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36 According to the project vision effectiveness model, understanding, motivation, credibility and challenge can move the emotional attachment people feel. These constructs can make project visions from being seen as superficial documents or as cultural artifacts to a vision that reverberates truth that taps into the very core depth of culture and subculture influence on project dreams and visions. Importance of Shared Vision Project leaders do not work in isolation of other stakeholders. To ensure continuity of the vision, especially in development projects, stakeholders must be able to carry on with the vision after the project has been phased out or over. This is based on the premise that a project may not effectively perform unless it ensures alignment of goals and commits to its project goals. Christenson & Walker (2004) argue that because projects are tightly coupled, this situation requires all team members and stakeholders to be able to make sense of the project goals, so that they can be prepared to support goals and internalise these as being aligned to their own. In addition, because much of the interaction between project teams, stakeholders and sub-systems are loosely coupled, there is need to have a clear understanding of the cause and effect loop that exists so that adverse actions (died dreams as shown in Focus Box 2) by one group can be traced in the minds of that group, and the trickledown effect it may have on others connected to the project and the project process. According to Weick (2001), shared vision requires project participants and stakeholders to undertake a sense-making exercise and a dream realised or visioning exercise, focusing on what the end point should be and to create a common understanding of the desired future. Role of Project Managers in Project Visioning Our ability to create new and better organisations and project is limited only by our imagination and collective will (Bushe, 1998). Therefore, project managers should facilitate a culture of positive imagination and collective will in project teams, stakeholders and sub-systems. Project leaders will be judged about their success by how much effort they have made to have a common and shared idea Focus Box 2: No Shared Vision, Weak Project Impact Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly –Langston Hughes Focus Box 3: Visioning and Project Success If one advances confidently in the direction of ones dreams; and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours – Henry David Thoreau

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