Leading Teams: Advanced Project Management

Course Director: Katja Einola

WHY A COURSE IN LEADING TEAMS?

It is hard to overestimate the importance of skillful teamwork and project management in contemporary organizations. Regardless of whether we look at consulting, retail or finance firms, innovation hubs, arts and sports organizations, tech companies, government agencies or non-profit organizations, projects and teamwork permeate work life everywhere.

At the same time, research says that up to 80% of teams underperform or fail -- according to the team members themselves. This is something most people (you?) having experience in teamwork can easily confirm. Project and teamwork can be both tough and fun. The point is that there are no easy solutions to make teams or projects a success.

Understanding dynamics of teamwork is particularly important for business school graduates. This is because many of you will take on positions as project managers, team leaders and occupy various roles in management during your careers. We all work on projects and do teamwork and team leadership already but seldom stop to think how to do it better. This course is an opportunity to dive into science, art and practice of teamwork.

In this course, you will learn about both theoretical and practical tools, as well as hone your hands-on skills to enable you to create and sustain well-performing teams and project-based organizations. The course will also cover some of the darker sides of project and teamwork, often neglected in both literature and organizational practice. Importantly, we will discuss how these dysfunctions can be mitigated or avoided altogether.

THE COURSE DESIGN

The course consists of two main components: (1) theory and (2) application of theory in hands-on exercises.

Theory:

You will learn from lectures, guest speakers, a basic short textbook as well as specialize in more advanced texts (research articles and other relevant sources) on contemporary topics.

There will be a short written test early on in the course on basic course literature to make sure everyone is on board.

Hands-on exercises:

You will conduct a group assignment in which teams of 3-5 students shall conduct an in-depth study of a live project or team in an organization of your choice. These projects will run during the whole course. At the end of the course all the groups will present their work in a mini-conference. In this assignment, your group will not only describe the chosen case, but also analyze typical “project traps” and issues you identify and make suggestions or recommendations on how to go forward. You will also apply different models and theories that can help understand the case better.

The chosen project-type is left open, as long as it involves application of theory to practical project and/or teamwork. The most important thing here is that the project has high relevance for you and your team to ensure your motivation and full engagement. You can choose to study a team, a project or a project-based organization. It could be a development project in any kind of business, an infrastructure or building project, a consulting project, teamwork in a specific setting (for instance sports or arts), a project-intensive organization, a start-up team, a charitable organization or something else.

Based on your experiences from both your own project work, guest lectures and literature readings and presentations, you will wrap up the course by completing an individual written assignment in which you are asked to reflect upon your development during the course.

There will not be any final written exam in this course.

On attendance: You are expected to be active and attend classes in person as the course pedagogy is based on collective learning. Maximum two absences are admitted. However, if you have a force majeure and are ready to commit to your assignments and team members, do contact me and we can sort out the attendance requirement. I am very keen on following basic fairness principles.

Welcome!

Course Administrator: Anna.Meijerberg@hhs.se

The goal of this course is to develop your ability to understand the nature of project and teamwork, to act in project/team-based organizations, and to develop your ability to use teamwork and project management tools. The course is also designed to develop your reflexivity and critical thinking as a member in projects, teams and team-based organizations. By the end of the course, you should both be able to reflect on your own values, motives and “inner compass” to guide you in your future project and teamwork.

General entry requirements.

We will use an introductory book for project management oriented for business readers.

Nieto-Rodriguez, A: Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook: How to Launch, Lead, and Sponsor Successful Projects (HBR Handbooks) 2021

We are also going to select a varied set of articles we'll discuss in the classroom and during the seminars. We can also consider any relevant material students may want to propose.

1. Group assignment where the task is to study a real-life team or a project in-depth, write an analytical paper and present and discuss this case in a mini-conference with other course participants. 30%.

2. Literature reading and presentation. 20%.

3. Individual learning paper. Reflecting upon team work during the course, and developing a personal team and project leadership approach. 30%.

4. Literature test. 20%.

NOTE: There is no final exam.

Find the course schedule in TimeEdit

Have you been granted educational support because of a documented disability? If so, please contact the course director as soon as possible so that adequate accommodations can be made.

Contact specialneeds@hhs.se if you have questions about being granted educational support or need a copy of your educational support certificate.

For more information, visit the Specific Educational Needs page on the Student Hub (login required).