Project management tools, methods, and technologies keep evolving, giving managers new ways to create, manage, and execute projects. At CIAM, we equip learners with the skills and confidence to develop their professional edge in project management. Our MBA project management courses cover the fundamentals and key concepts of project analysis and organizational management. Here is more information about three emerging trends in the field of project management: 1. Evolving Technology Project management tools and technologies are constantly evolving. The advent of low-code and no-code development allows project managers to design custom in-house management tools. Modern project management tools are built to seamlessly integrate with existing time tracking, resource management, CRM, and accounting software. Project managers can also use other management software, including portfolio management, collaboration, data analytics, visualization, and change management platforms. Project managers and their teams use rapidly advancing technologies like automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. These technologies' rapid growth rates and improvements can make software selection challenging. Digital project managers must expand their skill set to evaluate and prioritize the right technology that can adapt to new advancements. Our MBA project management courses can give you an understanding of efficient project management software to help you identify, evaluate, and adopt the right technology for your projects. 2. Hybrid Methodologies Project management methodologies have evolved from traditional Waterfall to Agile approaches, but hybrid models are gaining the most traction. Organizations are shifting from a single-methodology system to hybrid models involving multiple project management methodologies that allow for more flexibility. Project managers can borrow ideas from different methodologies to match their work environments. They have multiple methodologies to consider when looking for the right fit for their projects and environments, like Scrum, Six Sigma, and Lean. Traditional approaches like Waterfall focus on strict process planning and future analysis for risk mitigation. Modern Agile methodologies offer the flexibility to change paths during the project with adaptive teams and simpler task objectives. Agile approaches work great for software development teams. CIAM helps students explore these methodologies by offering a course in project management in practice. The course explores key concepts and emerging trends in project management methodologies. 3. Remote Work The preference for remote and contract work has risen, with staffers and freelance project managers opting for distributed project teams. Location dependence is being phased out, and project managers are adapting their strategies to manage remote teams. Remote work involves optimizing communication systems and maintaining team cohesion and project transparency. This new workspace also propels collaborative innovations like cloud-based project management software and video conferencing platforms. Digital project management is a high-demand freelancing skill, and more companies are embracing remote project managers and co-working arrangements. Project managers must reevaluate their processes and schedules to accommodate teams in different time zones and cultures. This digital environment also increases project managers' reliance on data analysis and software tools to reduce project complexity. Project managers can use management software to review reports, issue new assignments and briefings, and monitor task progress remotely. Enroll in the MBA Project Management Program CIAM is dedicated to teaching the philosophies of management as a liberal art and offers several MBA program emphases, including project management. Our MBA project management course gives students the practical tools to guide projects in marketing, finance, healthcare, accounting, and other industries. Contact us today to learn more about our project management courses and how they can help develop your professional skills.

Business analytics involves using data analysis and statistical methods to make informed decisions. CIAM offers various MBA programs in California, including an MBA in Executive Management with a concentration in Business Analytics. Here are four types of business analytics and how they’re used: Diagnostic Analytics Diagnostic analytics provides insights into specific trends by uncovering patterns and relationships within data. Retailers might use pattern recognition to analyze sales data and identify seasonal trends or patterns in customer purchasing behavior. In healthcare, diagnostic analytics can explore the correlation between patient demographics, lifestyle factors, and the occurrence of specific medical conditions. Financial institutions can use data mining techniques to analyze customer transactional info to identify irregularities that may indicate fraudulent activities. MBA programs in California include courses in the Management of Information Systems that explore the role of technology in business decision-making. Diagnostic analytics may be integrated into these courses to help students understand how data analysis contributes to managerial decision support. Predictive Analytics Predictive analytics uses statistical algorithms and machine learning techniques to identify the probability of future outcomes based on historical data. CIAM offers Applied Probability and Statistics in Data Analytics as one of the courses to help graduates grasp predictive analytics. Credit card companies use predictive analytics to detect potentially fraudulent transactions by analyzing spending patterns and transaction locations. Predictive analytics helps organizations predict which customers will likely churn or discontinue using their products or services. By analyzing customer behavior, engagement, and historical data, businesses can take preventive measures to retain valuable customers. Insurance companies use predictive analytics to assess the risk of policyholders making claims, allowing them to set appropriate premiums. Big Data Analytics Big data analytics involves analyzing large and complex datasets beyond the functionalities of traditional data processing methods. CIAM offers an Advanced Analytics for Business course to equip graduates with considerable data skills. Students learn about data cleanup, data exploration analysis, forecasting, classification, and clustering. In the manufacturing sector, experts use sensor data to predict when machinery and equipment are likely to fail, allowing them to perform the correct maintenance. Businesses analyze large datasets on employee performance, engagement, and recruitment to make informed decisions about talent management, workforce planning, and employee satisfaction. Online companies can also analyze customer data to tailor marketing campaigns and advertisements based on individual preferences and behaviors. Prescriptive Analytics Prescriptive analytics predicts future outcomes and recommends actions to improve a business process. Airlines use prescriptive analytics to optimize revenue to adjust ticket prices based on demand, time until departure, and competitor pricing. In project management, prescriptive analytics can assist in allocating human resources based on skills and availability, optimizing project timelines and resource utilization. Pursue MBA Programs in California CIAM offers master in business administration programs in California focusing on business analytics to help graduates make informed decisions by leveraging data analysis techniques. MBA graduates proficient in analytic tools can adapt easily to the evolving digital landscape, staying relevant in their careers. Register for an MBA program through our website or contact us for more details.

Abstract Toxic leadership is a type of leadership that is destructive to members of a team, an organization, and society at large. It is ubiquitous and ever-present in a variety of settings. Yet, within the larger body of the leadership literature, toxic leadership accounts for a surprisingly small percentage of the leadership research. There are dozens of widely known and well documented cases of the devastating consequences of toxic leadership. So, why is there such little scientific interest in conceptualizing and operationalizing toxic leadership? This paper explores the multi-faceted elements of toxic leadership and reviews the behaviors, characteristics, and consequences associated with toxic leadership. The paper demonstrates what healthy leadership looks like and presents a working definition of toxic leadership. Such a working definition is vitally important to allow the academic community to build upon for further study and research. Keywords: Leadership, Toxicity; Health; Toxic Leadership INTRODUCTION Toxic leadership is a type of leadership that is destructive to members of a team, an organization, and society at large. It is ubiquitous and has been for centuries. Yet, within the larger body of the leadership literature, toxic leadership accounts for an alarmingly small percentage of the leadership research. There are dozens of widely known and well documented cases of the devastating consequences of toxic leadership. So, why is there such little scientific interest in conceptualizing and operationalizing toxic leadership? It seems, at an outset, that toxic leaders are found everywhere. Indeed, it appears to occur in every industry and at every level of government (Lipman-Bluman, 2005). As Wright (2015) points out from a military context, there are almost a countless number of historical examples whereby leaders place an emphasis on service and sacrifice above anything else resulting in the destruction of follower morale. More disturbingly, nobody is immune to toxic leadership. New Paragraph

Drucker wrote that the businesses he consulted for were his research laboratories. His research was based on observation of what went on. This type of research was also practiced by both Einstein and Freud. It’s termed analytical research. Drucker did not arrive at his theories in a laboratory surrounded by microscopes, computers, and white-coated scientists, but by people and things and their interaction to which he applied his observation and analysis. Drucker declared management not a science but a liberal art. Therefore, while most management researchers use the synthetic method of research with multiple observations testing one or more hypotheses for statistical mathematical differences, Drucker used the liberal arts and analytical research. Einstein’s Work Einstein also used analytic and not synthetic methods of research. In 1905, he produced four ground breaking papers in one year, winning the Nobel Prize for theoretical physics. None of the four were written in the laboratory, but rather during spare time while at his first post PhD job as an assistant patent examiner in the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. Analytical research again. How Einstein Developed his Two Most Famous Theories Einstein conceived both the Theory of Relativity and developed the most famous equation in history (E= mc²), the equation for the conservation of energy during at that Swiss Patent office. The first was structured around imagining himself traveling along side of a beam of light. It is possible that Einstein provided Drucker with the idea for his methods. They are similar. While Drucker observed phenomena and interactions of people in organizations, Einstein observed things and Freud observed the contents of his subject’s minds. Einstein Explains His Methodology In an article in the London Times written in 1919, Einstein explained what he called his “Theories of Principle.” He wrote that his theories: “. . . employed the analytical, not the synthetic method. Their starting-point and foundation are not hypothetical components, but empirically observed general properties of phenomena, principles from which mathematical formulae are deduced of such a kind that they apply to every case which presents itself.” I do not know whether Drucker and Freud read Einstein’s article. Drucker was only ten years old at the time it was published. I doubt whether he knew English at the time. However, Drucker did refer to Einstein in publication, and it is possible that he read his article. Synthetic research uses data obtained and a hypothesis based on multiple inputs. It then tests the hypothesis to prove or disprove it by testing the hypothesis mathematically for significant difference. Most researchers in academia take this approach. Analytical research on the other hand starts with an unknown and proceeds to the known. There are no hypotheses. One definition of analytical research is “a specific type of research that involves critical thinking skills and the evaluation of facts and information relative to the research being conducted.” Freud believed that by analyzing dreams and memories, we can understand them, while they subconsciously influence behavior and feelings. The analytical process is how all three: Einstein, Freud, and Drucker arrived at their theories. Their analytical approach used a simple model: Observation, either real, imagined, or mental imagery Analysis of what was observed Construction of Theory based on these observations They observed the results of their psychological techniques without multiple surveys or a hypothesis. As a result, Freud’s psychoanalysis, though widely adopted and the basic process still used, it was never termed a science. Unexpected Insights at an Academic Conference I found insights into Drucker’s analytical methods about thirty years ago; I was invited to participate as a member of a panel of marketing textbook authors at an academic conference. The purpose of the panel was to discuss the lack of influence of marketing textbooks on management practice. During this discussion, one question was directed specifically at me. I was the only one of the five academic authors on the panel to have written both professional books for practicing managers and textbooks for students. The question was why it was that managers seemed many years behind adopting the latest practices described in textbooks while innovations appearing in “trade” books seemed to be almost immediately tested and adopted by practitioners? I think someone mentioned Japanese Management and Total Quality Management as than recent examples. I thought for a moment and then responded: “The writers of textbooks must bring together research from many sources to confirm the main points or theories they discuss in their textbooks. In many cases, there are alternate theories to present regarding the methods proposed for practice. In addition, the time needed for the textbook writer to do research, must be added the time for the original researcher to conduct experiments, including gathering data from multiple sources, testing hypotheses and to find suitable academic journals for publication. This can require many months before such a paper is even accepted. Even after the textbook is published and used in the classroom, textbooks are used to instruct students and rarely read by practitioners. It may take several years before these students are in positions of authority and able to put into practice what is taught. Nevertheless, research journals are generally more respected than books by researchers in academic institutions, and their accreditors. On the other hand, a professional book based on theory resulting from personal observation can more quickly be applied to practice as the professional book goes right into the hands of a practitioner who can put it to into immediate use.” This was further confirmed by distinguished consumer behavior researcher Jagdish Sheth in a presentation at which he noted that though he had numerous publications in research journals over a thirty year period he had received only two inquiries in total from these articles, whereas he had recently completed an article for Wall Street Journal and received almost 200 hundred letters from practitioners. More Insight While preparing a lecture for doctorial students on the value of writing professional books for disseminating theory as Drucker did, I came across additional material supporting Professor Sheth’s experience. Many of the most widely publicized theories of management reached practitioners first by publishing a book and getting the information directly to the user. These include not only Drucker’s Management by Objectives from The Practice of Management (Harper & Brothers, 1954) and other methods resulting from Drucker’s theories, but also, Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs disseminated through his book Motivation and Personality (Harper & Brothers, 1954) and Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y disseminated through his book The Human Side of Enterprise . (McGraw-Hill, 1960). There were lots of articles published in research journals on these topics, but this was after professional books had already been published by the originators of these ideas and the theories had already been tested and were known to practitioners. Research that was published was written to confirm or deny various aspects of the theories that the book authors introduced, or the authors themselves wrote to help define their theories which they had already published in books. Drucker’s Methodology and Thinking Drucker empirically observed general properties of phenomena or through his questions and their answers, had his clients do so. He did not start with synthetic mathematical formulae into which data was inserted to determine the better method but used his powers of observation and reasoning in determining theory and then further testing this material as he saw it applied. This is perhaps why, although Drucker claimed that he always began with his ignorance, yet he insisted on measurements and numbers when seeking to measure performance and progress. Yet he mostly ignored quantitative means in developing his theories. Less clear was the process he followed. When queried as to his methods, he said only that he listened, and then paused adding, that he listened “to himself”. This comment was made in a humorous and not an arrogant way. It is probable that Drucker was speaking 100% accurately. He listened to his own logical reasoning in developing theory or in applying the resulting theory in action by his clients. That he followed an established process was clear although unlike Einstein, he did not publish it. Still, it is highly likely that their methods were similar, if not identical. This important tool was a part of Drucker’s considerable mental arsenal. It is especially important since he did not use models of mathematical analysis to arrive at his conclusions and recommendations. I cannot state the mathematical equations or his favorite methods of determining significant differences, because he taught us none. Still, if we understand that his processes were like Einstein’s that is observation and analytical thinking, we may do the same in research and management decision making and get similar results. This does not mean that synthetic research should be abandoned. Only those investigations might be accomplished more efficiently or effectively in some situations by a different means and consequently that alternate methods of research can be used.