Introduction
The case of Building of Memory: Managing Creativity through Action discusses the thoughts and efforts that went into the creation of an iconic building in Yad Vashem, which is located near Jerusalem, Israel. The Holocaust History Museum was very important to all the individuals who have involvement in the development and construction of the building. The building of the monumental structure was highly expensive and technical as the structure presented by the architect Moshe Safdie demanded immense skills, expertise, and high-quality materials. The initial project manager was assigned the task of coordinating between the different parties that were involved in the creation of the building. As a result, he was regularly caught between the two sides, both of which thought that the other was striving to dominate the idea and its implementation.
Change management techniques for Project Management
Analysis and Communication of Feedback and Solutions
Celebrating Small Successes with the Team
Since the team will be subject to a lot of changes regarding project specifications and designs, therefore, frustration levels may be high. Hence, to negate with the negative effects of the high frustration levels, it is important that all minor successes and minor accomplishments of the building objectives should be celebrated with the team members of the project.
Training for Change Management
Ensuring that all team members learned of Proposed Changes
It is of significance importance that any changes that are decided in the completion of the project should be communicated effectively and efficiently throughout the team members and stakeholders of the project.
Effective Communication and Involvement in decisions
Establishing an effective communication system is important. In addition to this, feedback and training will also hold significant importance to ensure that all team members learn to change. The project manager will need to ensure that the communication system that is implemented to communicate a change in the project does not unnecessarily overwhelm the receivers or disclose sensitive financial information. (Dalal, 2011). If the team members are involved in the decision-making process of the decisions then, they will be more willing to accept the change that is incorporated in the operations or project of the organization (Dievernich, Tokarski, & Gong, 2014).
Training and Application
Application of Agile Management Practices
If the project team follows the value of Agile Management Practices, then this will stimulate the team members in solving problems, and coping with complex and dynamic situations. The employees, therefore, due to the agility in the environment will be more open and receptive to the changes, and learn the changes effectively.
Criticality of the timing of communication in the success of the Yad Vashem Memorial Site Project
The success of the Yad Vashem Memorial site project was highly dependent on the effectiveness of the communication and its critical timings between the stakeholders. In fact, it can be stated that due to the effective and efficiently timed communication, the project managed to become a significant success regarding museums as well as architectural uniqueness.
For instance, the construction project funds provided to the stakeholders were only worth 45 million dollars, which was significantly less than the 100 million dollars, which were estimated for the completion of the project. The issue was communicated to the project manager Shimon Kornfleid. The effective and efficient communication leads the manager to take reactive measures as he proposed that the construction and the rest of the development process should be separated, along with the issuance of a separate tender. In this manner, the team managed to save itself from a potentially destructive hurdle for the project.
Similarly, when it was communicated to the project manager that the stakeholder wished to choose a contractor who could accomplish the project with the minimum possible expenditure. In response to this, the project manager strived to hold meetings with the stakeholders in order to make them aware that due to the nature of the project, quality mattered more over price. When it was communicated that the stakeholders were still not highly convinced, the manager demonstrated real life practical demonstration of the failure of considering the price factor more significant and important rather than the quality and adherence to the actual vision.
Another example of timely decisions was when the Project Manager Israel Chaskelevicth was brought onboard. Since the manager thought that the project could benefit from the honest and expert opinions on Israel, therefore he communicated his desire and opinions to the company, who immediately accepted his idea. Israel’s expertise and knowledge managed to make the project a success.
The effective communication between the two sides ensured that there was no miscommunication, and the quality of the project was not compromised as a result of it.
Steps to Establish Trust and Gain Credibility
If two team members had to be replaced in order to deal with their family crises, then the project could suffer considerably in terms of team morale, communication, and adherence to the project completion schedule. Therefore, those employees would have to replace effectively and efficiently while also training them and bringing them up to date with the situation of the project and the demands and modes of communication that have been the center of focus in the memorial project.
Establish Open and Honest Communication
The trust and credibility of the remaining project participants can be ensured via open and honest communication between the workers and team members. So as to ensure that there is no resentment or misunderstanding between the employees. When a team project losses a team member, then it will translate into the loss of already established knowledge and capabilities (Macmillan, 2012).
Adjustment of the Resources
The cohesiveness of the team is also significantly affected. Thus, the collaborative work of the team will be affected and as a result, the trust and credibility of the leader may also be affected negatively. When an employee leaves due to various reasons, the manager will need to adjust the project schedule according to the resources available (Heldman, 2010).
Demonstrate Competence
Establish Harmony
Since credibility deals with reputation, it has to be earned over time. Creation of effective communication and harmony, despite the diversity of opinions, interests, and beliefs will contribute positively to the credibility of the leader. As a result of this, the team members will be highly receptive to the ideas of project manager, and this will increase the chances of the successful completion of a project.
References
Anderson, D., & Anderson, L. A. (2010). Beyond Change Management: How to Achieve Breakthrough Results Through Conscious Change Leadership. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Carstens, D. S., Richardson, G. L., & Smith, R. B. (2013). Project Management Tools and Techniques: A Practical Guide. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.
Dalal, A. F. (2011). The 12 Pillars of Project Excellence: A Lean Approach to Improving Project Results. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Dievernich, F. E., Tokarski, K. O., & Gong, J. (2014). Change Management and the Human Factor: Advances, Challenges and Contradictions in Organizational Development. Cham: Springer.
Heldman, K. (2010). Project Management JumpStart. Hoboken : John Wiley & Sons.
Macmillan, P. (2012). Project Management: A Problem-Based Approach. Basingstoke, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan.
White, P. (2013). Four Simple Techniques for Change Management. Retrieved from Nexight Group: http://nexightgroup.com/four-simple-techniques-for-change-management/
