Essay on Motivation and Performance Thesis

The paper is divided into three sections, the first of which will establish a timeline of events. This project background will serve as a case study for the analysis in the following section that will be structured such that each of the previously mentioned facets will be independently analyzed and contrasted with project management principles. Finally the paper will conclude with a summary of the analysis and recommendations based on

In a matrix structure, each employee answers to two immediate supervisors: a department supervisor and a project manager. The department supervisor is charged with overseeing employees in a functional area such as marketing or engineering. Project supervisors manage a specific and often impermanent project. They absorb employees from various functional areas to complete their project teams. This kind of organizational structure has several advantages especially if the project managers identify their team strengths and weakness early. Directing the staff with effective leadership skills is a key role as a project manager. A clear direction of the project from start to completion is vital. Therefore, the project managers must carry top notch planning and organizational skills. To follow the WBS and have a clear understanding of the importance of remaining on budget throughout the entire project is mandatory. The experienced project manager must keep planning, staffing, budgeting and scheduling and other control techniques under wrap, by utilizing their administrative skill according to Project Management, (Kerzner, 2013). Although the administrative and other techniques are important, in this particular project, each project manager must work closely as a team member and example. Building the team and each departmental manager into a working cohesive team, could be the true

This project manager determines specialists, performance requirements, etc. The company is results-oriented therefore, efficiency is imperative (Gray, & Larson, 2008). Flexibility concerning resources and expertise amongst human capital provides any employee with the right skills an opportunity to become a valuable member to the team. The matrix structure is stressful, and dysfunctional. Conflict does occur when project managers and functional management disagree. The company structure preludes to the culture of an organization and how teams work together (Gray, & Larson, 2008).

According to Gray and Larson (2008), a matrix type of organization is one in which a hybrid organization form of a project management structure is placed directly over the functional order of the normal business operations. Typically, this type of organizational structure has two chains of command and the project participants have to report to two separate chains of command. This type of structure is designed to use resources efficiently. It is also intended to provide an optimal solution while being able to accomplish multiple projects at the same time. According to Gray and Larson (2008), there are several advantages and disadvantages to this type of organizational structure. The advantages of this type of structure are that it allows multiple projects to go on at the same time by sharing resources. It also allows the project managers to focus on coordinating and integrating different units or resources that can be integrated into several functions within the organization. Also,

Motivation in the workplace is one of the major concerns that managers face when trying to encourage their employees to work harder and do what is expected of them on a day-to-day basis. According to Organizational Behavior by John R. Schermerhorn, James G. Hunt and Richard N. Osborn the definition of motivation is "the individual forces that account for the direction, level, and persistence of a person's effort expended at work." They go on to say that "motivation is a key concern in firms across the globe." Through the years there have been several theories as to what motivates employees to do their best at work. In order to better understand these theories we will apply them to a fictitious organization that has the following

This case study was originally prepared as part of Project Management Applications, the capstone course of the Master of Science in Project Management in the Department of Management Science at The George Washington University, by the graduating students listed

A project organization is a structure that facilitates the coordination and implementation of project activities. Its main reason is to create an environment that fosters interactions among the team members with a minimum amount of disruptions, overlaps and conflict (pm4dev, 2007).Selecting the organization structure is one of the most important points to start any project. On the basis of unique characteristics of the project, each project structure various forms its own advantages and disadvantages. One of the main objectives of the structure is to reduce uncertainty and confusion that typically occurs at the project initiation phase .The Structure defines the relationships among

The essential processesof project management The process of project definition Part of a project definition checklist A functional matrix for a single project i a n manufacturingcompany Matrix organization for several simultaneous projects in a manufacturingcompany Matrix organization for a company engineering petrochemical, mining or large construction projects Project team organization Project team versus balanced matrix A hybrid organization A project with more than one project manager

In the modern economic environment, organisations appreciate the fundamental strategic and supportive role that project management performs in the market. However, in order to ensure project success, should the focus be on the project management system or is the organisational culture more influential? Project management can take on a variety of applications and systems, making it difficult to find a consent concise definition within literature. However, Cleland and King (1983) succinctly define project management as a “combination of human and nonhuman resources pulled together in a ‘temporary’ organization to achieve a specific purpose” (Cleland & King, 1983, p. 187). Galbraith (1971) characterised a continuum of project management systems. At one end of the continuum is ‘functional organisation’, often regarded as more traditional, through to ‘product organisation’ at the other end. Existing in the middle is ‘matrix organisation’, a hybrid of either end of the spectrum (see fig. 1). Three different forms of matrix organisation are identified in literature: ‘functional matrix’, ‘balanced matrix’, and ‘project matrix’ (Gobeli & Larson, 1986; Vasconcellos & Hemsley, 1981; Youker, 1977). Each of the project management systems establishes distinctive associations between the various participants in a project. Project success appears to be strongly linked to organisational culture. However, the role of both organisational structure and organisational culture are significant

Job satisfaction and motivation are to the key to a good organizational culture. Employee uncertainty is a main ingredient to poor project teams and bad organizational culture. People need some type of motivation to remain active during the failure of a project. The secret to any successful project is keeping important key players in place to help aid out the transition to the next project team (Jernigan, L., Hammond, L., and Robinson, T., 2003).

The implementations of organizational projects require careful attention to details. The key to a successful project implementation begins with the selection of the right players. In creating a project management team, careful attention must be made when selecting the Project Manager, the Project Leaders and certain strategic employees. Success depends on the caliber of the members of the team, the team’s ability to work together and to magnifying the talents of the team both individually and collectively, (Passage, 2006, p.44).

Abstract This paper aims at providing a grounded theoretical foundation on which to base a better understanding of organisational project management. This paper delivers empirical evidence that project management offices (PMOs) and organisational project management can be understood as

Interest in project management has grown considerably over the last few decades, within academics and practitioners, identically, demonstrating an enthusiasm in this field. The approach toward project-oriented organizational design is becoming more common nowadays, with even the most operation-based organizations preferring to define projects to better plan, execute,

Project management is the discipline of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work done by a team to complete specific goals and meet specific success criteria. By definition, a project is a temporary work service with a defined start and end which will produce a unique product or service to bring valuable changes. Most of the time, projects are provided with limited resources in the form of time and/or funding. The nature of projects is opposed to the operations of a business which are repetitive activities to produce products or services. They support the businesses growth and need different types of management. The main challenge when managing a project is to reach a satisfying level of completion

Motivation is one of the most discussed topics in the present era’s organisations, especially since renowned psychologists like Maslow and Herzberg are dedicating their efforts to understanding it. Companies are investing a significant amount of resources in improving productivity in order to maximise profits. One of these important resources is of human nature. In order to get the very best out of employees, some motivational approaches need to be used. But what is motivation and how do I successfully motivate? I will try to relate one of my personal experiences with a friend to some of the most influential motivational theories. After introducing my story and making a definition of motivation I will address the ideas of Taylor,