wHAT WOULD BE A PROPER RESPONSE TO THE BELOW TWO DISSCISIONS POSTS?

1. Hey Class,

As a project manager managing a sales/distribution process improvement project, I would utilize the framework developed by Lencioni (2002), who identified the five dysfunctions of a team: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results.

Absence of Trust: Build trust by establishing open communication and a safe environment where everyone feels their opinion is valued. Encourage transparency and honesty within the team. Regular team-building exercises can also increase the level of trust among team members.

Fear of Conflict: Promote healthy debates and constructive conflicts to bring out the best ideas. The project manager can set ground rules for discussions to ensure they are productive and respectful.

Lack of Commitment: Ensure that every team member is on board with the project's objectives, the plan, and specific roles and responsibilities. Regularly review and reaffirm these elements to enhance commitment.

Avoidance of Accountability: Encourage team members to take ownership of their tasks. Use project management tools to track progress and make it visible to all team members. This transparency will instigate a sense of responsibility and accountability among the team.

Inattention to Results: Keep the team focused on the project goals and milestones. Regularly share progress updates and celebrate small wins to keep motivation high and attention focused on results.

Now, on to the reasons for outsourcing. Organizations typically outsource for several reasons:

Cost Efficiency: Outsourcing can be a cost-effective way to complete tasks or projects, especially when the resources or skills needed are unavailable internally.

Access to Expertise: Outsourcing provides access to world-class capabilities and expertise that may not be available within the organization.

Focus on Core Business: It allows organizations to focus on their core competencies and strategic issues, leaving the operational details to external experts.

Risk Management: It can spread risks associated with the tasks or projects, as the risk is shared with the outsourcing provider.

The trend in outsourcing, particularly in government and offshoring, is growing due to technological advancements, globalization, and the search for competitive advantage. For example, government entities may outsource certain functions to reduce costs, increase efficiency, or use specific expertise. This can be particularly evident in IT services or facilities management. Offshoring, or outsourcing to companies in other countries, has become more prevalent with better communication technologies and the desire to leverage cost differences between regions.

For instance, a company may outsource its customer service to a company in a different country where labor costs are lower. This allows the organization to provide round-the-clock customer service at a fraction of the cost of hiring and managing an in-house team.

Reference:

Lencioni, P. (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. Jossey-Bass.

2. Hello all -

Several considerations must be made when leading teams. One of which is understanding how to address team dysfunctions when they arise. Information regarding team dysfunction helps a project manager develop and implement strategies that will strengthen coordination and teamwork between members, thus paving the way for collaborative working towards addressing conflicts and project risks. Bond-Barnard, Fletcher, and Steyn (2018) indicated that when there is collaboration, there is increased trust within the team and both are key factors in project success. Although project risks will arise, when the dysfunctions of the team are avoided and are properly addressed, these risks can be mitigated through collaboration between the members. If a project manager knows the dysfunctions of the team, they can develop an intervention or an initiative to prevent these dysfunctions from taking place. On the other hand, the trend of outsourcing is driven by a myriad of factors. According to Nyameboame and Haddud (2017), outsourcing brings in several benefits to the organization, regardless of nature of operations. In their study, they revealed that outsourcing reduces operational costs while continuing to provide consistent and improved delivery of service. Aside from enhancing organizational performance, an offshore company takes high advantage of outsourcing because it is said to help reduce conflict of culture and also pays more attention on the organization's core business activities. For governments, outsourcing is found to be essential in increasing employee productivity and at the same time, in increasing public income transfers (Petersen, Andersen, Bhatti & Houlberg, 2022).

Cheers!

Kacie

References

Bond-Barnard, T.J., Fletcher, L. & Steyn, H. (2018). Linking trust and collaboration in project teams to project management success.

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 11 (2), 432-457. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMPB-06-2017-0068.

Nyameboame, J. & Haddud, A. (2017). Exploring the impact of outsourcing on organizational performance.

Journal of Global Operations and Strategic Sourcing, 10 (3), 362-387. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JGOSS-01-2017-0001.

Petersen, O.H., Andersen, L.B., Bhatti, Y. & Houlberg, K. (2022). Competition, Ownership, and the Impact of Government Outsourcing on Employees.

Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 37 (2), 398-415. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muab032.