MIS608 Agile Project Management. Report 4 Sample
Task Summary
You are required to write and submit a 1500-word individual reflection about Agile ways of working and Agile teams in preparation for your group assignment. The aim of this assessment is to maximize your team performance through practical project experience with learnings you can take to your future workplace (some people in your team may annoy you now, but they are very likely to represent the people you will work with in future – so learning these lessons now gives you a head start in the soft skills required for your career).
You will be expected to examine and reflect upon Agile Ways of Working in your team – working towards Assessment 3 as a project with your team, specifically on the following conceptual areas:
1. The Agile Mindset
2. Psychological Safety
3. Servant leadership
Please refer to the Task Instructions for details on how to complete this task.
Context
In professional life, while some parts of a job require individual contribution but progressively more work requires collaboration and group work. Group learning is designed to help you to learn about the process of collaboration in preparation for your career.
Agile teams and agile ways of working are becoming ubiquitous in workplaces, and you will likely be a part of an agile team in your career. However, agile is very different from the more traditional ‘command and control’ management methods to which many people are accustomed. It requires self-organisation and teamwork, rather than being told what to do.
This assessment is made up of three questions that will guide you to think about how your team are working together:
QUESTION 1 – Servant Leadership
“....The great leader is seen as servant first...” – Robert Greenleaf
Leadership is often conflated or associated with a ‘command and control’ culture with people who ‘take charge’. Robert K Greenleaf saw a different way – to understand read this brief article about Servant Leadership before answering this question: White, S. K. (2022). What is Servant Leadership? A philosophy for people-first leadership.
Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/executive/resources/articles/pages/servant-leadership-.aspx
Looking at the seven pillars of servant leadership in the article, select two of the pillars and give an example for each of how you have demonstrated this way of working with your team members. Describe how your behaviour aligned with what is described in each pillar and the outcome that it helped you to achieve.
Now describe an example where one of the pillars was not used, but how using that particular pillar would have helped the team to achieve a better outcome.
QUESTION 2 – Mindset
Survey your mindset: Review this article and video to answer this question: Dweck, C. (2016. What Having a “Growth Mindset” actually means. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a- growth-mindset-actually-means
Looking at these dimensions, answer the following questions:
1. Consider a team member that is working with you on the group assessment that demonstrates characteristics of a growth mindset:
a. Which characteristics stand out as good examples in their ‘ways of working’ of their growth mindset?
b. How do these characteristics help the group to move forward as a team?
c. Has this team member had to respond to criticism? How did they receive the
criticism, and how did they respond?
2. Consider a team member whom you feel is demonstrating a fixed mindset in working together:
a. Share an example to describe why you think they have a fixed mindset. What characteristics, in particular, seemed to demonstrate a fixed mindset in action?
b. Why do you think this team member is behaving this way?
c. Do you see any examples where this team member may show some signs of a growth mindset – share an example.
d. What actions do you think you can take to help this team member bring their growth mindset to the fore more often?
QUESTION 3 – Psychological Safety
You will need to read Chapter 4 – Dangerous Silence in Edmondson, A. C. (2018). The fearless
organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth.
John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/think/reader.action?docID=5596894&ppg=101
There are parallels between the Andon cord from Lean and Edmondson’s discussion about
psychological safety in workplaces.
1. Describe a time when you have found it difficult to speak up – explain what you did or did not do and what the impact was to you and others for the choice you made to either speak up – or not.
2. How does a culture of ‘command and culture’ stifle psychological safety? Can you
give an example of this from your personal experience and what was the outcome?
3. Select one of the examples in Chapter 4 of the reading – how would you have ‘pulled the Andon cord’ in this situation? How do you believe that knowing how catastrophic the outcome was going to be would have given you the courage to speak out?
Solution
Introduction:
In this paper, I'll discuss three important facets of cooperation and teamwork in the workplace. In the first question, Robert K. Greenleaf's concept of Servant Leadership is explored. Utilising the seven pillars delineated in the attached paper, I will present instances of how I have exhibited this methodology in my dealings with colleagues, emphasising the favourable results attained.
I will then go into further detail on the concept of mindset, highlighting the differences between a Growth and a Fixed mindset. University Assignment Help, I’ll describe each mindset's traits in team member instances and evaluate how each affects the dynamics and advancement of the group.
Finally, I'll go into Amy C. Edmondson's important concept of psychological safety. I will share personal anecdotes when I struggled to stand up and explain the choices I took and the results I got. Furthermore, based on my personal experiences, I will discuss how a "command and control" culture can obstruct psychological safety and offer tactics to promote an environment that is more inclusive and transparent. With the help of these reflections, this report hopes to offer insightful information about the dynamics of effective leadership, teamwork, mentality, and psychological safety—all of which are essential for being ready for a successful career in the collaborative professional environment of today.
Question 1: Servant Leadership
According to the paradigm of servant leadership, leaders should see themselves primarily as servants to their teams. According to this strategy, leadership is about helping team members succeed and grow rather than about imposing control or authority. A thorough framework for putting Robert K. Greenleaf's seven pillars of servant leadership into practise is provided.
One of the pillars that really speaks to me is "Empathy." The significance of leaders comprehending and demonstrating empathy for the experiences, viewpoints, and emotions of their team members is emphasised by this pillar. One of the team members in a recent project was having personal issues that were influencing their work (White, 2022). Rather than relying on conventional management orders, I decided to have an open discussion with them. I paid attention, trying to understand their circumstances and feelings. I was able to provide them with support that was specifically customised to their requirements by exhibiting true empathy, which ultimately resulted in an improvement in their performance and the return of their confidence (Matherne, 2023).
One further essential tenet is "Stewardship." This feature highlights how leaders have an obligation to develop the potential and welfare of their team members. I mentored a junior team member who was having trouble adjusting to a new technological platform in a prior joint project. I gave them resources and direction rather than giving them answers, enabling them to advance their knowledge and take charge of their education. They became more adept at using the technology as a result, and they also showed more confidence and independence in their job. On the other hand, there was a situation in which the "Awareness" pillar was not completely integrated. I overlooked the warning indications that a team member was in distress as they struggled to keep up with an excessive workload. I continued under the impression that they were handling things well rather than taking proactive measures to solve the problem. Their production suffered as a result of this carelessness, and they became frustrated. If I had been more aware of their requirements and difficulties, I could have intervened to provide assistance and divided up the job more fairly, which would have ultimately resulted in a workflow that was more harmonious and effective.
In summary, Robert K. Greenleaf's practise of servant leadership provides an invaluable framework for effective leadership in cooperative settings. Within their teams, leaders may cultivate a culture of empowerment, growth, and support by modelling values like empathy and stewardship. Acknowledging and correcting awareness gaps can also result in better results and a more positive working environment. Adopting this strategy helps the team and organisation succeed as a whole in addition to benefiting individual team members.
Question 2: Mindset
1. Think of a team member who is collaborating with you on the group evaluation and exhibits the following traits of a growth mindset:
a) This team member demonstrates many admirable traits of a growth mindset. Their willingness to take up new challenges is particularly noteworthy. They take a positive approach to activities, seeing them as chances for growth and learning rather than as potential hazards. This kind of thinking empowers the group to take on challenging issues head-on since they understand that even failures can provide insightful lessons.
b) The group's advancement is greatly aided by these qualities. This team member encourages a culture of creativity and ongoing progress by welcoming challenges. Others are encouraged to venture beyond of their comfort zones by their willingness to take measured risks, which fosters innovative problem-solving and the investigation of novel concepts (Dweck, 2016). They enthusiastically embrace change and aggressively seek out constructive criticism, exhibiting resilience and adaptability that considerably advance the team's goals.
2. Think about a teammate who, in your opinion, is acting with a fixed mindset when collaborating:
a) One member of the team always displays a fixed mindset, especially when it comes to how they handle difficulties. They have a propensity to shy away from things that appear difficult or unusual, showing a reluctance to leave their comfort zone. Their predilection for assignments that fit their current skill set is indicative of this mindset, which results in a constrained range of contributions.
b) This behaviour could be the result of a need to preserve their perceived ability or a fear of failing. The team member may be reluctant to explore new areas because they see obstacles as threats to their sense of self. This resistance can make it more difficult for the group to approach complex issues in a comprehensive way because their knowledge is limited to a certain area.
c) There have been times when this team member has shown signs of a growth-oriented attitude, but their mindset is primarily fixed. For instance, they voluntarily offered to facilitate a conversation about a subject they were not at all familiar with. This behaviour suggests a capacity for embracing difficulties and broadening one's skill set, as well as a potential shift towards a more growth-oriented mindset.
Giving this team member individualised coaching and mentoring based on their unique difficulties and growth areas would be crucial to helping them adopt a more growth mentality. Moreover, encouraging a climate of constructive criticism and acknowledging little successes can support the development of a team mentality that emphasises ongoing learning and development.
Question 3: Psychological Safety
1. In a past group assignment, there was one specific time where I struggled to speak up. There was a tight deadline on the team, and things were getting tense. I had discovered a weakness in our strategy that would eventually cause serious issues. I was hesitant to express my worries, though, because of the high-stress atmosphere and the perceived urgency of the situation.
In the end, I decided not to say anything since I was afraid of breaking the team's momentum and adding to their tension. Regretfully, my choice had unexpected effects. The problem I had found ultimately resulted in an expensive setback that needed a lot of reworking. The significance of psychological safety in a team dynamic was highlighted by this event; had I voiced my worries, the result could have been different.
2. A "command and control" culture has the potential to seriously undermine psychological safety on a team. Decisions are made at the top and authority is centralised in such a culture (Edmondson, 2018). Team members may fear retaliation or believe their perspectives are unimportant as a result, which can hinder open communication and dissenting views.
I had a direct experience with this in a prior position. A stringent 'command and control' style was adopted by the management as our team worked on a crucial project. Because of the culture at large, team members were reluctant to speak up even if they saw a possible problem with our project deadline. Because of this, the problem was ignored until it got out of hand, which resulted in a last-minute rush to fulfil deadlines and a subpar finished product.
3. In one of the Chapter 4 situations, a team member saw a safety issue but was afraid of the consequences, so they were reluctant to bring it up. Regardless of the possible repercussions, I would have "pulled the Andon cord" in this situation and brought up the matter right away with the pertinent parties.
Understanding the potentially disastrous result would have given strong incentive to put safety above individual concerns. Given the gravity of the situation, I would have had to push past my hesitations and voice my concerns right away. In addition to being in line with psychological safety standards, this move puts the integrity and well-being of the team and the current project first.
Conclusion
The most important factor in maximising group performance on Assessment 3 is creating a psychologically comfortable environment. Every team member is given the freedom to express their ideas, worries, and creative solutions without worrying about criticism or retaliation because to this foundation. Teams that prioritise open communication and value different points of view are better able to detect possible problems together, come up with creative solutions, and make well-informed decisions. The team is able to accept challenges and progress from setbacks because of the growth attitude that this atmosphere fosters. In the end, psychological safety fosters a climate of mutual respect, trust, and cooperation that pushes the group to reach its full potential and produces exceptional outcomes on Assessment 3.
References
Dweck, C. (2016). What Having a “Growth Mindset” actually means.
Edmondson, A. C. (2018). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.
Matherne, B. (2023). Servant leadership. SAGE Publications. https://lesa.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1383659103
White, S. K. (2022). What is Servant Leadership? A philosophy for people-first leadership.
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