Author’s
Note
Now that the PMBOK and the APM bok are well
established, project management is starting
to explore other areas of interest - and one
of
these is Project Management Leadership.
If
you are reading this book you probably have
a personal and direct interest in project
management and project leadership. Project
Management Leadership
focuses on the leadership skills and leadership
styles project managers use to manage their
projects. This book is ideal for project
managers who need
a solid platform from which to lead and
manage a project team.
There have been two
major changes in the project environment
in recent years which
have motivated
significant changes in the project
manager’s
leadership style –
namely the introduction of project teams
working within a matrix organization
breakdown structure
(OBS), and a general increase in the
work force’s
level of education and ability. These
organizational changes mean project
managers may not have full line authority
over the resources
they need to carry out the work. Project
managers must, therefore, develop negotiation
and networking
skills to enable them to obtain labour
and equipment from the resource providers.
The other factor motivating a change
in leadership style is the ability
of the
workforce who
are now better educated, more experienced,
more competent
and more articulate. This greater competency
has led to greater expectations and
demands to have a greater say in their working
environment, and they are quite prepared
to question their
leader’s instructions.
These two
factors alone have encouraged a dramatic
change from the command and
control leadership
style of yester year to a more participative
and collaborative approach. Project
Management Leadership has been written to support
courses and modules
in project management
leadership. The text is structured
in line with the PMBOK, APM bok, Australian
competency
standards
and the South Africa unit standards
(US
120379, and US 120388-10148). The text
includes plenty
of examples and exercises, together
with Power Point presentation slides
for lecturers.
This is the fifth book
in the Project Management series and
complements the
Entrepreneurship
titles which focus on spotting opportunities
and initiating
new ventures, and the Project Management
titles which focus on the planning
and controlling projects.
Rory Burke & Steve Barron
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