Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) Enterprise Pillar: Managing People, Projects, and Organizational Strategy Syllabus

What three leadership styles did Kurt Lewin identify?

Autocratic (leader makes decisions alone), Democratic/Participative (leader involves the team in decisions), and Laissez-faire (leader delegates and offers minimal guidance).

What does the Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid measure, and what is the ideal 9,9 style?

It plots leadership style on two axes: Concern for People (vertical) and Concern for Production (horizontal), each 1-9. The ideal 9,9 'Team Management' style shows high concern for both, producing committed, motivated, high-performing teams.

What is the core idea of Fiedler's Contingency Model of leadership?

Leadership effectiveness depends on the match between a leader's style (task-oriented or relationship-oriented, measured by the Least Preferred Co-worker scale) and the favourableness of the situation, defined by leader-member relations, task structure, and position power.

List the five levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs from bottom to top.

Physiological, Safety, Social (love/belonging), Esteem, and Self-actualization. Lower needs must be substantially satisfied before higher needs motivate behavior.

In Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, distinguish hygiene factors from motivators.

Hygiene factors (e.g., pay, working conditions, company policy, supervision) cause dissatisfaction if absent but do not motivate when present. Motivators (e.g., achievement, recognition, responsibility, growth) drive genuine satisfaction and motivation.

What three needs does McClelland's Acquired Needs Theory describe?

Need for Achievement (nAch - desire to excel and succeed), Need for Power (nPow - desire to influence and control others), and Need for Affiliation (nAff - desire for friendly relationships).

State the three components of Vroom's Expectancy Theory of motivation.

Expectancy (effort will lead to performance), Instrumentality (performance will lead to a reward), and Valence (the value the individual places on the reward). Motivation is the product of all three; if any is zero, motivation is zero: $\text{Motivation} = E \times I \times V$.

What are Douglas McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y assumptions about workers?

Theory X assumes employees are inherently lazy, dislike work, and need coercion and close control. Theory Y assumes employees are self-motivated, seek responsibility, and exercise self-direction when committed to objectives.

What is the purpose of Human Resource Management (HRM)?

To strategically manage an organization's people - through recruitment, selection, development, performance management, reward, and employee relations - to maximize employee performance in service of the organization's strategic objectives.

Distinguish recruitment from selection in HRM.

Recruitment is the process of attracting and generating a pool of suitable candidates for a vacancy. Selection is the subsequent process of assessing and choosing the most appropriate candidate from that pool (e.g., via interviews, tests, assessment centres).

What is the difference between training and development in HRM?

Training is the acquisition of specific knowledge and skills for the current job (short-term, job-focused). Development is the broader, longer-term growth of an individual's capabilities and potential for future roles and careers.

List the five stages of Tuckman's model of group/team development.

Forming (orientation), Storming (conflict), Norming (cohesion and norms), Performing (effective work), and Adjourning (disbanding) - the fifth stage was added later.

What is 'groupthink' and what is one symptom?

Groupthink is a dysfunctional mode of thinking in highly cohesive groups where the desire for harmony and conformity overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives. Symptoms include illusion of invulnerability, self-censorship, pressure on dissenters, and the illusion of unanimity.

According to Belbin, why are team roles important, and name three of the nine roles.

Balanced teams need a mix of complementary behavioural roles to perform well. Examples include the Plant (creative idea generator), Coordinator (clarifies goals and delegates), Shaper (drives the team), Implementer, Completer-Finisher, Monitor-Evaluator, Resource Investigator, Teamworker, and Specialist.

In conflict management, what are the five styles of the Thomas-Kilmann model?

Competing (assertive, uncooperative), Accommodating (unassertive, cooperative), Avoiding (unassertive, uncooperative), Collaborating (assertive, cooperative - win/win), and Compromising (intermediate on both).

Distinguish 'diversity' from 'inclusion' in the workplace.

Diversity is the presence of differences within a workforce (e.g., race, gender, age, background, thinking styles). Inclusion is the practice of creating an environment where those diverse individuals feel valued, respected, and able to fully participate and contribute.

Distinguish functional (constructive) from dysfunctional conflict.

Functional conflict supports group goals and improves performance by stimulating debate, creativity, and better decisions. Dysfunctional conflict hinders performance through hostility, stress, and breakdown of cooperation.

What are the three steps of Kurt Lewin's model of change?

Unfreeze (create motivation and readiness for change by challenging the status quo), Change/Move (implement the new behaviours, systems, or structures), and Refreeze (stabilize and embed the change as the new norm).

What are the eight steps of Kotter's model for leading change?

1) Create urgency, 2) Build a guiding coalition, 3) Form a strategic vision, 4) Communicate the vision (enlist a volunteer army), 5) Remove barriers/empower action, 6) Generate short-term wins, 7) Sustain acceleration (build on the change), and 8) Anchor changes in the culture.

In Lewin's Force Field Analysis, what are driving and restraining forces?

Driving forces push toward change and support it; restraining forces resist or oppose change. Change occurs when driving forces outweigh restraining forces; the model recommends strengthening drivers and/or weakening restrainers.

What are common reasons individuals resist organizational change?

Fear of the unknown, loss of control or status, self-interest/economic loss, lack of trust, low tolerance for change, differing assessments (disagreement), habit and comfort with the status quo, and poor communication.

What four levels make up Edgar Schein's model of organizational culture?

Schein's model has three levels: Artifacts (visible structures and behaviours), Espoused Values (stated strategies, goals, philosophies), and Basic Underlying Assumptions (unconscious, taken-for-granted beliefs that are the true source of values and action).

Name the four culture types in Charles Handy's model of organizational culture.

Power culture (control from a central figure), Role culture (bureaucratic, defined by rules and job descriptions), Task culture (project/team and expertise focused), and Person culture (organization exists to serve the individuals within it).

What role does communication play in successful change management?

Clear, frequent, two-way communication reduces uncertainty and resistance, builds trust, conveys the vision and rationale ('why'), addresses concerns, and engages stakeholders - making them feel involved and committed rather than imposed upon.

Define a 'change agent' and give the main types.

A change agent is a person (internal or external) who leads, facilitates, and champions a change initiative. Types include leaders/managers (sponsors), internal specialists, external consultants, and the change champion who advocates and energizes the change among staff.

What is the role of leadership in organizational transformation?

Leaders provide and communicate the vision, sponsor and resource the change, model the new behaviours, build coalitions, remove obstacles, motivate and reassure staff, and embed the change into culture - acting as the primary driver of sustained transformation.

What are the typical phases of the project lifecycle?

Initiation (define and authorize), Planning (develop the detailed plan), Execution (carry out the work/implementation), Monitoring and Controlling (track and adjust), and Closure (deliver, review, and disband). Some models use Initiation, Planning, Execution, and Closure.

What is a project initiation document (PID) / business case used for?

The business case justifies the project by setting out costs, benefits, risks, and strategic fit to gain authorization. The PID formally defines the project's scope, objectives, deliverables, stakeholders, and governance, serving as the baseline reference and authority to proceed.

What does the 'iron triangle' (triple constraint) of project management comprise, and what does it balance against?

The three constraints are Time (schedule), Cost (budget), and Scope (quality/deliverables). They are interdependent - changing one affects the others - and are balanced to deliver the required Quality at the centre.

What is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)?

A hierarchical decomposition of the total project scope into progressively smaller, manageable deliverables and work packages, used to organize and define the full scope and to support estimating, scheduling, and assigning responsibility.

In network analysis (critical path method), what is the 'critical path'?

The longest sequence of dependent activities through the project network, which determines the shortest possible project duration. Activities on the critical path have zero float/slack, so any delay to them delays the whole project.

Define 'float' (slack) in critical path analysis.

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project's completion date (total float) or without delaying the start of a following activity (free float). Critical path activities have zero total float.

What is a Gantt chart used for in project planning?

A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that displays project activities against a timeline, showing each task's start, duration, and finish, their sequence and overlap, dependencies, and milestones - used to schedule, communicate, and track progress.

Outline the basic steps of the project risk management process.

Risk identification, risk assessment/analysis (assessing probability and impact, e.g., via a probability-impact matrix), risk response planning (avoid, reduce/mitigate, transfer, or accept), and risk monitoring and control throughout the project.

What are the four common strategies for responding to a negative project risk (threat)?

Avoid (eliminate the cause), Reduce/Mitigate (lower probability or impact), Transfer (shift to a third party, e.g., insurance or contract), and Accept (tolerate and prepare a contingency).

Distinguish quality assurance from quality control in project quality management.

Quality assurance is process-oriented and proactive - it builds quality into the processes to prevent defects (e.g., standards, audits). Quality control is product-oriented and reactive - it inspects and tests deliverables to detect and correct defects against requirements.

In Earned Value Analysis, define Planned Value (PV), Earned Value (EV), and Actual Cost (AC).

Planned Value (PV) is the budgeted cost of work scheduled to date. Earned Value (EV) is the budgeted cost of work actually completed to date. Actual Cost (AC) is the real cost incurred for the work completed to date.

Give the formulas for Cost Variance (CV) and Schedule Variance (SV) in earned value analysis.

$$CV = EV - AC \qquad SV = EV - PV$$ A positive value is favourable (under budget / ahead of schedule); a negative value is unfavourable (over budget / behind schedule).

Give the formulas for the Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI), and state what a value below 1 means.

$$CPI = \frac{EV}{AC} \qquad SPI = \frac{EV}{PV}$$ A value greater than 1 is favourable; a value less than 1 is unfavourable - meaning over budget (CPI) or behind schedule (SPI).

How is the Estimate at Completion (EAC) calculated using the CPI, and what does it represent?

$$EAC = \frac{BAC}{CPI}$$ where BAC is the Budget at Completion. It represents the forecast total cost of the project at completion, assuming current cost performance (CPI) continues.

What is a project milestone, and how does it differ from a normal task?

A milestone is a significant point or event in a project (e.g., phase completion, key deliverable, approval gate) that has zero duration - it marks an achievement or checkpoint, whereas a normal task consumes time and resources to complete work.

What are the key responsibilities of a project manager?

Planning and defining scope, scheduling and resource allocation, budgeting and cost control, leading and motivating the project team, managing risk and quality, communicating with and managing stakeholders, monitoring progress, and delivering the project to time, cost, and quality.

What distinguishes a project team from a functional/operational team?

A project team is temporary, cross-functional, and assembled to achieve a unique, defined objective with a finite lifespan; it disbands at project completion. A functional team is permanent, performs ongoing repetitive operations, and is grouped by specialism within the line hierarchy.

What is the role of a project sponsor?

The project sponsor is the senior individual who owns the business case, secures funding and resources, champions the project at executive level, provides direction and high-level decisions, resolves escalated issues, and is ultimately accountable for the project delivering its intended benefits.