Project Leadership: from Theory to Practice

Project Leadership: from Theory to Practice

by Jeffrey K. Pinto
Released November 1998
Publisher(s): Project Management Institute
ISBN: 1880410109

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Book description

This provocative book combines theory and practice and is the first of its kind to develop a complete model of the project leader function in modern corporations. It addresses such diverse, but equally important, roles of project leader as visionary, strategic manager and ethical leader. It is a hands-on guide detailing the specific steps you will need to follow in creating a project vision, reaching all project stakeholders and selling that vision. You will also learn about a wide range of leader dutiesmanager, problem solver, facilitator, trainer, communicator, advocateand discover how each duty affects your ability to create a cohesive project team. This book fills an important niche in the managers bookshelf by presenting a practically written discussion of the critical roles that leaders play and the impact they have on successful project implementation.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. List of Figures
  3. Preface
  4. What Is Leadership?
    1. I Want to be a Cowboy: The Leadership Myth
    2. The Nature of Leadership
    3. Transformational versus Transactional Leadership
    4. The Unifying Nature of Leadership
  5. Classical Theories of Leadership
    1. Contingent Leadership Theories
    2. Contingent Behavior Theories
    3. Leadership Styles for an Optimal Fit
    4. Contingent Trait Approach to Leadership
    5. Universal Leadership Behavior
    6. Universal Trait Leadership Theories
    7. Conclusion
  6. Accountability for Results
    1. Functional Accountability
    2. Accountability Gap
    3. Communicating Expectations
    4. Measuring Performance
    5. Control over Results
    6. Feedback and Reaction to Results
    7. A Process Model of Accountability
  7. Creating a Project Vision: The Image that Guides the Team’s Work
    1. The Motivational Impact of a Vision
    2. Explaining how Vision Works
    3. Implications for Project Leaders
    4. Conclusion
  8. Developing a Project Vision: A Step-by-Step Approach
    1. Visionary Leaders: Born or Made?
    2. Vision Training
    3. Implementing the Vision
    4. Conclusion
  9. Leadership and Team Building: Gaining Cooperation from Team Members
    1. Characteristics of Effective Teams
    2. Stages in Group Development
    3. Determinants of Cross-Functional Cooperation
    4. Implications for Managers
    5. Conclusion
  10. Leadership Ethics: Doing Right While Doing the Right Thing
    1. Ethics in Business
    2. Project Management Characteristics that may Lead to Ethical Dysfunction
    3. What Ethics is Not
    4. The Basis of Ethical Reasoning
    5. Values in Society
    6. Ethical Dilemmas
    7. Means versus the Ends
    8. Three Key Questions
    9. Relating the Three Questions
    10. What does our Motivation have to do with this?
    11. Creating and Implementing an Ethical Vision
    12. Conclusion
  11. Leadership and Project Strategy: Driving the Project to Success
    1. Leading Plus Managing: Strategies Drive Projects
    2. Keeping the Project on Course: Solve the Right Problem, Understand Key Assumptions, and Use New Frameworks
    3. Keeping the Project Moving: Identifying Roadblocks
    4. Changing the Course of a Project: Revolutionary Changes
    5. Implications for Project Managers
    6. Conclusion
  12. Leadership and the Political Side of Project Management
    1. Authority, Status, and Influence
    2. The Implications of Project Politics
    3. Conclusion
  13. Leadership and the Future of Project Management
    1. Key Points to Remember
    2. Conclusion
  14. References
  15. Upgrade Your Project Management Knowledge with First-Class Publications from PMI
    1. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
    2. Interactive PMBOK Guide
    3. PMBOK Review Package
    4. Managing Projects Step-by-StepTM
    5. PMBOK Q&A
    6. PMI Proceedings Library CD-ROM
    7. PMI Publications Library CD-ROM
    8. Also Available from PMI

Product information

  • Title: Project Leadership: from Theory to Practice
  • Author(s): Jeffrey K. Pinto
  • Release date: November 1998
  • Publisher(s): Project Management Institute
  • ISBN: 1880410109