IS Management Functions Part 2

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IS Management Functions Part 2

• Institute for Professional Development
• DePaul University
• IS Project Management
• May 5, 2006

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What we will cover

• Case Study Your Worst Nightmare
• IS Management Functions
• Leadership
• Communications
• Management Issues and Challenges

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Case Study Assignment

• Your Worst Nightmare Project
• Choose a project you know that was or currently
  is not successful
• Provide the following in writing
• Brief description of the project
• Three major management issues
• Your analysis and opinion on
• What could be done to save the project?
• What could senior management have done
  differently?
• Who or what is the cause of the project failure?

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Leadership vs. Management

• Management is about coping with COMPLEXITY
• Leadership is about coping with CHANGE
• Companies manage complexity by planning and
  budgeting
• Leading an organization starts with setting a
  direction

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Leadership vs. Management

• Managers achieve a plan by organizing and
  staffing
• Leaders achieve their goals by aligning people
• Managers use controlling a problem solving to
  achieve a plan
• Leaders achieve a vision by motivating and
  inspiring

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Four Actions of a Leader

• Stretching
• The ability to challenge a teams habits and to
  take risks. Stretching is necessary to promote
  change and achieve results.
• Empowering
• The ability to help others achieve their
  individual potential in order to obtain more
  effective organizational behavior. Empowering is
  necessary to achieve results and develop people.

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Four Actions of a Leader

• Coaching
• The ability to be a guide and a trainer. Coaching
  is based on the capacity to respect people, to
  listen attentively, willingly, and considerately.
  Coaching is essential in order to develop people
  and realize values.
• Sharing
• The ability to exchange information and know-how.
  Sharing is required for realizing values and
  promoting change.

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World-Class Leadership
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Situational Leadership Model

• Decision Styles
• Leader-Made Decision
• Leader-Made Decision with Dialogue and/or
  Explanation
• Leader Follower-Made Decision or Follower-Made
  Decision with Encouragement from Leader
• Follower-Made Decision

• Task Behavior
• Goal Setting
• Organizing
• Directing
• Controlling
• Relationship Behavior
• Giving Support
• Communicating
• Active Listening
• Feedback

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Communication Channels
Upward Communication to Management
Lateral Communication to Friends, Social Groups
and both Formal and Informal Organizations
Lateral Communication to Peers, Other Functional
Groups and Customers
Project Manager
Downward Communication to Subordinates and
Project Office Personnel
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Communication Barriers

• Preconceived ideas
• Communication Skills
• Frame of Reference
• Personality and Interest
• Attitudes, Emotion and Self-Interest
• Assumptions
• Selective Listening
• A project manager may spend 90 of his/her time
  communicating
• There is no such thing as too much communications

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Images versus Concepts
Concept-Based Words
Image-Based Words

• Sweat
• Hand
• Root
• Heart
• Explore
• Rock
• Grow
• Journey
• Frontier
• Path
• Clamor
• Sweet
• Tranquil
• Dream
• Imagine
• Listen
• See

• Work
• Help
• Source
• Commitment
• Inquire
• Dependable
• Produce
• Endeavor
• Limit
• Alternative
• Request
• Agreeable
• Moderate
• Idea
• Think
• Consider
• Understand

Image-based words are much more inspirational
Business Leaders tend to think in terms of
bottom-line goals like boosting revenues or
profits. But they need to speak about their
goals in terms of how they will make a positive
difference in the world.
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Communication Problems

• What are your most memorable communication
  problems?
• What could have been done differently?
• Video Exercise

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Communication

• Companies and teams can have difficulties
  executing their plans if there is a lack of
  communication
• This is called the Execution Gap
• The difference between what people execute and
  what they are capable of executing

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Why The Execution Gap?

• Five reasons
• No Clarity
• No Translation to Action
• No Commitment
• No Shared Discipline
• No Synergy

Source Steven Covey
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Company Strategy Communicated
Source Steven Covey
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Company Strategy
Adopted
Communicated
Source Steven Covey
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Why Execution Falters Clarity
Less than 1/4 of workers can name their
organizations top three priorities
Only 3 out of 10 workers says their organization
focuses intensely on a few crucial goals
Source FranklinCoveys xQ Survey
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Why Execution Falters Translation To Action
Only 1/3 of workers feel their organizations
most important goals are translated into the
goals of their work group
1/4 of workers say the goals of their work group
are translated into individual work goals
Source FranklinCoveys xQ Survey
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Why Execution Falters Commitment
Source FranklinCoveys xQ Survey
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Why Execution Falters Discipline
Source xQ Survey, Autumn 2002
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Why Execution Falters Synergy
Less than 1/4 of workers can name their
organizations top three priorities.
Two thirds of workers believe there is no strong
cooperation among individuals on their team
Source FranklinCoveys xQ Survey
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An Architectural Framework for Linking all the
Business Processes to Information Technology and
for Working the Necessary Critical Partnerships
Column 1
Column 3
Column 4
Column 5
Column 6
Column 7
Column 8
Column 9
Column 10
Column 2
Technical Architecture Long Term Systems Plan
Vendors, Other Networks Internet, Strategic Part
ners
External Environment Outside World, Market,
Organization, Company Goals, Long Term
Strategies
Profit Centers Divisions Market Functions Geograp
hic Divisions
This Years Goals Hot Buttons, Critical
Success Factors
Process, Tasks Job Description
Information Requirements What is needed For
1,2,3,4
Data Data Flow Files, Data Warehouse Peoples
Minds
Systems Manual Automated Packages, Custom
Industry Macro-Econ
Organization Direction
Data
Information
Personal Responsibility
Operating Plans
Formal Unit Objectives
Future Technology
Current Technology
Partner Technology
Use
Delivery
Value
The columns link together, with Column 1
connected to Column 10 Each column is a different
perspective, view, opportunity, influence Each is
about one lunch worth of discussion
Source The Dooley Group
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Different Styles for Different People

• People perceive things differently
• People have different styles of communicating,
  understanding and motivating
• What is your style
• Meyers-Briggs
• DISC

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DISC Analysis

• Dominance
• Influence
• Steadiness
• Compliance

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DISC Leadership Styles

• The Director is a leadership style that tends to
  appear where the leader has a highly Dominant
  personality. Such a leader has a demanding and
  impatient leadership style. They rarely tolerate
  dissension, and act quickly to quell any possible
  threats (as they will see them) to their
  leadership position.
• The Persuader (a style related to profiles
  showing high Influence) prefers to foster a
  friendly, open atmosphere, and to build strong
  relationships with the members of their team.
  This approach often hides the fact, though, that
  this style is still an assertive and active one,
  and will react badly where they believe other
  members of the team are in some sense taking
  advantage of their informal style.

Source http//www.axiomsoftware.com
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DISC Leadership Styles

• The Supporter (a style based on high Steadiness)
  tends to see themselves as providing a service
  for the team's members, rather than a source of
  direction. While they understand their
  responsibilities as a leader, they will typically
  seek to establish rapport with the members of
  their team, providing support where circumstances
  require it, and looking for similar support from
  their members.
• The Thinker (which applies to styles showing high
  Compliance) represents a leader who works through
  planning and structure. We have already seen how
  highly Compliant types will attempt to impose
  authority through procedure and organization.
  This is due largely to their desire for certainty
  they will wish to know as much as possible
  about the operations of the team on a day-by-day
  level.

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Other issues or thoughts from your own experiences

• Management
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Communications