Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Poor Project Leadership And Lack Of Motivation Management Essay
Poor Project Leadership And Lack Of Motivation Management Essay Leadership is a significant factor in the whole project process. A good leadership will lead to project success. A poor project leadership will cause failure in the project. Project leader who is responsible to the project is someone that sets direction and influences people to follow that direction. Many project leaders were selected because of their education background rather than their experiences. The result is, the project leader will lead the project that exceeds their capabilities. Poor project leadership also the result of project leader that does not see the opportunity and does not listening to the people. One secret to successful project implementation is the project leaders ability to get the diverse background, education and experiences of project team members performing at maximal effectiveness. Consequently, the project leader must be both a leader and a motivator. Poor project leadership was a leading factor of the company failure. A leads behaviours such as excessive ego often lead to a poor project leadership. The lack of leadership skill will result in people get demotivated and eventually reduce their work performance. And because, a project leader does not have a clear vision of the market trend such as soaring of oil prices and credit crunch, the project will cost more and will be delayed. Lack of Motivation According to William R.King (1998) page 756, stated that motivation is important to the project manager from two perspectives. First, the individual must be motivated to be a project manager. If one does not have sufficient intrinsic motivation to take the types of managerial steps required, then one is not likely to success at the project management task. Second, the project manager must be able to motivate others. For this it is crucial that the project manager have an adequate understanding of motivation and techniques for motivating others. Lack of motivation is one of the project failure factors. It will be crucial, if a project leader is demotivated because it can directly influence the project team and give impact to organisational performance. Lack of motivation can be the result of many factors such as company policies, work condition and salary. Lack of motivation equates to less work being accomplished by the employee. The productivity of the employee will transfer to something that does not relate to projects work. Things like internet surfing, personal chat and taking longer lunches cost the organisation time and money. Low employee motivation could be the result of decreased success of the organisation, abrupt changes in organization and economic downturn. No matter what the cause, while working in unpleasant work environment due to lack employee motivation will give an impact to the existing and potential clients and partners. A reputation can be tainted and dictate its future in the industry. Employees are like lifeline to the company. When they are highly motivated, they will do whatever is necessary to achieve the targets and maintain the company stability. An organisation whose employees have low motivation is completely prone to challenges because its employee are not going extra mile to maintain the companys stability. The space shuttle Columbia disaster One of the top project failures cause by poor leadership is Columbia disaster. Columbia was one of the space shuttle owned by NASA. Amy Donahue (2004) stated that on January 16, the Columbia with her crew of seven was lunched to begin a scientific research mission. Sixteen days later, Columbia and her crew were lost during re-entered the earths atmosphere with unknown damage to her left wing. Columbia broke up over the western United states at 200 000 feet and 12 000 miles per hour. Columbias disintegration was both a tragedy and a disaster. A tragedy because the lives of seven heroic astronauts and their lifes work of countless engineers were lost that morning. And a disaster because more than 87 000 pounds of debris from the shuttle was strewn over 2000 square miles of east Texas and western Louisiana. Some material was as small as postage stamps but other pieces weighed some 800 pounds and came in at upward of 1 600 miles per hour, angering several feet into the ground. Just after the 2003 tragedy occurred many experts concluded that technology was to blame. But a more thorough and comprehensive investigation, undertaken by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, CAIB, concluded differently. It maintained that management was as much to blame for the failure as was the foam strike. The Board described an organizational culture in which, at every juncture, program managers were resistant to new information. It was a culture in which people were unwilling to speak up or if they did speak up were never heard. In their report they wrote that the organizational failure was a product of NASAs history, its culture, and its politics. (Columbia Accident Investigation Board, 2003). Engineers requested inspection by crew or remote photo imagery to check for the damage but no actions were taken to ensure space shuttle integrity. Management, however, was apparently confident that there was no safety issue and a decision was made against imagery. Had the imagery been authorized, and the damage discovered, the conjecture is that a rescue attempt would have had a reasonable chance of success. The project leader didnt take the advice from his engineer and still proceed with his decision. Senior management also ignored the flight data from the previous mission where foam had broken on every lunch. This is a typical example of poor project leadership. On top of these problems, the initial leadership structure was diffuse, with federal state and local field offices, operations canters and command posts all directing of the operation. Figure 1 : Foam strike detected in launch Taken from www.aiche.org/uploadedFiles/CCPS//Presentation_Rev_newv4.ppt Denver International Airport Baggage handling System On top of that, one of good example of project failure that caused by poor project planning and poor risk management was Denver International baggage handling system. According to Dr.R.de. Neufuille (1994) Denvers baggage handling system was the worlds largest automated airport baggage handling system. Faced with the need for greater airport capacity, the city of Denver elected to construct a new state of the art airport that would cement Denvers position as an air transportation hub. Covering a land area of 140 Km2, the airport was to be the largest in the United States and have the capacity to handle more than 50m passengers annually The airports baggage handling system was a critical component in the plan. By automating baggage handling, aircraft turnaround time was to be reduced to as little as 30 minutes. Faster turnaround meant more efficient operations and was a cornerstone of the airports competitive advantage. Despite the good intention, the project complexity was underestimated and was delayed by 16 months and cost the city of Denver USD 1.1 Million per day. After ten years of opening, the system never worked well and in august 2005, United Airlines has abandoned the system completely. The root of this failure was Denver international airport failed to estimate the complexity involved. The system which was the first in the world and 10 times larger than any other automated baggage handling system. The project team estimated the project can be done in two years but it took almost four years to complete. Because of the complexity involved, the airport management does not provide enough trolley in case the system failed .They were overconfidence that the project wills success. The system that worked on 100 individual PC that were connected together have no back up if one PC failed to operate. The system also was unable to detect any jams in the system and instead the system keeps piling more and more baggage making the jam much worse. Another project failure factor was poor in risk management. The project encountered a massive technical problem but not action has been taken. The most significant issue was, the system suffered from electrical shock, To resolve this problem, a filter is used in the electrical circuit to prevent current surge. But the delivery and installation of the filter took several months. Such issues were predictable if the project team more focused on risk management. Figure 2 : Denver baggage handling system Taken from http://calleam.com/WTPF/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/denverbag5.jpg Motivation From the PMBOK 4th Edition (2008) page 418 motivating in a project environment involves creating an environment to meet project objectives while offering maximum self-satisfaction related to what people value most. These values may include job satisfaction, challenging work, a sense of accomplishment, achievement and growth, sufficient financial compensation, and other rewards and recognition the individual considers necessary and important. Motivation is the task of the project manager. He has to provide motivation for his project team. He has to motivate them individually and collectively, that they each may produce their best-and then excel even more. The essential tools in the project managers kitbag for the motivation of his team are: Approval, praise and recognition-These will encourage people to do work and keep the focus Trust, respect and high expectation-Trust is the fundamental of project success. The leader should put trust on his people and in return, people will feel encourage to work Job enrichment Good communication-Communication is simply a two communication between top and bottom. A leader should listen for any suggestion from his employees. Most of the project failure was caused by the breakdown in communication structure. With a good communication system between project leader and workers, any problem can be resolved Cash incentives-Money is a good motivator. Good salary and incentive based on performance will encourage people to go extra mile. The project manager has a much better chance of success if he uses persuasion rather than coercion. The former build morale and initiative, whilst the latter quite effectively kills such qualities. Three basic components in persuasion are: 1. Suggestion 2.Playing the persons sentiments 3.Appealing to their logic. Using these tactics, the project manager will achieve his goal quietly, gently with the minimum of real effort. It is, in effect, an effortless achievement. The project leader has a great role to play in respect of the productivity of his team and through them, the productivity of the whole site. It is on this the actual productivity of the people on the site-that the success of his project finally rest. Productivity is an abstract concept and very controversial indeed. According to William R.King (1988) page 764 one very useful model for explaining the changes that have occurred in human motivation over the years is that developed by Abraham Moslow. Maslows hierarchy argues that mans needs come in an ordered sequence that is arranged in the following five need categories: 1.Physical needs : the foods, water ,air 2.Safety needs : the needs for security, stability and freedom from threat to physical safety. 3.Love needs : the need for friend with whom one may affiliate. 4. Esteem needs : the need for self-respect and esteem of others. This includes recognition, attention and appreciation from others. 5.Self-actualization needs: The need for self-fulfilment to be able tp grow and learn The project leader must be able to assess where each of his subordinate and co-workers are on the hierarchy and attempt to appeal to the appropriate needs. some people crave status and recognition. Others wand strongly to be a member of a cohesive team and to belong Herzberg has suggested that they are two types of motivational factors: hygiene factors and motivators .He suggest that the hygiene factors are necessary condition for a satisfied workers, but do not guarantee satisfaction. The hygiene factors include Company policy and administration Supervision Relationship With supervisor Working condition Salary Personal llife Relationship with peers Status Security In other words, the hygiene factors satisfy the lower level maslow needs. On the other hand, there are motivators which are factors that account for satisfaction in the worker. the motivators include Achievement Recognition Work itsef Responsibility Advancement Growth As a conclusion, motivation is a must that drive people to work. Motivation also has to do with human factors. People are willing to do work if they feel comfortable to do it and fell appreciated with their work. Leadership From the PMBOK 4th Edition (2008) page 417 leadership involves focusing the efforts of a group of people toward a common goal and enabling them to work as a team. In general terms, leadership is the ability to get things done through others. Respect and trust, rather than fear and submission, are the key elements of effective leadership. Although important throughout all project phases, effective leadership is critical during the beginning phases of a project when the emphasis is on communicating the vision and motivating and inspiring project participants to achieve high performance. A good leader always lead by example and make the people work under him feel pleasant. According to William R.King (1988) page 741, leadership behaviour can be divided into task behaviour (one way communication) and relationship behaviour (two way communications).These principles of leadership present s variety of sometimes conflicting premises which make it difficult to select appropriate behaviours in practise. Throughout the project, the project team leaders are responsible for establishing and maintaining the vision, strategy, and communications; fostering trust and team building; influencing, mentoring, and monitoring; and evaluating the performance of the team and the project. If the project leader plays a main role, the project will run smoothly. The good concept off leadership will determine whether the project wills success or not. By implementing the basic techniques of leadership, the people that work for the project will put their heart on work. People at lower level also have right to speak up if the feel something wrong with the project. By taking into account various opinions a final decision can be made by the project leader
Monday, January 20, 2020
Relationship Issues Essay -- International Relations, Japan, South Kor
Different arguments and disagreements between countries can be found throughout our history on this Earth. A relationship that is lesser known to a lot of people is the relationship between the two Asian countries, Japan and South Korea. Japan and South Korea are two countries that are trapped by their past that they share with each other and have shared for more than thirty-five years. Although the two countries are slightly similar when it comes to manners and other different aspects, they are also very different in cultures and beliefs. Different cultures and different beliefs are not the only reasons that are keeping Japan and South Korea apart though. Their history is the largest reason the Japan and South Korea do not have a strong relationship with one another. Japan and South Korea have a long history. A history of colonial rule and lack of trust in Japan, South Korea chooses not to ally itself with Japan and to not trust in Japan. Although the two countries have been workin g on stabilizing their relationship, they still need to overcome some issues and their past. South Korea may never learn to get past their long relationship with Japan, but they may be able to work around it. Japan and South Korea's unstable relationship could be improved by sharing their different cultures more or through a military alliance with each other. Japan and South Korea's relationship is known as a "quasialliance" (Cooney 9). South Korea and Japan are both allies with the United States, but Japan and South Korea still remain unallied to each other. Japan and South Korea still maintain an unstable relationship that could be improved drastically. They still have yet to overcome their differences and forget their past. Although the two count... ...ver people may go and whenever they may happen. Some consequences may occur but many benefits are also possible as well. Japan and South Korea have the potential to become allies. If they were to become allies they would become an extremely strong force in the Asian world. The process may take some time but eventually the two countries would be able to see eye to eye on certain issues regarding North Korea and other important matters. They may become allies through the culture the two already share with one another, or maybe they could become allies economically through the business relationship they have. North Korea and the United States might even play a role in the two countries becoming allies. Whatever the reason, Japan and South Korea can become allies. Both countries, Japan as well as South Korea, would both benefit by becoming allies with one another.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Methodology Review
Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this research study is to determine and gather information about the television viewing habits of individuals who watch game shows most of the time. This study would aim to determine what factors affect the participant’s attraction to game shows as well as the benefits and disadvantages that they gain from watching game shows. At the same time, this study would like to demonstrate whether the feelings and thoughts of respondents would lead to psychological addiction to game shows. Data Collection This study will be conducted in the researcher’s hometown, an urban city with various cultural groups and which have a wide array of economically diverse individuals. The city is small as compared to major cities but nonetheless is exposed to the different game shows, in fact around 10 game show contestants have come from this city. Most families own a TV set and most people stay home to watch the TV than to party or go out at night. The data will be collected through the use of a survey questionnaire designed by the researcher. The questionnaire will use both open ended and close ended questions as well as a Likert scale on items that asks about attitudes and feelings. The survey questionnaire will be given out to the researcher’s workplace and neighborhood. The sample of respondents will be identified through referrals and randomly approaching coworkers and neighbors. The data gathering would approximately take around 2 weeks to complete excluding the data analysis and preparation of the manuscript which would take another week. An assistant will be hired to help give out and retrieve the survey questionnaires in the researcher’s neighborhood. The assistant will be compensated based on the number of survey forms completely filled and returned. The respondents will be informed of the objectives of the research and they will be asked to voluntarily complete the survey, no compensation or reward will be given to the respondents. After the data has been collected, the researcher will then proceed to collate the data and analyze it using statistical tools. Descriptive statistics will be done on the demographic data and viewing habits of the respondents while rating scale equivalents will be identified for items that use the Likert scale. The open ended questions about the benefits and disadvantages of watching television game shows will be analyzed and discussed identifying the most common responses and contrasting it with the least common responses. It is anticipated that the researcher may encounter problems in data collection, this would include the low respondent turn-out, since respondents will be asked to totally volunteer their answers and time to the survey, not many people might be willing to do this, another issue is that since the target participants will be the coworkers of the researcher, the responses may have not been seriously given as they are busy individuals and they just comply with the researchers request. Moreover, the participants form the neighborhood of the researcher may not be able to adequately respond to the questions because it may not be culturally appropriate or difficult to understand. Preliminary Survey Form Demographic data: Age: _____ Gender: ______ Ethnicity: ______ Educational level: ______ Occupation: ______ Open ended questions: In a week, how often do you watch TV game shows? List all the game shows that you watch. What do you think makes TV game shows attractive to watch? What are the benefits that you have gained from watching TV game shows? What are the disadvantages you have experienced in watching TV game shows? Likert Scale: Please indicate your answers by using the following scale: 5 – Always 4 – Often 3 – Sometimes 2 – Rarely 1 – Never 1. When I watch TV game shows I feel excited. 1         2         3         4         5 2. I am happy the most when I watch TV game shows. 1         2         3         4         5 3. I am alert and awake when I watch TV game shows. 1         2         3         4         5 4. I become sad when the player in the game show loses. 1         2         3         4         5 5. I wish that I would become a TV game show contestant. 1         2         3         4         5 6. I dream that I am a game show contestant. 1         2         3         4         5 7. I feel frustrated when I am not able to watch my favorite game show. 1         2         3         4         5 Â
Friday, January 3, 2020
Essay on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - 674 Words
Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, Louisa May Alcott is best known for her novel Little Women. She was educated by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margret Fuller, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, who were family friends, and also educated by her father. Her novel is always in the top ten of the most-read books next to the Bible. Little Women takes place during the 1860s in Concord, Massachusetts. The story begins with four young girls trying to understand the importance of not being selfish, and it follows the lives they live and how they transform into â€Å"little women.†Since there is really no antagonist or bad guy portrayed in this novel, Jo March is considered the protagonist. As these girls grow to become women, the reader gets to experience the†¦show more content†¦When Marmee comes home from helping a family in need, the girls decide to give their favorite breakfast to that family. Jo meets her neighbor, Laurie, at the New Year’s Eve Party at Sally Gardinerâ€℠¢s home. They start spending time together and become fond of each other. When Father becomes sick, Mr. Brooke, Laurie’s tutor, accompanies Marmee to go help Father. After Marmee and Father return home, Meg and Mr. Brooke become rather fond of each other and get married. Jo goes abroad to New York to teach children and meets a professor named Mr. Bhaer. She starts writing for a newspaper company, but Mr. Bhaer disagrees with her writing style. Laurie graduates and proposes to Jo, but she declines because she knows there is someone else better for her. Amy goes to Paris with Aunt March to study art, while Laurie goes to London with Grandfather to study music. Beth becomes very ill again, and Jo stays by her side throughout her sickness until the day she dies. Laurie and Amy fall in love and marry in Paris. Professor Bhaer returns to visit Jo and her family. Jo begins to see that she needs to be less independent and falls in love with Professor Bhaer. After they marry, Aunt March dies and gives her house, Plumfield, to Jo. Jo turns the house into a school for boys, and Mr. Bhaer begins teaching again. Every year the family goes to Plumfield to reflect on the years that have passed. Louisa May AlcottShow MoreRelatedLittle Women By Louisa May Alcott1041 Words  | 5 PagesIn her novel Little Women, Louisa May Alcott delves into the social expectations placed on American women in the mid-nineteenth century. Alcott explores the different impacts of these expectations through the experiences of the four March sisters as they transition from childhood to adulthood. As she follows the life of the girls as they struggle to balance the new world of social elegancies with the morals ingrained in them by their mother, Alcott challenges these social expectations and highlightsRead MoreLittle Women, by Louisa May Alcott800 Words  | 4 PagesLittle Women, by Louisa May Alcott, was published in 1868 and follows the lives, loves, and troubles of the fou r March sisters growing up during the American Civil War.1 The novel is loosely based on childhood experiences Alcott shared with her own sisters, Anna, May, and Elizabeth, who provided the hearts of the novel’s main characters.2 The March sisters illustrate the difficulties of girls growing up in a world that holds certain expectations of the female sex; the story details the journeys theRead MoreLittle Women, By Louisa May Alcott866 Words  | 4 PagesLouisa May Alcott was born and raised in Massachusetts from a financially struggling family, which will soon change due to Louisa’s writing talents. 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The way Louisa wrote Little Women makes allRead More Little Women by Louisa May Alcott1468 Words  | 6 PagesLittle Women by Louisa May Alcott This book is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It in a town in New England in the 1800’s. It about a family and the girls growing up during the 1800’s and the things they have to face. The growing pains that all girls have to go through even now. This was a very sad book at the end when Beth dies. The four main characters are Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth the story centers around the four girls and the life they have during the time they are growing up. MarmeeRead MoreLittle Women Or Meg By Louisa May Alcott966 Words  | 4 PagesLittle Women or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy by Louisa May Alcott is a coming-of-age story about four girls with all different personalities and different ways of going through the world. Alcott was persuaded by a talented editor from the Roberts Brothers firm to write a story for girls, and while Alcott was hesitant because she was not the largest fan of girls; she began the task. While this piece was originally geared to satisfy younger girls, the piece goes far beyond the point of just being anotherRead MoreEssay on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott816 Words  | 4 PagesLouisa May Alcott’s Little Women is an engaging and remarkable â€Å"snapshot†of its time. Written in response to a publisher’s request for a â€Å"girls’ bo ok,†Little Women is a timeless classic of domestic realism, trailing the lives of four sisters from adolescence through early adulthood. The life-like characters and their tales break some of the stereotypes and add to the strength of the plot that embeds the last few years of the Industrial Revolution and social customs and conflicts, such as the CivilRead MoreThe Value Of Sisterhood In Little Women, By Louisa May Alcott1325 Words  | 6 Pagespriority. Even though the novel Little Women and the poem Goblin Market are different in regards to their primary storyline, genre and writers, they do discuss a similar theme, the value of sisterhood, in a way that helps in the understanding the achievements that sisterhood can orchestrate. Little Women is an 1869 novel written by Louisa May Alcott that majors around four sisters who are living with only their mother as the American Civil War was underway (Alcott 3). The March girls, who are theRead MoreThe Theme Of Family In Little Women By Louisa May Alcott1027 Words  | 5 PagesSarah Percy Wilson Theme- family is most important English 05 October 2017 Classic Novel Analysis In the novel Little Women by: Louisa May Alcott, a common theme is expressed throughout. To the family in this story, each other is the only thing that matters, therefore, displaying the message family is the most important thing you can have in your life. The four sisters, Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy, belong to a very poor family inRead More The Importance of the Family in Louisa May Alcott Little Women864 Words  | 4 Pages Many times people are asked to think about what is important to them. A person may say their home, car, children, material items and some may even say family. In the book Little Women (1868-1869) written by Louisa May Alcott illustrates several family values. The story of the March family starts out during the civil war in New England. The family is left to survive on their own because their father went to protect his country. During the years of life the March children, Margaret (Meg), Josephine
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