Table of Contents

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Issues and Challenges ..................................................................................................................... 3

2.1 Dual chain of command ................................................................................................................ 3

2.2 Personality..................................................................................................................................... 3

2.3 Monitoring and managing are difficult ......................................................................................... 3

2.4 Ineffective Coordination ................................................................................................................ 3

2.5 Comprehensive research on behavior .......................................................................................... 4

3. Recommendations.......................................................................................................................... 4

3.1 A single command or a unity of command ................................................................................... 4

3.2 Performance and monitoring of the project ................................................................................. 4

3.3 Project Management/Administration ........................................................................................... 4

3.4 Boost Monitoring and Evaluation Coordination............................................................................ 5

3.5 Right Behavioral attitude .............................................................................................................. 5

6. Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 5

7. References .......................................................................................................................................... 6

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1. Introduction
Organizational behavior studies examine how people behave inside a workplace. Numerous obstacles
must be overcome by management in their daily jobs. As organizations have stepped into the
"globalization" or "new world," (Reseach, 2020). To interpret an economy using the global economy.
When the Internet's data-moving intensity is at its highest, business can be conducted with little regard
for the public's opinion. Higher echelons are overseeing another set of issues as a result of the growing
globalization of business (“Systematic Study of Organizational Behavior Abstract,” n.d.). According to
several academics, project management (PM) approaches must be adopted if the business
organization are to be successful. However, the implementation of PM and how well it matches the
organizational context determine its usefulness (Fernandes and O’Sullivan 2023). This report examines
the case study of MediSys and also analyze the problems and issued faced by them in general.
Additionally, it will be analyzed using the relevant organizational behavior and project management
theories to tackle those issues and problems faced by them.

A new medical system for monitoring patients in intensive care is being developed by MediSys, a
manufacturer of medical equipment with headquarters in the United States. The market is anticipating
IntensCare, in which MediSys has made significant investments. The product development team,
which includes representatives from many business functional areas, has been working on the product
for six months, but they are currently encountering serious issues with its design, its timetable, and
their own group dynamics. They recently came under greater pressure after learning that two more
potent rivals had started developing their own goods for this market. Meeting the team's goals is a
worry for several team members. The marketing manager, who is in charge of IntensCare's profit and
loss, is working extra hard to solve the many issues. The purpose of this case study analysis is to explore
the difficulties of managing and working in cross-functional project teams and to offer remedies that
would prevent such difficulties in the future.

Project management is a task force strategy that makes efficient and effective use of resources in order
to accomplish project objectives within the restrictions (Bhandari et al. 2022). The most important
subjects for the above-mentioned case study are growth of teams, leading teams through conflict,
managing group dynamics, project management, product development, interdepartmental
relationships, and organizational change. However, due to so many reasons not all the subjects
mentioned were able to be fulfilled by the IntensCare development team.

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2. Issues and Challenges:

The issues and challenges faced in cross-functional project are as following:

2.1 Dual chain of command

The intenscare project has a distributing power between two workers or even more. The information
does not flow in a fluent manner. There is an inadequate departmental separation which leads to a
dual chain of command. There is also a continuous linkage, as various departments' natural function-
and-duty overlap is sometimes poorly defined as a result of dual chain of command

2.2 Personality

It speaks to both the supervisor's and the supervisee’s abilities (Marume and Jubenkanda 2016). When
the supervisor is smart, enthusiastic, and diplomatic, his competency is more apparent than when he
is weak, dull, or incompetent. Similar to personality, competence relates to how well-trained and
experienced subordinates perform compared to untrained and incompetent ones. There will be
obviously so many issues aroused in an organization but it should always be handled with a good
personality keep the egos aside. If one department has an issue with other team then it is for best if
both the parties sit together and try to figure out the solution instead of keeping a grudge and talking
about each other from each other’s back.

2.3 Monitoring and managing are difficult

The secret to success is project control (Regmi, Twayana, and Upadhayay 2019). The dynamic and
complicated nature of modern projects make the control process extremely important. Projects must
adhere to limitations in terms of quality, money, and time. Project managers must modify schedules
or take other necessary action during Project Control to keep the project moving forward. Planning is
the first step in an efficient project controls process, which concludes late in the project with post-
implementation review. In the case study above, the monitoring and management became very
difficult due to not having any reviews and progress check on the work being carried out.

2.4 Ineffective Coordination

Poor coordination has resulted from a lack of engagement and communication between the staff and
several other entities. Information is never sent directly between individuals. One team is unaware of
what is going on in the other team. The marketing manager and the team are unaware of the
happenings with designer team in the above case which is a result of ineffective coordination.

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2.5 Comprehensive research on behavior

A content employee is a productive employee. The more options or alternatives a decision maker has,
the more effective he or she becomes. When workplace friction is kept to a minimum, organizations
perform better. Without stress, workers work better. All these characters and features are missing in
the case above due to which there is a problem like employee applying for resignation. For instance,
Merz makes the decision to formally submit her resignation letter to Beaumont by entering her office
(Donnellon and Margolis 2009).

3. Recommendations
The followings are the recommendations to prevent future problems

3.1 A single command or a unity of command

To prevent confusion and manipulation in organizations, the idea of unity of command must be
adhered to. Duality or multiplicity of command places a worker in a conflicted circumstance where
they are unsure of who to follow and what to do. Additionally, a subordinate can defy commands by
pitting one superior against another, which defeats the goal of the organization (Marume and
Jubenkanda 2016).

3.2 Performance and monitoring of the project

Here, ensuring that execution proceeds according to plan is the major goal. Timing and price are
consistent (Bhandari et al. 2022). The project's status is assessed using key performance indicators
(KPIs).

The most typical KPIs used for tracking performance are:

• Project Objectives: Determining if a project is on track and under budget gives an

indication of whether it will accomplish its intended goals.
• Quality Deliverables: This measures the degree to which particular task deliverables
are met.

3.3 Project Management/Administration

Establishing methods and practices that might facilitate team members' communication and
cooperation is a part of this approach. The objective is to maintain progress updates, record meeting

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minutes and lessons learned, and manage procedures easily so that teams may focus on actual
execution rather than routine tasks. ("Project Control: Key Elements, Benefits and Challenges," n.d.).

3.4 Boost Monitoring and Evaluation Coordination

This can be accomplished by:

• Improving project cooperation with relevant organizations. Better coordination can be made
possible via timely information exchange, review meetings, and efficient management (Regmi,
Twayana, and Upadhayay 2019).
• The system for project monitoring and evaluation needs to be enhanced. The most pressing
necessity is to take corrective action to address the project's issues. It is necessary to reinforce
and streamline the monitoring and assessment organizational structure.

3.5 Right Behavioral attitude

Due to the increasing demand for project managers, one of the primary behavioral components that
affect project managers' effectiveness is the way in which connections and mutual understanding
between group members are important (Dos Reis Silva et al. 2017). The "soft" side of project
management, or the "human side," of project management, where relationships, cultures, and
meanings are valued, is where behavioral concerns tend to fall. Leadership and the leader's position
are pertinent to this issue since they help projects succeed. When it comes to relationships,
communication, and teamwork, the leader is crucial.

6. Conclusion
As to conclude, the reflection on the case study of Harvard Project Management is based on the
People, Project and Organizational Behavioral theories. It was found that the dual chain of command,
personality, monitoring and management, ineffective coordination and the behavior of the workers
are the main issues and challenges faced in their organization. Nevertheless, it can be tackled by taking
things positively, with proper communication amongst the workers, trusting one another and with a
proper decision-making policy. If the proper mitigation and recommendations are followed from the
very beginning then not a single issue will be faced. As there is a saying, ‘Prevention is better than a
cure’, so it should be taken care before it worsens the situation and leads to a failure of a mission.

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7. References
Bhandari, Nimesh, Sarjun Khatri, Susan Mahatara, and Purna Saud. 2022. “Project Management
System: Issues, Challenges and Improvement in Nepal,” no. November.

Donnellon, Anne, and Joshua Margolis. 2009. “MediSys Corp .: The IntensCare Product Development
Team MediSys : Background and Organization.” Harvard Business School, no. January: 1–10.

Fernandes, Gabriela, and David O’Sullivan. 2023. Project Management Practices in Major University-
Industry R&D Collaboration Programs – a Case Study. Journal of Technology Transfer. Vol. 48.
Springer US. [Link]

Langton, Nancy. (2016). Organizational behaviour.

[Link]://[Link]/dist/#/book/14139
Marume, S B M, and R R Jubenkanda. 2016. “The Basic Concepts and Principles of Unity of Command
and the Span of Control.” International Journal of Business and Management Invention ISSN 5
(6): 14–18. [Link].

"Project Control:Key Elements,Benefits and Challenges"

. (n.d.). Retrieved Feb 20, 2020, fromEcosys: [Link]
project-controls/

Regmi, Sarthak, Rabina Twayana, and Binita Upadhayay. 2019. “Importance of Project Control and Its
Possible Issues, Challenges and Opportunities.” [Link], 1–10.

Reis Silva, Diane Aparecida Dos, Diego Honorato Clemente, José Daniel Rodrigues Terra, Karyn
Martinelli Lopes, Marly Monteiro De Carvalho, André Leme Fleury, Eduardo De Senzi Zancul, and
Roberto Marx. 2017. “Behavioral Issues in Project Management: A Bibliometric Analysis (1988-
2014).” Gestao e Producao 24 (1): 178–200. [Link]

research, b. (2020). Systematic Study of Organizational Behavior.

[Link]://[Link]/essay/Systematic-Study-of-Organizational-Behavior-PKLA543VJ

“Systematic Study of Organizational Behavior Abstract.” n.d.