Contrast leadership and power.

Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 14(chapter 14) (answer in 450 words with references )

Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 14

Reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Identify what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any other thing that you felt was worthy of your understanding.

Also, provide a graduate-level response to each of the following questions:

1. Why do so many projects end up terminated as a result of termination through starvation?  Discuss the role that ego, power, and politics in this form of termination.
2.  Why do “lessons learned” programs often fail to capture meaningful information that could help guide future projects?

 

Activity 14(each question half page)

Case Study 14.1—New Jersey Kills Hudson River Tunnel Project

This case illustrates the challenges in making an early termination decision.  Often, particularly in the case of public projects, there is a real difficulty in stopping a project once it has gotten “on the books.”  As a result, projects with huge cost overruns, like Boston’s “Big Dig” are allowed to continue almost indefinitely.  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie made a tough call in deciding to cancel the Hudson River Tunnel project because he was given a number of rosy projections that did not match the actual costs incurred to that date.  This is a great case to let students pick sides: should Christie have cancelled the project or not? There are arguments to be made that the need was strong (although others could argue that the need was over-sold).  On the other hand, the history of the project to date and the uncertainty about future federal funding made it a real gamble, especially during a time of economic recession.

Questions

1. How would you respond to the argument that it is impossible to judge how successful a project like this one would have been unless you actually do it?
2. Take a position, either pro or con, on Christie’s decision to kill the ARC. Develop arguments to support your point of view.
3. In your opinion, how clearly must a large infrastructure project like ARC have determined its need, costs, and so forth before being approved?  If the criteria are too stringent, what is the implication for future projects of this type?  Would any ever be built?

 

Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 6(chapter 13 and 14 )

Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 6

Reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Identify what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any other thing that you felt was worthy of your understanding.

Also, provide a graduate-level response to each of the following questions:

1. Pauline has been asked to reorganize her department, eliminating at least two people within the office. Pauline has strong personal relationships with everyone in her office and being asked to complete this task is very hard on her. Thinking back to Stage Four of the conflict process, discuss one of the types of intentions with which Pauline might struggle in this situation.?
2.  What are the various individual factors that make a person more likely to engage in political behavior?

 

Problem Set #6(each answer half page)

1.

2. What can managers do to manage conflicts effectively in their organizations?