Wikiprojects

Today’s agenda A short introduction to team leadership Virtual teams – the Jarvenpaa & Leidner study Wiki-principles in project management – discussion questions

Project leadership Project leadership as activities directed upwards/downwards, outwards/inwards, and forward/backwards Upwards and outwards: Connect to stakeholders Inwards and downwards: Concentrate on performance Backwards and forwards: Keep the project on track

Connect to stakeholders Get stakeholder approval Build credibility Work in networks Market the project

Concentrate on performance Formulate individual criteria for success State aims and direction Celebrate success Stop and reflect Create a stimulating environment Be tough on quality

Keep the project on track Plan and control Think before Keep the whole team informed Get feedback whenever possible

Team development Forming Storming Norming Performing Adjourning Mourning

Project team development and effectiveness Forming Transition from individual to team member Group attempt to define the and plan the tasks that have to be done Little actual work accomplished Feelings: excitement, anticipation, suspicion, anxiety, hesitancy Manager needs to provide direction and structure

Project team development and effectiveness Storming Conflict emerges tension increases Motivation and morale low Feelings: frustration, anger, hostility Manager needs to be directive, but less so than in forming stage

Project team development and effectiveness Norming Relationships become settled Conflict and dissatisfaction are reduced Cohesion and trust begin to develop Greater sharing of information, ideas, and feelings Manager minimizes directiveness and takes on a supportive role

Project team development and effectiveness Adjourning Mourning

Project team development and effectiveness Barriers to team effectiveness Unclear goals Unclear definition of roles and responsibilities Lack of project structure Lack of commitment Poor communication Poor leadership Turnover of project team members Dysfunctional behavior

Project team development and effectiveness The effective project team Clear understanding of objective Clear expectations of each person’s role A results orientation A high degree of cooperation and collaboration A high level of trust

Project team development and effectiveness Performing Great degree of interdependency Members frequently collaborate and willingly help each other Team feels fully empowered Manager fully delegates authority and responsibility Manager’s role is to facilitate and support development of corrective actions if actual progress falls behind plan

Time management At the end of each identify several goals you want to accomplish the following week At the end of each day make a to-do list for the next day Read daily to-do list first thing in morning, keep it in sight all day Control interruptions Learn to say no Make effective use of waiting time Try to handle most paperwork only once Reward yourself at the end of the week if you accomplished all your goals

The virtual teams challenge Increased use of teamwork characterised by - temporary relationship episodes - culturally diversity - geographic spread - electronic communication

Why virtual teams? Permeable interfaces and boundaries Market driven organising and re-organising Best competences gathered across time, space and cultures Flexibility Lower costs Improved resource utilisation Faster development cycles

Problems of virtual teams Low individual commitment Role overload Role ambiguity Abseentism Lack of trust Psychological distance Communication problems

Team development (Järvenpää & Leidner, 1998)

The three functions of effective groups Production (problem solving and task-related performance) Member support (member inclusion, participation, loyalty, commitment) Goup well-being (interaction, member roles, power, politics) Must be present at all phases of the project!

Virtual communication Should imply lower quality of communication and trust, since face-to-face interaction is needed to build trust Research results: Not lower quality, but lower speed of trust-building

SIDE theory (Walther, 1997) Social identification/deindividuation theory Perceived inclusion/exclusion based on perceived characteristics of others in the group Affirmed characteristics => reinforce identity and increase social identification Absence of F2F communication means more stereotyping, which increases the probability of affirmed characteristics (deindividuation of other group members)

The wiki-principles Coase’s law: ” A firm will tend to expand until the cost of organizing an extra transaction within the firm become equal to the costs of carrying out the same transaction on the open market” The inverted Coase law: “A firm will tend to expand until the cost of carrying out an extra transaction on the open market become equal to the costs of organizing the same transaction within the firm “

The four principles Openness Peering Sharing Acting globally

Discussion questions How can wiki-principles be applied to (1) delivery projects, (2) development projects, (3) change projects? What are the pros and cons of wikiprinciples in relation to project management? (In the three different forms) The wikiproject team – what are the conditions for trust? Is trust needed?