Complexity Theory and Project Management
by Wanda Curlee (North Central University, Exton, PA); Robert L. Gordon (Senior Faculty, Keller School of Management (DeVry))Format: eBook
Pub. Date: 2010-10-01
Publisher(s): Wiley
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Summary
The book will be written by two authors who are members of PMI, educators, and consultants. The book is intended to be a practical guide to the application of complexity theory to virtual projects. Specifically, the book will be broken down into five major sections. Section 1 will outline the theory of complexity and address current deficiencies in the existing body of knowledge about project management and introduce how complexity can address these deficiencies. Section 2 will cover successful strategies that deploy complexity theory in order to make projects more successful. Section 3 will offer case studies and details on how complexity theory has been applied successfully in other organizations. Section 4 will present the building blocks on how to create communities within organization to support complexity theory. Section 5 will review and summarize the findings of the book as well as review the future of the application of complexity theory. The authors plan an extensive insctructor's companion website which will contain teaching notes, power point slides, and a solutions manual plus a tool box of solutions to common project management problems.
Table of Contents
| Complexity Theory | |
| A Practitioner's explanation of Complexity Theory | |
| Introduction to complexity theory | |
| Introduction to complexity theory | |
| History of chaos theory | |
| History of complexity theory | |
| How complexity theory is in use today | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| Case Study: Looking for complexity within a project team | |
| Case Study Review | |
| References | |
| Going beyond the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide | |
| What is lacking in current project management knowledge regarding complexity | |
| What the PMBOK Guide should include about complexity | |
| Complexity beyond what the PMBOK Guide should include | |
| How do other project management associations address complexity | |
| International Research Network on Organizing by Projects | |
| International Project Management Association | |
| Practical application is missing and where can it be found? | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Virtual leadership and complexity | |
| What are virtual projects and why are they important? | |
| Why complexity is a necessary tool of virtual leadership | |
| Application of complexity theory to virtual teams | |
| What makes virtual leadership work? | |
| How leaders can help make a virtual team successful | |
| Transformational leadership in virtual teams | |
| How leaders can implement complexity to help make a virtual team successful | |
| Winning strategies for virtual project managers | |
| Creating metrics to track the success of complexity | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Successful virtual projects | |
| Introduction to successful virtual projects | |
| Trust in the virtual project | |
| Trust and communication | |
| Trust and change | |
| Ethics and the Virtual Project Manager | |
| Complexity in the virtual project | |
| The Champions of complexity | |
| Case example: Software consulting | |
| Case example: Online University | |
| The Mutts of complexity | |
| Case example: Introduction of a Project Management Organization (PMO) | |
| Case Example: Network Infrastructure Paradigm Shift | |
| Analysis between Champions versus Mutts: Knowing the difference | |
| Project Success or Failure: Complexity love it or leave it | |
| Drive | |
| Energy | |
| Enthusiasm | |
| Support | |
| Successful virtual team interaction: Assessment, consequences, and management | |
| How complexity can achieve greater success | |
| Trust Experiential Review | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| How to deploy complexity theory | |
| Successful project management strategies of complexity | |
| Planning for complexity in a project | |
| Leadership and power: A planned relationship | |
| Create a plan to address complexity in a virtual project | |
| Make a plan | |
| Communicate the virtual project plan as a tool to leverage complexity as a solution driven process | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Virtual leadership through complexity | |
| Teaching leadership skills to teams for handling conflict in a virtual team | |
| Costs of negative conflict | |
| Time and performance management for virtual teams | |
| Case studies of complexity theory applied to successful project | |
| Reducing conflict within an organization | |
| New Virgin Group Communication | |
| Leadership and Organizational Culture case study | |
| Case Study Review | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| How organizational culture is the key to applying complexity | |
| Introduction to organizational culture | |
| Leadership and organizational culture | |
| Virtual Project Management Monograph #1 | |
| Spending time developing the culture of complexity | |
| Social Myth Example: Chasing Rainbows | |
| Social Metaphor Example: Walk the Wall | |
| Global culture | |
| Cultural Acceptance Process | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Cultural Conflict through the lens of complexity | |
| Traditional conflict | |
| Virtual conflict | |
| Positive conflict: The art of negotiation | |
| Research | |
| Plan | |
| Action | |
| Review | |
| Negative conflict | |
| Addressing subversive conflict with complexity | |
| Identifying and correcting lack of commitment by team members | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| Case Study | |
| Case Study Review | |
| References | |
| Cultural conflict resolution strategies | |
| Introduction to conflict resolution strategies that deploy complexity | |
| How complexity can avoid continuous leadership intervention | |
| Effective prediction of conflict | |
| Confront conflict quickly | |
| Create a culture to address conflict quickly | |
| Get problems off the team | |
| Banish conflict | |
| Grow the team towards success | |
| Manage the scope | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| Case Study: Conflict at Project Management Technology Inc.. | |
| Case Study Review | |
| References | |
| Risk Management Through the Lens of Complexity | |
| Butterfly Effect | |
| Beehive/Ant Colony Disturbance | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Case Studies Of Applied Complexity | |
| SEMCO (Organizational complexity) | |
| Complexity as an organizational mantra | |
| How SEMCO is successful with fewer rules | |
| Consider how the SEMCO website describes the company | |
| Why rule based organizations may be on the way out | |
| Analysis of SEMCO and key complexity learning | |
| Success analysis | |
| Summary | |
| References | |
| Web based Universities (Multi-level complexity) | |
| Complexity as applied to a web based university | |
| How a web based university can thrive applying complexity | |
| Why complexity is so important in a virtual university | |
| Analysis of a web based University and key complexity learning | |
| Success analysis | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Small team complexity | |
| Whole Foods: How they are a different kind of market | |
| Values and Principles | |
| Trust | |
| Equity | |
| How small teams applying complexity can make a difference | |
| Small team decision making with complexity | |
| How complexity allows entrepreneurial teams to be more successful than rule based teams | |
| Analysis of Whole Foods Market and key complexity learning | |
| Success analysis | |
| Community | |
| Service | |
| Marketing | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Create Successful Project Communities | |
| Leadership of complexity driven organizations | |
| What defines an organization ruled by complexity | |
| What is different about leaders in complexity driven organizations | |
| Leadership elements necessary for complexity | |
| Leadership | |
| Five Elements of Good Leadership | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Communities | |
| Complexity applied to groups | |
| Complexity applied to create successful communities | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Teams and complexity | |
| Teams and complexity | |
| Application of virtual teams | |
| Virtual Environment / Cultural concerns | |
| How to establish teams with complexity | |
| Elements of successful teams that leverage complexity | |
| Tools to make complexity part of all teams | |
| Case study - Adding complexity to a maturing company | |
| Teamwork at Alpha Engineering | |
| Scenario Questions | |
| Case Study Review | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Micro-Teams (Tribes) | |
| The importance of small teams | |
| How small teams support complexity | |
| Leveraging micro-teams within organizations | |
| How to build tribes within an organization | |
| Organizational Culture Attributes | |
| Innovation and Risk Taking | |
| Attention to Detail | |
| Outcome Orientation | |
| People Orientation | |
| Team Orientation | |
| Assertiveness | |
| Building the tribe | |
| Successful Tribes | |
| Understood goal | |
| Making more from less | |
| Creativity (reward) | |
| Examples | |
| Eliminate dependencies / Create interdependencies | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Dealing appropriately with change | |
| Change management | |
| How complexity can improve change management | |
| Instances of change that are appropriate for complexity | |
| Instances of change that are not appropriate for complexity | |
| Checklists for coping with change | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Advanced Tools for Managing Complexity | |
| Complexity tools for organizations with virtual teams | |
| Complexity leadership tools | |
| Virtual Leadership Complexity Process chart | |
| Integrity | |
| Vision | |
| Complexity | |
| Virtual leadership Complexity checklist | |
| Virtual leadership Complexity self assessment | |
| Complexity tools for building community | |
| Building a virtual community with complexity | |
| Community communication mapping for understanding complexity | |
| Complexity checklist for building community | |
| Complexity tools for building teams | |
| Building team diagram | |
| Complexity checklist for building teams | |
| Complexity self assessment for building teams | |
| Complexity tools for building micro-teams (tribes) | |
| Building micro-team diagram | |
| Complexity checklist for building micro-teams | |
| Complexity self assessment for building micro-teams | |
| Complexity tools for dealing with change | |
| Tools for dealing with change while moving towards complexity | |
| Leveraging the complexity of language for dealing with change | |
| Complexity self assessment for dealing with change | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Virtual projects and complexity theory | |
| Complexity theory as applied to successful virtual leaders | |
| Application of complexity theory to successful virtual teams | |
| Creating contingencies that apply complexity theory | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| Using complexity to address a troubled project | |
| Troubled projects | |
| How complexity can be applied to a troubled project | |
| Celebrations of successes to nurture future complexity behavior | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| References | |
| The Future of Complexity | |
| Where will complexity be in the future? | |
| Why chaos and complexity are here to stay | |
| The next evolution of chaos and complexity | |
| Chapter Summary | |
| Conclusion | |
| References | |
| Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved. |
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