The Reluctant Workers

Read the Chapter 6 Case: The Reluctant Workers. Prepare a three to six (3-4) page report that answers the following:
Identify and analyze three of the core skills that were at play in the case of the reluctant workers, referencing the ten skills described in Chapter 4.
Analyze the way in which Tim Aston, the young project manager, was exercising his skills with respect to his project staff and the functional managers. Discuss Tim Aston’s effectiveness in light of the three core skills you identified.
Analyze the degree of support Tim was provided by his company: What kind of support did Tim require, and to what extent did he receive it?
Make recommendations to both the senior executives (the company) and Tim Aston, relative to personnel motivation and resource allocation, etc., in order for Tim to be an effective project manager.

The format of the report is to be as follows:
Typed, double spaced, Times New Roman font (size 12), one inch margins on all sides (APA format)
Use headers for each of the criteria, followed by your response.

In addition to the three to six (3-4) pages required, a title page is to be included. The title page is to contain the title of the assignment, your name, the instructor?s name, the course title, and the date.

Apply the project manager’s critical skills, in terms of project leadership, team building, time management, conflict management, and effective communication with executive sponsors, peers, team members, and project clients.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in project management.

THE RELUCTANT WORKERS
Tim Aston had changed employers three months ago. His new position was project manager. At
first he had stars in his eyes about becoming the best project manager that his company had ever
seen. Now, he wasn?t sure if project management was worth the effort. He made an appointment
to see Phil Davies, director of project management.
Tim Aston: ?Phil, I?m a little unhappy about the way things are going. I just can?t seem to moti-
vate my people. Every day, at 4:30 P.M., all of my people clean off their desks and go home. I?ve
had people walk out of late afternoon team meetings because they were afraid that they?d miss
their car pool. I have to schedule morning team meetings.?
Phil Davies: ?Look, Tim. You?re going to have to realize that in a project environment, people
think that they come first and that the project is second. This is a way of life in our organiza-
tional form.?
Tim Aston: ?I?ve continually asked my people to come to me if they have problems. I find that
the people do not think that they need help and, therefore, do not want it. I just can?t get my
people to communicate more.?
Phil Davies: ?The average age of our employees is about forty-six. Most of our people have
been here for twenty years. They?re set in their ways. You?re the first person that we?ve hired
in the past three years. Some of our people may just resent seeing a thirty-year-old project
manager.?
Tim Aston: ?I found one guy in the accounting department who has an excellent head on his
shoulders. He?s very interested in project management. I asked his boss if he?d release him for
a position in project management, and his boss just laughed at me, saying something to the effect
that as long as that guy is doing a good job for him, he?ll never be released for an assignment
elsewhere in the company. His boss seems more worried about his personal empire than he does
in what?s best for the company.
?We had a test scheduled for last week. The customer?s top management was planning on
flying in for firsthand observations. Two of my people said that they had programmed vacation
days coming, and that they would not change, under any conditions. One guy was going fish-
ing and the other guy was planning to spend a few days working with fatherless children in our
community. Surely, these guys could change their plans for the test.?
Phil Davies: ?Many of our people have social responsibilities and outside interests. We encourage
social responsibilities and only hope that the outside interests do not interfere with their jobs.
?There?s one thing you should understand about our people. With an average age of forty-
six, many of our people are at the top of their pay grades and have no place to go. They must
look elsewhere for interests. These are the people you have to work with and motivate. Perhaps you
should do some reading on human behavior.