Include things such as an individual’s self-esteem,
their personal goals, values and needs
In order for conflict to be dealt with successfully,
managers and team members must understand its
unpredictability and its impact on individuals and the
team as a whole
Conflict in work teams is not necessarily destructive
Conflict can lead to new ideas and approaches to
organizational processes, and increased interest in
dealing with problems.
Conflict, in this sense, can be considered positive, as it
facilitates the surfacing of important issues and
provides opportunities for people to develop their
communication and interpersonal skills.
Conflict becomes negative when it is left to escalate to
the point where people begin to feel defeated, and a
combative climate of distrust and suspicion develops
Managing negative conflicts
Team members can and should attempt to avoid
negative conflict from occurring.
When negative conflict occur, there are five
accepted methods for handling it:
Direct Approach:
This may be the best approach of all. It
concentrates on the leader confronting the issue
head-on.
Though conflict is uncomfortable to deal with, it is
best to look at issues objectively and to face them
as they are.
If criticism is used, it must be constructive to the
recipients.
This approach counts on the techniques of
problem-solving and normally leaves everyone
Bargaining:
Its a technique used when both parties have
ideas on a solution but cannot find common
ground.
Often a third party, such as a team leader, is
needed to help find the compromise.
Compromise involves give and take on both
sides
Enforcement of Team Rules:
Avoid using this method if possible, it can bring
about hard feelings toward the leader and the
team.
This technique is only used when it is obvious
that a member does not want to be a team
player and refuses to work with the rest.
If enforcement has to be used on an individual, it
may be best for that person to find another
team.
Retreat:
This method is used when the problem isn’t real
to begin with. By simply avoiding it or working
around it, a leader can often delay long enough
for the individual to cool off.
When used in the right environment by an
experienced leader this technique can help to
prevent minor incidents that are the result of
someone having a bad day from becoming real
problems that should never have occurred.
De-emphasis:
This is a form of bargaining where the emphasis
is on the areas of agreement.
When parties realize that there are areas where
they are in agreement, they can often begin to
move in a new direction.
Team Resolution Process
Conflict should first be handled on an informal basis
between the individuals involved.
This, they say, will allow time for resolution or self-
correction by the individuals.
If the conflict remains unsettled, a mediator can be
brought in to help resolve the situation.
If resolution is still not achieved the dispute should be
openly discussed in a team meeting.
A formal discipline process needs to occur, if resolution
is not achieved after being addressed at the team level.
The escalating process of Team Resolution is as
follows:
Collaboration (One-on-one):
Handle the new problem person-to-person.
Use as many facts as possible and relate the issue
to customer, team, or organizational needs.
Be open and honest and conduct the session in a
private setting. Document the concerns or issues,
the dates, and the resolution, if any, and have
both parties sign it.
Mediation (One-on-one with Mediator):
If collaboration did not work or was inappropriate, handle the
problem with a mediator.
The mediator must be trained in conflict resolution, understand
policy and ethics, be trusted by the team, and have the ability
to remain neutral.
Gather facts and talk over the issue with the people involved.
Bring up as many facts as possible and relate the issue to
customer, team, or organizational needs.
Be open and honest and conduct the mediation session in
private.
Document it and have all parties sign.
Team Counseling:
The conflict is now a definite issue to the team.
Collaboration and/or Mediation could not be done, were
not appropriate, or did not work.
Handle the conflict at a team meeting; put the problem
on the next agenda and invite the necessary individuals.
Again, bring up the facts, relate the issue to customer,
team, or organisational needs.
Be open and honest, discuss it in a private setting,
document it, and have all parties sign it.
Anyone on the team can put an issue or problem
on the team agenda, however, this step should
be used only after Collaboration, and Mediation
has been ruled out.
Elements common to disagreements
Stulberg proposed these patterns as an aid for
formal mediators, but anyone dealing with conflict
can benefit from understanding the elements
common to disagreements
Stulberg (1987) recognizes patterns common to
all controversies. He calls them the Five-P’s of
Conflict Management:
Perceptions:
• People associate conflict with negative responses such
as anger, fear, tension, and anxiety.
• Rarely do we perceive any benefits from being involved
in a dispute.
• Our negative perceptions impact our approach in
resolving conflict as we strive to eliminate the source of
these negative feelings.
Problems:
• Anyone can be involved in a conflict, and the amount of
time, money, and equipment needed for resolution will
vary according to its complexity.
Processes:
• There are different ways to go about resolving disputes:
Suppress the conflict, give in, fight, litigate, mediate, etc.
Principles:
• We determine the priorities of all resolution processes on
the basis of an analysis of our fundamental values
regarding efficiency, participation, fairness, compliance,
etc
Practices:
• Power, self-interest, and unique situations are all factors
relating to why people resolve disputes the way they do.