Project Management and Leadership (Part II: Cleveland-Innes & Ally in Pasian & Woodill)

To continue with the topic of soft and human skills as fundamental aspects
of project management and leadership, there's a book among the
suggested course readings in EDDE-804 that compiles a long series of
research instances related to project management in academic and
professional contexts:

Pasian, B., & Wodill, G. (2006). Plan to Learn: Case studies in eLearning Project Management. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/651322/Plan_to_Learn_Case_studies_in_eLearning_Project_Management

In the introduction, the authors announce the main themes that are illustrated by the case studies themselves:

The issues affecting the management of eLearning projects have not, until 
now, been the focus of any dedicated analysis. This volume represents the 
first step toward achieving a greater understanding of the management of 
eLearning projects on the part of an international group of researchers. The 
analysis has revealed a combination of (somewhat) predictable observations 
and surprising revelations. While each chapter sheds its own light on one or 
more of these themes, all are described below.
 

- Project management processes should be in place at the beginning. 

- Evaluation tools should bookend a project.

- Relationships are key to managing eLearning projects.

- Training and preparation are neededfor faculty and learners.

- Risks need to be managed, particularly for relationships.

- Project leadership is important.

- Communications and information flow must be well-managed.

- Managing projects = managing change

- eLearning project management is a learning experience. 

Among the case studies included, the one that immediately called my
attention was Chapter 14: Managing online learning projects at a distance: 
A case of workplace training by Marti Cleveland-Innes and Mohamed Ally.

This is the abstract:

Project management is a feature of all complex multi-faceted human 
activities. It can be done in professional, formal ways with plans and 
timelines, or it can proceed (and all too often does) in a more ad hoc, 
informal way. As education increases in complexity with the integration of
information and communication technologies (ICTs), and improved 
accessibility through education ‘projects’ (e.g., new programs, 
collaborative implementations, large scale entities like competency-based
curricula now need sound project management practices in order to be 
successful.
 
Management of projects where team members interact face-to-face is 
challenging; however, management of projects where team members are 
located in different geographic locations is much more challenging. This 
chapter outlines a large-scale elearning project involving twelve 
organizations in a six month implementation of an innovative program for 
workplace training. Starting out as an informal, loosely structured set of 
activities, overwhelming interest in the project caused it to grow to a size 
that required more serious planning and organization. 

I found this study particularly interesting due to the fact that my experience in the past as a customer service representative and nowadays as a teacher of English for adults evidences the need to teach soft skills to students who may have to perform in such professional environments.  In fact, this study combines elements of technology and human skills, for it was implemented as an eLearning training program:

"The inception of the project was sparked by a demonstrated need in the Canadian workplace. Findings from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) identified that call center employees must be able to handle the technological aspects of their job as well as customer service requirements in an appropriate manner, using good “soft skills”. According to MacLeod (2000), soft skills are identified by selfawareness, analytical thinking, leadership skills, team-building skills, flexibility, the ability to communicate effectively, creativity, problem-solving skills, listening skills, diplomacy and change-readiness.

Learning in this content area includes both the cognitive and affective domains (Krathwohl, Bloom & Masia, 1964) . There is evidence of the effectiveness of elearning relative to cognitive outcomes (Garrison & Anderson, 2001), but little regarding affective outcomes. Employees lacking soft skills need training, but, most soft skills training uses traditional,
classroom based delivery where employees must be in the same location at the same time. This delivery is inconvenient and not very efficient for most organizations. The project described in this case study ultimately contributed to organizational effectiveness by investigating how soft skills training can be delivered to the workplace using broadband technology. Employees accessed the training materials and obtained virtual support using a broadband network" (p.93).

Related to the management of the project itself, Cleveland-Innes and Ally conclude that it was a satisfactory but complex experience where communication was a key feature, as in all eLearning projects.

"All key stakeholders reported high levels of satisfaction with the project processes and outcomes. The most specific feedback for changes to the project came from those most involved in the training – the staff themselves. Learning objectives were met as measured by exam scores; however, participants provided suggestions regarding additional objectives and improvement of the interaction with the technology. Because sound communication and ongoing evaluation procedures were in place, the project was massaged and adjusted during the process to meet all required objectives as fully as possible.

"We were unprepared for the time expended to manage the dynamic, changing nature of the project. Communication clarity and efficiency (incoming and outgoing) was in constant need of adjustment. Communication did not flow out uniformly in terms of time and, at times, in substance. A tighter communication plan with appointed communication senders and receivers
is critical. Asynchronous communication requires that receivers acknowledge receipt of information, rather than having the sender assume information has been received" (p.100).

Thus, I consider that for this case study and similar eLearning projects, like those in which I have no doubt I will help design, implement, manage, and evaluate as an educational leader, constant communication and the building of the social presence (Garrison, Archer, Anderson) and the emotional presence (Cleveland-Innes) must be developed hand in hand with the cognitive and teaching presences (Garrison, Archer, and Anderson) in order to create a viable collaborative community.

Here, leadership is used to foster this collaborative spirit, manage staff, and coordinate and concile the views of the different stakeholders, where a panoply of human skills for leaders and managers are involved.