Week 3 reply
-There will be 2 replies 100 words each with how I agree or disagree no sources needed.
1.)
The Role of Trust, Empowerment, and Autonomy in a Project Team
Laura S. Hall
Bethel University
Organizational Analysis II: OL4705_2309
Professor James Blasick
February 26, 2025
.
Overcoming Demotivation
Trust. The greatest reward is having the project sponsor’s trust because, as Gido et al.
(2018) said, “A trusting relationship brings team members together to work more efficiently
because they feel safe sharing and being engaged with the team and its goals” (p. 361). Trust is
crucial in creating a team culture where productivity and creativity flourish. Unfortunately, the
project sponsor’s actions during the project for an event with 450 attendees did not result in
this.
In this event-planning project, our team was nine months into a 10-month-long project. As
the project leader, I communicated monthly to the project sponsor, who approved all the
progress reports. Then, an uninvolved co-worker provided nefarious feedback to our project
sponsor without obtaining information from the team. The project sponsor overrode our team’s
planning, ignoring data. The lack of trust sabotaged my lead as the uninvolved co-worker was
emboldened and allowed to interfere further.
During a project team lunch, we agreed to align our focus to remain on the attendees to
maintain momentum and complete the project. But, as Pink (2009) alluded to, the harm was
done. The harm exhibited itself in a deflated and angry team that refused to engage in other
projects involving the project sponsor. We were wounded and felt defeated.
Disregarding the team’s data-driven decisions (survey results and polling) obtained from
attendees before the event illustrated a lack of trust in me, and our team paid the price.
Attendees did not want food, and the majority voted for a start time earlier than the actual start
time. Additionally, after-action survey responses from attendees overwhelmingly confirmed
their displeasure with the overturning of their input from pre-event surveys. Attendees rated
the event exceptional on quality factors included in the post-event survey: venue, decorations,
guest speakers, video presentations, and a warm and welcoming environment.
What could our project sponsor have done differently to support a more effective team
culture? Trust. Trust data-driven decision-making based on attendees’ pre-event survey
responses. Pink (2009) emphasizes how the science of intrinsic motivation, which satiated our
team, would have undeniable, positive results. Project team members focused on the best
outcome for the attendees, which fueled our intrinsic drive, even after being ‘beaten with a
stick’ into compliance (Pink, 2009).
Empowering our project team could have been a more effective motivational approach.
Gido et al. (2018) state that “Creating a project culture that empowers the project team means
not only assigning responsibility for tasks to team members but also delegating the authority to
make decisions regarding the accomplishment of those tasks” (p. 330). Empowerment with
autonomy, where team members are self-directed, would foster a culture of engagement and
satisfaction throughout the project (Pink, 2009).
Despite the challenges from the project sponsor, as the team lead, focusing on the
project’s deliverables to create an event that honored the attendees was successful. The team’s
integrity in pushing through together resulted in a quality deliverable.
References
Gido, J., Clements, J. P., Clements, J., & Baker, R. (2018). Successful project management (7th
ed.). Cengage Learning.
Pink, D. (2009, July). The puzzle of motivation [Video]. TED Conferences.
talks/dan_pink_the_puzzle_of_motivation?language=en
2.)
A few weeks ago, my job began using the new system for onboarding new students. Anytime
there are new systems or projects, my supervisor always asks me to be a part of them and when
it comes to training or assisting with any new systems or projects, I am always among the first
employees to learn and teach. Normally, our job has us learning new positions without pay
increases, bonuses, or incentives. If they do give out rewards, it is almost always a “spin the
wheel” feature so that anyone can win the prize. Therefore, it is never really a performance-
based reward. Our current system is not a good representation of the phrase “hard work pays
off”. During the implementation of the new onboarding system, a few of us were asked to take
on the project and after the success of the project, we had a reward ceremony where prizes
were given out. Gido (2017), “The project manager can provide support and rewards to help
ensure successful implementation of the new system” (p. 348). Using the “spin the wheel”
feature that the entire service center was present for, not one employee who worked on the new
project was gifted a reward. That is when we realized that this process was unfair. We want to
know that our hard work does not go unnoticed. I am typically self-motivated, but when I saw
that our rewards were not given out based on work performance, it discouraged me. Since being
discouraged, my job satisfaction has tremendously decreased and when asked I often turn
down the option of working on new projects or taking on any additional tasks. According to Pink
(n.d.) “Rewards narrow focus”. If their goal is to encourage us and keep us focused on
overachieving and doing well, then we have nothing to work towards. One thing that our
supervisor or project manager can do is put the top performers’ names on the wheel. That
would be something to work toward. Another option would be to personalize the rewards for
those who have performed the best.
Gido, J. (2017). Successful Project Management (7th ed.). Cengage Learning
US.
Pink, D. (n.d.). The puzzle of motivation. Dan Pink: The puzzle of motivation |
TED Talk. talks/dan_pink_the_puzzle_of_motivation?
language=en#t-83340
