Assignment 4: Managing Creativity through Action
Assignment 4: Managing Creativity through Action
Management strategies for Shimon Kornfield
Shimon Kornfield should have exhibited the traits of a change manager to control the morale of the team. Importantly, a change manager combines innovation structures and creative tools used in leading workers to realize the perceived outcomes (Kloppenborg, Shribeg, and Venkatraman, 2003). Kornfield was tasked with handling a complex project that needed vibrant and zealous team members. Evidently, the project faced numerous challenges including the need to keep the members motivated. Hence, Kornfield should have adopted specific management strategies to control the morale of the workers. First, Kornfield should have established a collaborative environment to involve the members in getting solutions. Collaboration in a workplace makes each member feel important and consequently promotes morale. A manager should be a team worker and seek ideas from the members to determine how the project impacts them. That way, every member of the team has an opportunity to help in arriving at practical solutions. Second, Kornfield required approaching challenges in a positive way. Numerous people expressed interest to construct the buildings but were incapable of providing competitive vision. Also, they were not vibrant and did not exhibit the desire to complete the project. An active approach by Kornfield would make the project seem simpler despite the technical challenges. Creating motivation is another strategy that Kornfield would have adopted to enhance morale during project. Evidently, in the process of handling the project, there was a temptation to stop construction due to lack of funds. Such a move would have impacted the fundraising adversely. That justifies the creation of motivation to maintain team spirit. Lastly, optimism was a vital change management strategy that Kornfield should have developed to maintain team spirit. Members of a team tend to work hard if their leader is optimistic to realize the set goals. Thus, optimism would have helped to improve the team morale during the construction process.
Communicating every change is vital during a project implementation. Ideally, communication is a method to explain an organization (Jablin, 2001). A project manager should first understand all the stakeholders of the project. The manager should also determine the rationale of communicating changes during the various stages of development. Kornfield should have taken charge of the communication process to ensure centralized communication. Ideally, Kornfield should have held the task of emailing and speaking directly to the team members to notify them of any changes. This process required Kornfield to implement a formal process of determining the key persons and what they need to know at various stages of the development process. Kornfield should have avoided sharing non-essential information to the wrong members of the team. An underlying question is whether Kornfield should have adopted verbal or written communication. Written communication helps offer clarity of the message being communicated. Also, team members can refer to written communication in the future or case of confusion. Some of the written communication techniques include notices, memos, and letters. Email is also a form of written communication that is very efficient in sharing information. Kornfield should also have adopted verbal communication to clarify technical and unclear information. Verbal communication would have helped him to combine non-verbal signs when passing information. Kornfield should have maintained formal personal interactions to avoid being misinterpreted by the team members. However, regular non-formal interactions are also vital in the course of the project. Kornfield should have adopted a habit of holding regular meetings with the stakeholders to brief them on the progress of the project and possible changes. Importantly, the project manager should be accountable for any errors that occur during the communication process. These essential steps would have been useful in ensuring that team members become informed of the suggested modifications.
Essence of the timely of disclosure in the prosperity of the Yad Vashem
The timely communication is vital for the accomplishment of any project. Timely disclosure helps pass the right information at the right time. Also, it helps prevent mistakes that may happen at different stages during project implementation. Additionally, timely communication gives information about the proposed changes allowing the stakeholders to establish strategies for handling deviations. Timely communication during the construction of Yad Vashem helped to realize success. Various communications during the building of the museum were made at the right time. The first example is when Safdie convinced Shimon to tour different sites around the world (Laufer, ZviZiklik, and Russell, 2015). This move was critical in building confidence among the designers. Visiting different places was also decisive in exhibiting the experience and qualification of Safdie. Shimon sourced the assistance of an expert to help him in implementing the sophisticated design (Laufer, ZviZiklik, and Russell, 2015). The communication was critical since Shimon got some recommendations that were adopted by Safdie. This communication was also essential in solving possible errors in the design of the project. Another example is when Shimon proposed the decoupling of the building (Laufer, ZviZiklik, and Russell, 2015). This communication was critical since the team members were in a position to handle the difficult part first. Building a part of the building was also a good strategy to source for construction funds. Ideally, developing the structures simultaneously would result in the lack of resources to execute the whole plan. The communication about decoupling the building also helped solve the conflicts between the architect and curators. Notably, timely communication during the construction of the Yad Vashem museum led to the elimination of possible errors and assured continuity.
Shimon Kornfield measures to build trust and credibility
According to Covey and Merrill (2008), good leaders start by quantifying trust economically. This way, leaders realize that trust is very expensive to build once lost. Trust and credibility help a manager to avoid troubles such as family crises in the construction of Yad Vashem. The building of trust and credibility should start at individual level since it influences a person’s reputation. Kornfield would have utilized various methods to improve trust and credibility. Building character is the fist key step towards gaining credibility. Kornfield should have spent time evaluating himself to determine what values he holds. The team members would trust him if he exhibited consistency about specific values. Building character also involves preserving one's integrity and being authentic. These factors are vital to building trust and credibility. Kornfield should have strived to develop his expertise to exhibit professionalism. Creating proficiency involves staying informed about all new developments in the field of specialization. Developing skill would help Kornfield avoid instances of having to consult an expert for design interpretation. It would also help him avoid sharing the wrong information with the team members. Being transparent is another strategy of developing trust and credibility. A leader should be open about the issues of the project to convince team members they are worth trust. Evidently, trust and credibility are very fundamental in the execution of a project. These aspects would only be possible if Kornfield prioritized them.
References
Covey, S. M. R., & Merrill, R. R. (2008). Speed of trust: The One thing that changes everything, the. New York: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Jablin, F. M. (2001). The New Handbook of Organizational Communication: Advances in Theory, Research, and Methods. Thousand Oaks: CA: Sage publications.
Kloppenborg, T. J., Shriberg, A., & Venkatraman, J. (2003). Project leadership. United States: Management Concepts.
Laufer, A., ZviZiklik., & Russell, J., (2015 ). Building of Memory: Managing Creativity through Action.
