Management Research
The write up below:
Describes two theoretical frameworks the writer has choosen for his research problem and why.And also how the writer’s choice(s) of theoretical frameworks affect the manner in which he shall conduct the research?
Provide constructive critiques of his choices of theoretical framework(s) and suggest additional theories they might consider.
Leadership theory:
From our interactions human beings sustain the effects of leadership where it is interpreted, sustained and elaborated where the reality is a result of causal power (Kempster & Parry, 2011). Research into project management maturity requires the investigation of leadership style, the leadership activities and the ability of leadership to transform the organisational behaviour to successfully adopt the maturity framework. Verlage, Rowold, & Schilling (2012) assert that according to the tradition of constructivism leadership theory is understood to be a subjective perception phenomenon.
Latham (2014) expresses that the existing knowledge of leadership narrowly defines the disconnect leadership effectiveness has in its context therefore making its practice difficult to exercise. Latham (2014) further stipulates that there is a need for more research into the integration of transformational theory, servant theory, and spiritual theory. Offerman, Kennedy & Wirtz (1994 cited in Verlage, Rowold, & Schilling, 2012) identify that the analysis of leadership theory could lead to new knowledge of factors that have not yet been considered. Latham (2014) in figure one illustrates a leadership framework to include the perception of followers, the style of leadership and the leadership system as inputs into the organisational behaviours, environment and outcomes.
Verlage, Rowold, & Schilling (2012) identify that leadership theories consist of transformational, inspirational leadership, transactional leadership, and servant leadership. Servant theory according to Parris & Peachey (2013) emphasises the service to others whilst recognising the role organisations act in developing people that can build a better future. The research of Parris & Peachy (2013) reveals the strengths in servant leadership are the ability to “encourage follower learning, growth, and autonomy” and also that servant leadership will have a future active role in learning organisations.
Figure One: A framework for leadership research.
Project management maturity consists of a multitude of complimentary components to successfully institutionalise project management best practices where although the context of change requires transformational leadership there are under lying styles of leadership exercised by management. The survey shall include the category of leadership and management including the leadership style, the leadership system, and the environmental factors influencing the outcomes. The environmental factors will be gathered from the leadership driving the change.
Management theory:
The positivist stance of Mellat-Parast (2013) tests through hypothesis research that management support in employee training, employee involvement, internal results and externally related results are directly related to the outcome of business management systems. Autocratic, hierarchical, and bureaucratic management styles are gradually being replaced with democratic, flat management structures, and the use of collaborative self-managing teams (Weymes, 2004). It is evident that the theory of management is evolutionary where as the processes and employee behaviours mature then so too must a suitable management style be present to encourage the ongoing improvement. Many organisations continualy seek new knowledge and ideas to ensure that business can be sustained in complex environments where firms realise that developing new knowledge is key to their survival (Santos, Powell & Sarshar, 2002).
The research will objectively investigate the types of management the firms have utilised to improve the maturity of project management and seek to compare findings of the firms’ management style with the impact on maturity improvement. This will include investigation into the tools, the frameworks, the management approach, the management of knowledge and data, the management of process and behaviours.
How will leadership and management theory impact the research?:
Lord and Maher (1991 cited Epitropaki et al., 2013) propose four models for the processing of information applicable to leadership known as the “rational model”, the “expert model”, the “six stage cybernetic model”, and the fourth being the “limited –capacity model”. The limited-capacity model is reliant on cognitive simplification where the researcher can respond to limited information situations using existing schemas and inferential processes (Epitropaki et al., 2013). It is probable that the author will utilise inference and the limited capacity model in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the information gathered to generate new knowledge in project maturity improvement. Although there will be inference present it will be supported with academic literature.
The common components of management are communication, planning, motivating, organising and controlling. It is through securing effective performance in these domains that the author shall excel in the researched topic. A coercive and motivational scripture will form the introduction of the communication to the participating firms. From a leadership perspective the author will be required to take a transactional stance to support the timely execution of the surveys where relaying the vision, the timeframes and the value of the research is viewed as paramount importance to the participants. The author will exemplify ethical leadership and take a diplomatic stance to influence the researched firms by expressing the value generated in performing the research.
The author further expects that the high uncertainty and risk involved in performing the research will require an adaptive approach that includes a risk strategy to ensure the research is adequately completed within the prescribed timeframe. Adaptive management according Smith, Felderhof & Bosch (2007) is a style of managing resources under variable and uncertain circumstances where the outcomes of the decision making are difficult to predict. Although Latham (2012) expresses the importance of the follower perception this factor is deemed unfeasible by the author where the knowledge of this component is unlikely to be accessible in high ranking organisations that partake in the research.
References:
Epitropaki, O., Sy, T., Martin, R. and Tram-Quon, S. (2013) ‘Implicit Leadership and Followership Theories “in the wild”: Taking stock of information-processing approaches to leadership and followership in organizational settings’, The Leadership Quarterly, 24 (6), pp.858-881. ScienceDirect [Online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.10.005. (Accessed: 20 June 2014).
Kempster, S. & Parry, K. W. (2014) ‘Grounded theory and leadership research: A critical realist perspective’, Leadership Quarterly, 22 (1), pp.106-120. ScienceDirect [Online]. Available from:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1048984310001906 (Accessed: 20 June 2014).
Latham, J. R. (2014) ‘Leadership for quality and innovation: challenges, theories, and a framework for future research’. Quality Management Journal, 21 (1), pp.11-15. EbscoHost [Online]. Available from:http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8c15e750-a12e-4d97-9fc6-9e9fd47c0c06%40sessionmgr4003&vid=1&hid=4113 (Accessed: 20 June 2014).
Mellat-Parast, M. (2013) ‘Convergence theory in quality management: evidence from the petroleum industry’, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 30 (2), pp.177 – 196. EmeraldInsight [Online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/10.1108/02656711311293580 (Accessed: 20 June 2014).
Parris, D., & Peachey, J. (2013) ‘A systematic literature review of servant leadership theory in organizational contexts’, Journal Of Business Ethics, 113 (3), pp.377-393. EbscoHost [Online]. Available from:http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/eds/detail?vid=2&sid=0677729e-e104-4c4c-8523-947cf9d0743e%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4208&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=87015717 (Accessed: 20 June 2014).
Santos, A.D., Powell, J.A. & Sarshar, M. (2002) ‘Evolution of management theory: the case of production management in construction’, Management Decision, 40 (8), pp.788 – 796. EmeraldInsight [Online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/10.1108/00251740210437743 (Accessed: 20 June 2014).
Smith, C., Felderhof, L. L. & Bosch, O. H. (2007) ‘Adaptive management: making it happen through participatory systems analysis’, Systems Research & Behavioral Science, 24 (6), pp.567-587. EbscoHost [Online]. Available from: http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=fa646152-b4db-4651-98dc-94c31316eb9f%40sessionmgr113&vid=3&hid=107 (Accessed: 20 June 2014).
Verlage, H., Rowold, J. & Schilling, J. (2012) ‘Through different perspectives on leadership: comparing the full Range leadership theory to implicit leadership theories’, Journal Of Organizational Learning & Leadership, 10 (2), pp.68-91. EbscoHost [Online]. Available from: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=197dd006-91cb-40e6-a233-433e1f05f1b5%40sessionmgr4004&vid=1&hid=4113(Accessed: 20 June 2014).
Weymes, E. (2004) ‘A challenge to traditional management theory’, Foresight, 6 (6), pp.338-348. EmeraldInsight [Online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/10.1108/14636680410569911 (Accessed: 20 June 2014).
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