Open Enrollment Programs

Dates: To be announced
Tuition: $3,700

UNC Executive Development has been working with leading project-driven organizations, helping to enhance great project leadership and management operations to address challenges arising during execution. Many organizations have moved to matrix and global project teams in order to streamline processes internally. They have invested in management techniques such as six sigma teams and gate reviews to create processes and practices that standardize schedules, budgets and planning activities. The result is a more efficient and effective project management environment.

The obstacle that remains is when project ambiguity arises due to the challenge of managing critical project relationships both internally and externally and applying project leadership and management techniques in environments that are dynamic and undisciplined. Managing innovative projects that are different from past projects requires strategic leadership skills and new project management skills. The following are typical examples of situations that require these additional project leadership capabilities:

• Leading global/matrix teams to reach effective decisions in a timely manner
• Creating alignment with contractors and outside organizations over whom you have limited or no direct influence
• Managing relationships with internal groups outside your direct control
• Leading projects through various gate reviews to identify critical challenges
• Managing customer expectations and relationships throughout the project lifecycle

Engineers, scientists and business leaders responsible for project leadership as well as functional team members who support these projects will benefit from this seminar.

• Understand the fundamental challenges faced by project teams
• Identify the project leadership skills and techniques that effectively address challenges such as:
  • Communication skills
  • Conflict management
  • Power/influence inside the organization as well as externally
  • Decision-making in teams
  • Virtual/geographically-dispersed team management
• Receive individual feedback regarding your inherent preferences and styles and how these create both strengths and weakness in leading projects
• Enhance project leadership skills which positively impact the project environment
• Develop a plan for implementing both personal and project leadership changes

The Project Leadership: Build a Best-in-Class Leadership Team program features many esteemed members of the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School faculty. Listed below is a sample of the faculty and topics that are typically included in this three day project leadership program.

Dave Hofmann, PhD, is a professor of organizational behavior and leadership who teaches about strategic problem-solving and decision-making in project teams.

Arvind Malhotra, PhD, is an associate professor of strategy and entrepreneurship who discusses the project leadership skills needed to negotiate the added complexity of virtual and globally dispersed teams.

Mabel Miguel, PhD, is a professor of leadership and management who focuses on influencing alignment and commitment with key relationships and planning for change when implementing personal and project team plans.

The Project Leadership: Build a Best-in-Class Project Team program is held at the Rizzo Conference Center, our world-class facility in Chapel Hill, NC. The Rizzo Conference Center is designed to foster executive leadership and development and is wired for business so that we can integrate new technologies that facilitate the learning process into our teaching methodologies.