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Philip Shipley wrote:
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<div>I feel that the project is drifting rudderless and
captainless. I have a natural aversion to authority figures
dictating the path forward, however I think that sometimes
nasty medicine must be taken in order to get better. Provided
that there is a mechanism to remove the captain then it is a
perfectly reasonable way to resolve the situation and set the
project back onto the right track. </div>
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<div>I see the role more of a Prime Minister rather than a
Dictator, a subtle but important difference. Consequently
there needs to be a mechanism to anoint and remove the
'leader' in order to instil legitimacy to the role. Self
anointing does not cut it for me, and I suspect the greater
community. </div>
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It is a typical organizational "growth problem". There is a very
nice article from Larry E. Greiner that shows the six phases of a
healthy growing organization from birth to dead [1]. At the end of
each phase a change of leadership style is required to cope with the
next growth phase. Although the model is stated for corporate
organizations, many aspects remain valid for any kind of
organization.<br>
<br>
Phase one is described as <br>
<br>
"The founders are usually technically or entrepreneurially
oriented, and they disdain management activities; their physical and
mental energies are absorbed entirely in making and selling a new
product." and "Communication is frequent and informal."<br>
<br>
The crists occurs when the increased number of people cannot be
managed exclusively through informal communication and an intense
dedication to the product or organization. <br>
<br>
"Thus the founders find themselves burdened with unwanted management
responsibilities. So they long for the "good old days"' still trying
to act as they did in the past." <br>
<br>
It is said that organizations overcome the problems and enter into
the next phase by "directive leadership". <br>
<br>
I therefore fully support Philip's conclusion of the introduction of
a "Prime Minister".<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
Oliver<br>
<br>
[1] <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.ils.unc.edu/daniel/131/cco4/Greiner.pdf">http://www.ils.unc.edu/daniel/131/cco4/Greiner.pdf</a><br>
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