Leadership Development & Project Management

Overview

This project is an online collaboration between students from Coventry University (UK) and The Institute of Accountancy Arusha (IAA) Tanzania which investigates issues related to Leadership in the Management of Projects and its contextual challenges.

The unique project design is such that students from different nationalities are each studying a Coventry University postgraduate degree but are physically based in either Tanzania or the United Kingdom.

The in-class and online-forum discussions explore the effectiveness of this novel teaching and learning procedure to make students enthusiastically share their ideas with regards to ideas such as ‘Project Managers Stumble as Leaders’. Their views in relation to cases cited in their countries are presented and evaluated.

Learning Aims

Interact, engage and collaborate with peers they would have not otherwise had the chance to work with
Share understanding of one another’s societies, ways of living, and perspectives to develop valuable intercultural skills and mutual understanding
Develop digital skills that are key to life in the 21st Century, especially those that will enable them to participate in team-work involving networks of geographically-dispersed professionals

Interactive Activities

Task 1
Ice Breaker & Engagement

Introductions
Share critical and relevant thoughts on the OIL Twitter page

Task 2
Reflective Evaluation on Leadership in Management

Students should offer views on the idea of People, Culture, Leadership and Management of Projects as it pertains to their local national / employment environments

Task 3
Reflective Evaluation of a common belief that ‘Project Managers stumble as Leaders’

Report and discuss others’ perspectives on the claim that ‘Project Managers stumble as Leaders’
Using examples from their own country students should discuss the impact of Leadership incompetence of Project Managers

Task 4
Knowledge Application / Transfer

Discuss individual views on the claim that ‘People, culture, leadership and management make up one of the four main elements of a Sustainable Organisation’
Reflect on a particular project case in an organisation (in your ‘home’ country) where this view on sustainability can be upheld

Student Output

Coventry University Students had the opportunity to travel to Tanzania to meet peers from IAA in person. Students from both universities participated in focus groups and individual feedback exercises during the visit.

“This video is about our field trip to Tanzania from 3-12 April 2016 to visit Institute of Accounting Arusha (IAA), Tanzania. The participants included master students in Management of Information Technology, Management of Information Systems and Global Logistics courses from Coventry University.”

Student-producers: Neelesh Patel and Yajai Pipattanaporn