Having been assigned the duty of project manager in the construction of Holocaust History Museum, Shimon Kornfield was tasked with the duty of managing project teams that were tasked with the duty of coming up with different concepts of design that would be used to construct the museum in a way that would be symbolic to people who associated with the Museum. Managing the teams was difficult since they would each come up with different designs and this resulted in rivalry among the team members and there was anger of the progress of the project being hampered. It is thus important to establish change management techniques that should have been used to maintain morale of the team in different situations by giving the rationale and justification for each technique.
In managing the morale of the team assigned to the Yad Vashem Memorial Site project in light of the numerous project designs, the project manager should have formulated a plan with clear goals and objectives for all team members to abide by (Phillips, 2014). This technique ensures that every team member comes up with designs that are in line with the objectives set by the project manager. The goals will also provide a new way of thinking and will also help to unify the team members in their finals decisions. Another technique to be applied would have been to clearly communicate to all the team members about the required changes so as to ensure that any designs are at par with the requirements of the project (Phillips, 2014). Open communication ensures that every individual is equally involved in the project by sharing ideas, comments and concerns rather than being involved in a competition amongst themselves. Open communication also prevents any squabbles that may arise amongst them and this will ensure that team members are more open to discussions and suggestions and thus more willing to work. A final technique that Shimon should have applied is the delegation of tasks among the key team players to ensure that all team members are participating in the process of designing the project so as to ensure rationality is maintained amongst the members. Internal conflicts will gradually reduce since the team members report to their respective heads before the final decisions of each group is presented to the project manager. By applying these techniques, Shimon would have been able to avoid the constant conflicts and this would have helped to reconcile the different opinions among the team members.
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As a way of ensuring that all team members were informed of any proposed changes, Shimon should have always provided a good report, highlighting the changes that would have been proposed. This ensures that all team members are up-to-date with all the developments in the project (Nielsen, N.d.). A short and precise report contains critical information concerning the project and helps to inform them of the advantages and disadvantages of each design. Understanding the project designs makes it easier for the team members to contribute their suggestions. Updating the team members on their individual tasks also ensures that they get to understand the changes and prepare for them (Foong, N.d.). Weekly updates help to facilitate communication of proposed changes. This way, the team members are able to meet and plan on how to implement these changes. Regular updates also ensure that the work is done efficiently and with time, reduces the amount of time spent on arguing and more on working on the building project.
The criticality of timing of communication was important in the Yad Vashem memorial site project since it ensured that the execution of the project was completed on time and that the appropriate designs were selected for the construction. Shimon, the project manager ensured that he communicated the design he intended to use to build the concrete structure in advance. This ensured that the architects had enough time to examine the proposed design and approved of it before executing it. As a result, advance communication ensures that, those involved in the project had enough time to plan in advance to ensure that the form, sequence, shape and the materials required for the design of the memorial site were at par with the expectations of the visitors to the memorial site. Considering that the memorial site provoked feelings among those affected by the Holocaust, it was important that the construction of the memorial site incorporated all the necessary symbolic associations for the satisfaction of the visitors. This further highlights the criticality of the timing of communication in the success of the Yad Vashem memorial site project. The uniqueness in the design of the buildings is also attributed to proper timing in communication since all suggestions were made on time by both the architects and the project manager after enough consultation.
When assuming that two key members had been replaced during the execution of Yad Vashem memorial site project due to family crises, it would have been necessary for Shimon to take initiative to ensure that he gained the trust and credibility of the remaining participants. This could have been done by reassigning the duties of the key members to other members. This will show them that they are important in the group and thus increase the team leader’s credibility. Addressing any challenges that the remaining participants have will help them to open up and this will ensure that the project manager earns the trust of the participants. This will help to create rapport with them. Recognizing their efforts also helps to increase the credibility of the team leader,
In conclusion, the success of the project on Yam Vashem memorial site is attributed to the criticality in timing of communication. The combination of proper timing with change management techniques are especially useful in attaining success in any project.
References
Foong, M. Y. (N.d.). Effective Communication: A Challenge to Project Managers. Project Times. Retrieved from http://www.projecttimes.com/articles/effective-communication-a-challenge-to-project-managers.html
Nielsen, D. (N.d.). Project Communications: How to keep your team engaged and informed. Retrieved from https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/project-communications-how-to-keep-your-team-engaged-and-informed.php
Phillips, A. (2014). How to Lead Your Team through Change. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235832/
