leadership traits of construction project managers’ and their impact on project outcome

LEADERSHIPTRAITSOFCONSTRUCTIONPROJECTMANAGERS’ANDTHEIRIMPACTONPROJECTOUTCOME

SAMUELEKUNG,ANTHONYUJENE

DepartmentofBuilding

FacultyofEnvironmentalstudies

UniversityofUyo,Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Project management, in recognising that leadership can contribute to successful project outcome has stopped short ofspecificallyidentifyingleadershiptraitsasasignificantcontributortoprojectsuccess.Thisstudyassessedtheleadershiptraitsofconstructionprojectmanagersanditsimpactonprojectdelivery.Theobjectivesweretodetermineprojectteammembers’perceptionof therelative importanceof selected leadership traitstoconstructionprojectmanagement;andtoevaluate thelevel of effort of identified leadership traits in enhancingplanningworks, controlling tasks and allocating resources ascorrelatesofprojectoutcome.Itinvolvedquestionnairesurveyadministeredto105projectteammembersselectedfromfivelocations in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Surveyed data was analysed using the mean item score and percentageswhilehypothesis testinginvolvedchi square.The result of the study reveals the need to improve project leadershipand that theimprovement will ensure successful project outcome.The study also identified effective communication, accessibility,intelligenceandcompetenceamongothersastherelevantleadershiptraits.Thechallengehoweverishowtoblenddifferenttraits indeliveringaproject.Constructionprojectmanagersareenjointoalwaysattempttochangeintuitivelybetweenthevariousleadershiptraits,astheworkandpeoplechanges.

KEYWORDS:leadership,leadershiptraits,impacts,constructionprojectmanagersandprojectoutcome.

1. INTRODUCTION

Construction industry leadership is one of the mostimportant research area receiving relatively littleattention [5] and mainly in developing countries. Thelack of focus on leadership is not only the case inpractice; academic research also seems to have donelittle inthisarea[27].Thedearthoftheresearchgapiswellarticulatedin[29]reviewofresearchworksontheconstruct‐leadership. Out of the thirty‐nine (39)empirical research works reviewed in the study, onlytwo[28]and[27]wereconductedinNigeria.Thiscanbeattributedtothelackofknowledgeoftheindustryonthepartofsocialscientistsandthelackofunderstandingofsocial sciences by those in the construction industry[21].Yet, leadership research has been predominantlyconducted inmanagementorbusiness schools and lessin construction. Researches in construction in this areatendtostresstheimportanceofleadershipinmanagingconstruction projects and prescribe a set ofcharacteristics and skills necessary for the projectmanager’s effectiveness in leadership (example[27]&[50]). There are also very few studies conductedspecifically to investigate the managerial styles ofconstruction project managers and their impacts onprojectperformance(e.g.[27]and[48].

Despitetherecentemphasisonleadershipandadvancesin project managementmethodologies, the numbers ofproject that fail to achieve successful outcome are stillalarmingly high [24] and [38] and are in the range of66%and90% [40]. [51] found that positive leadershipcontributedalmost76%tothesuccessofprojectswhilenegative or poor leadership contributed 67% to thefailure of projects [17]. Many projects continue to faildespite the use of established project methods andtechniques as the leadership competency required for

successful project outcomes have been found lacking[14]. Yet existing researches have stopped short ofidentifying leadership traits as factor that can affect orinfluenceprojectoutcomes.Thisstudythereforeseekstoexamine leadership traits of a construction projectmanagers and their impact on project delivery. Toachieve this aim, the study set out to determine therelative importance of existing leadership traits inconstruction project delivery; and to evaluate theinfluenceoftheleadershiptraitsonprojectoutcome.

Toevaluatesystemforimprovingprojectleadershipandtheoverallprojectmanagement,thisstudyassessedtheimpact of leadership traits on project outcome. Theobjective is to measure the level of effort of identifiedleadershiptraitsinplanningworks,controllingtasksandallocating resources as correlates of project outcome.The need to evaluate these linkages and theirsubsequentattainmentwillbenefitprojectmanagementin a number of ways. First, it will improve projectmanager’sleadershiptraitsassystemicinputtoensuringproject leadershipperformance. Second, itwill enhancestakeholders’assessmentofprojectleadershipabilitytodeliver on project objectives and the overallimprovementofprojectoutcome.Third, itwill improveproject management practice and provide criteria formeasuringprojectmanagementeffectiveness.

1.1Leadership

[13] Emphasised leadership is back in custom. It wasnever truly disappeared from the front line ofmanagement [43].[1]Noted that leadership researchnow‐a‐daysisseenasamoreconfident,self‐assuredandfertile field than in the days when [24] madepronouncements about abandoning the concept ofleadership, at least temporarily. [43] attributes thisimprovedstateofaffairs,tothefollowingfactors:greater

SAMUEL EKUNG et al. DATE OF PUBLICATION: SEPTEMBER 04, 2014

ISSN: 2348-4098 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 6 JULY 2014

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY- www.ijset.in 1354

diversity in the types of leadership and organisationalcontext; improved measurement and analytictechniques; and greater use of meta‐analysis so thatmoresystematicreviewsofevidencecouldbecomplied.

The concept of leadership has been variously defined.[43]definedaleaderasindividualwhohaveaclearideaofwhathewanttodopersonallyandprofessionallyandthe strength to persist in the face of setbacks andfailures.Leadership istherefore theprocesswherebyanindividual support other group members in learningprocessesneededtoattaingroupororganisationalgoals[41].[18]view leadership as the ability to influence thebehaviour of others to accord with the desires of theleader as distinct from headship which involve theimposition of such behavioural modification.Contextually,giventhemultipleviewheldonthesubject;it is simply the ability of a competent individual toassemble,impactandnurtureateamtowardsacommonpurpose, while empowering and inspiring people inordertoachievetheprojectobjectives.

Accordingto [8],abad leaderprovidespoor leadershipwhich may be worse than lack of leadership. Aconstruction leader’s job is to identify the drivers ofperformanceandfollowthroughtheflowofactivitiesatthe process level. A leader learns from what hashappenedandpredictwhatwillhappenatthetaskleveltherefore, leaders are the raw material of businessexcellence as well as organisational failure [8]. [32]Stressedthatleadershipiskeytothesuccessofanyplanthat attempts to change the way an organisation doesbusiness. Without the support, participation andleadershipatallthelevel,anyprogrammeisdestinedtobecome just another fury. Hence, a leader mobilizes;define, coordinate, direct, maintain cohesiveness,maintaingroupnorms,providesymbolforidentificationand commitment and represent the project team toothers [22]Despite the relevance of leadership tosuccessful project outcome, it is not the property of anindividualbutacomplexrelationshipdependingonfourvariables: the characteristics of the leaders; the needsand characteristics of the follower; the nature of theorganisation; and the nature of the environment. Thepresent study therefore considers an aspect of thesevariable ‘characteristicsof the leader’ that is leadershiptraits.

1.2LeadershipTraits

Thetraitschoolofleadershiptheorywaswildlypopularin 1940s. The trait school asserts that effective leaderssharecommontraits.Theysuggestgoodleadersdisplaycertain traits which they are born with, not made.Attempts to identify the traits of effective leaders havefocused on three main areas: Abilities ‐ hardmanagementskills,Personality‐suchasself‐confidenceand emotional variables, and Physical Appearance ‐includingsizeandappearance.Effectiveleadershipisnotsimply based upon a set of behaviours (styles) but awide range of factors that constitute the leader’scompetence. Central amongst these variables is thepersonal characteristics (traits). Traits are externalbehavioursthatemergefromthingsgoingonwithintheleader’smindanditistheseinternalbeliefandprocessesthat are important for effective leadership [26] Trait isan important component of the competence thought inleadership that does a better job at predicting that aconstructionprojectmanagermaybeaneffectiveleaderthan actually distinguishing between an effective orineffectiveleader[36]

From the pioneer study carried out by [41] to mostrecent research work by [2],[36] and [50] numeroustraits are considered relevant in the global projectpurview.Thisdiverseorientationspointtothebasicfactthat,constructionprojectmanagershouldexhibitstraitsthat will promote the overall project success. WidelyheldviewsintheliteraturearecorroboratedinTable1.

1.3SuccessfulProjectOutcome

Project outcome describe the assessment of projectsuccess.Differentparties toaconstructionprojecthaveindividual perception about project success [21]. Itthereforeplacedimperativeontheneedforstakeholdersto jointlydevelopandagreebenchmarks formeasuringproject success at the early stages [15]. Project successmeans a thought out appraisal of the extent in whichproject objectives and desires are realised [21].[4]identified subjective and objective views to measuringprojectsuccess.Whileobjectivesviewsaremeasuredinquantitative terms using mathematical models [20],subjective view is centred on the perception andjudgments of participants in the project and it remainsthe industry most widely adopted parameter [23].Projectsuccesscanbemeasuredonthe“goldentriangle”of cost, timeandquality [25].Others include enduserssatisfaction,fitnessofpurpose,andlevelofinnovation.

Table1:MatrixofRelevantLeadershipTraitstoConstructionProjectManagement

LeadershipTraits A B C D E F G H IDriveandambition Intelligence Honestyandintegrity Self–confidence Independence Originalityandcreativity Adaptability Adjustment Dominance Emotionalbalanceandcontrol Assertiveness Problemsolvingability Resultoriented




Communicative Negotiatingability Passion Trust Enthusiastic Persuasive Expertise Organised Flexible Inspiresharedvision AbilitytoDelegatetask Competence Team‐buildingskills Empathy Abilitytocoolunderpressure Resourcefulness Trust Effectivetimemanagement Acollaborativemanagementstyle

Receptivetochange Powerfulmotivator Forwardlooking Intelligent Inspiring Goodpublicspeaker Dependableandconsistent Broadvision Sociable Selfconfidence Persistenceanddetermination

(A) Stodgill(1974)(B)Kirk‐Patrick&Locke(1991)(C)Turner(1999)(D)Tiwana&Campbell(2000)(E)Odusamietal.,(2003)(F)Barry(2011)(G)MosaicWhitePaper(2011)(H)Shead(2011)(I)Zepp(2011).

[45] Identified three distinct aspects of the projectoutcome; the implementation process itself (internalcriteria such budget, schedule), the perceived value ofthe project, and client satisfaction with the deliveredproject. Traditional success criteria for constructionproject centre on the achievement of cost, programme(time) and quality target. [7] Consider these simplemeasures too crude formeasuring construction projectmanager’s performance in the context of today’sconstruction project environment, as many variablesoutsidethemanagersarenowbroaderthaninthepast.Theyplaced imperativeon theneed for the industry todefine more appropriate performance criteria formeasuring project manager’s performance andencouraging their professional development. There isalsotheneedtoredefinetraditionalsuccessparameterstoconsidertheknowledge,skillsandbehaviouralinputswhichcontributetosuperiorperformance.

In project management studies, successful project ismeasured by the project manager’s ability to deliver aperformingproject in time and qualitywhile efficientlyutilizing allocated resources for the project [3]. [35]Suggests criteria which also lean towards time, budgetand specification and [31] advocated the need for aprojecttomeetstakeholderexpectations.Thetraditionalsuccessindicatorsinprojects:cost;scheduleandqualityare measurable elements predicated on thecharacteristicsofthemanagement,procurementandthedelivery approach. However, failure in realising thismeasurable project ‘hardware’ often originates from

inappropriate management of communication, staffing,quality and risks [10].Theseparameters excluding riskare behavioural elements that necessitate dynamicleadership traits in order to achieve desired projectoutcomes [45]. Studies on successful project outcometherefore identify the capability to engage people andcommunicateeffectivelyassuccessfactors[42].

It is therefore incumbent on the project manager toexhibit leadership traits requisite to successfulimplementation of projects amidst guiding the projectteam through the different phases in its lifecycle [11].Suchcapabilitiesissaidtobecriticaltothesuccessoftheproject[14].Butthegeneralobservationbothinpracticeand the academic is that traditional practicepredominatepracticesacrossdevelopingcountries [33]and[27]. Theresult isexhibitionoftechnicalmentalitywith very limited consideration of leadership ambient.With this practice in view andwith the lack of properleadership traits, [34] acknowledged projectenvironment is characterised by poor interpersonalrelations, unnecessary control, destructive conflict andexcessive bureaucracy with resultant outcome in non‐successful projects. The ability to ascertain definiterelationship between leadership traits and projectoutcome portend increase capability in leadership thatcanenhanceincreasesuccess.

Various factors affect the success of constructionprojects. [4] Identified human, project, projectprocedure, project management related and externalenvironment. Leadership plays central role in




coordinatingallfrontiersidentifiedinChan’sstudy.Theprojectmanagersaddledwithleadershiproleinprojectsmustexhibitsarraysoftraitstodeliversuccessfully[49].Evidence abound in project management literatureswhich suggests project failsmost timenot on technicalmerit only but on issues relating to personnelmanagement[37];[42].Despitethisresult,professionalscontinually emphasises technical issues in detailignoring leadership context [39]. [9] Insists the projectmanager role requires less of technical expertise andadvocated both the broad understanding of functionalroles and cross‐functional experience. Such expertisebrings to the forefront what traits a project managerrequiresand imposes theirability tocoordinateprojectteamscriticaltosuccessfulprojectoutcomes[39].Whilethis far reaching discovery is essential, no singulardimension is sufficient to deliver a successful project.Both technical and expertise behaviours that enhancescross‐functional teamwork are necessary incontemporaryprojectenvironment.

Fromthe foregoing review, there isdearthof literaturegap in the research environment on the relationshipbetween leadership traits and construction projectoutcomes.Thepresent study therefore seeks to fill thisgapbyexaminingwhichleadershiptrait is importanttoconstruction project delivery; and the extent in whichthesetraitsinfluencesprojectoutcome.Inevaluatingtheexistence or the lack of relationship, a hypothesisinvolving twelve leadership traits generated fromemotional, managerial competencies individually andcollectivelyfromtheliteratureandpracticeweretestedagainst three aspects of project managementcompetencies relating to cost and time indicators ofproject success. The project management skills are:planning work; controlling tasks; and allocatingresources.Therationalisbasedontheneedtoevaluateleadership traits of the project managers’ as abehaviouralinputsindeliveringoncostandtime.Beforenow, literature onproject outcomeor performancehaslargely ignored the impactof theprojectmanager [48],andhisorherleadershipcompetenceonprojectsuccess.[17] Attributes thisoutcome to most studies askingproject managers their opinion and the respondentshave not been given due consideration to their ownimpact on project success. This study argues thesuggestedresearchapproachanditsdatawillbesubjectto self‐reporting bias. A common parlance says ‘anindividual cannot be an arbiter of himself’. Rather,seekingtheperceptionsofpeopleaffectedbytheprojectmanager’s decision will provide a more appropriatemeasureofaccuracy.Thepresentstudythereforeseeksteam members’ perception of the project managerleadership traits and their impact on project outcome.The importance of determining perceptions ispredicated on its ability to influence decision, marketbehaviourandproductoutcome[6].

2. RESEARCHMETHODOLOGY

The study is both descriptive and inferentialresearchinvolving questionnaire survey. The coreconstructionindustrypractitioners(architects,builders,engineers and quantity surveyors and others) whopractice as projectmanagers and other stakeholders in

variousprojectorganisationsweretargetedinthestudy.Owing to the large size of the population, it isimpracticable to investigate all its members. Twosampling techniques stratified random and thepurposive samplings were used. The stratified randomsamplingwasusedtosampleprofessionalswithpracticeinscription ‘A & B partnership, builders & projectmanagers.Listsofregisteredprofessionalpracticewereobtained from the respective professional bodies. 105professionalsare listedwiththerespectiveprofessionalbodiesin thestudyareabut28donotpracticewith theinscriptionand theywerenotconsidered for thestudy.Again, due to the absence of a list of contractorscurrently executing projects in the areas at the time ofstudy,thesizeofthepopulationinthecontractingsectorcould not be obtained due to varying degree of client,sponsors and financiers. Thus, purposive samplingtechniquewas employed in the selectionof28 firms.Atotal of 105 sample respondents were randomlysampled.

The studywas conducted in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.TheStateissituatedintheNigerDeltaregionofNigeriaand has a population of about fourmillion people [26]andalandmassofabout304.769squarekilometres.Thestudywas conducted in five locations namely: Uyo thestate capital; Eket;Oron;Abak; and IkotEkpene. Thesearetheareaswhereprojectswiththerequiredfeaturesare located.Thestatewasselected for thestudyduetomassive on‐going infrastructure development requiringcuttingedgemanagementpractice.

ThequestionnaireconsistsoftwopartsAandB.PartAelicited information on the study participants’, projectcharacteristics and comprised of multiple choice closeended questions relating to academic and professionalqualifications,yearsofexperienceandtheirprofessions.Part B collected data on the specific objectives of thestudy that is, relevant leadership traits to constructionprojectmanagement, and the evaluationof influence ofleadership traits on project outcome. Fourteenleadership traits generated individually and collectivelyfromthe literatureandpracticewerepresented for thesurvey.Pilotinginvolving24participantswaspresentedwith 42 leadership traits (Table 1) to ascertain theirrelative importance to construction projectmanagement.A5‐pointsLikertscale(where5=stronglyagree to 1=slightly disagree) was used to rank thepreponderance of leadership traits and fourteen werevalidated relevantby the pilot study. Three projectmanagement core skills were used in evaluating theperformance of projects studied. The measurementcriteria are ability to enhance level of effort planningwork; controlling tasks; and allocating resources.Because no previous study had aggregated these traitsand performance measurement criteria for a study, itbecame pertinent to carry out reliability and validitytest.Reliability measures the stability in instrumentwhile validity measure the extent in which instrumentcapture the hemisphere of the subject matter.Respondents’perceptionswerecollectedusinga5‐pointLikertscaleandAlphaCronbachwascalculated. Alpha‐Cronbach is valid at 0.7 and above and where thenumberof items in thescale is less than10, it tends toyield low value. Correction using inter‐item correlation




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3.2TheRelative ImportanceofExistingLeadershipTraitstoConstructionProjectManagement

Figure5dilatesaround4.00andcontract towards3.00and weaned towards 2.00. There are therefore threebands of leadership traits studied. The analysis of thesurvey’srankingopinionproducedmeanscoresbetween2.2 to 4.02. The very important traits havemean scoreranging from 3.51 to 4.5; and traits in this band are:effective communication; competence; andaccessibility.The important traits’mean isbetween2.51to3.50andthere are eight traits in this band. They include self‐confidence, result oriented, willingness to adoptcollaborative leadership styles, intelligent, forwardlooking,sociableandadaptability,honestyandintegrity;andabilitytosolveproblems.

The lastbandof traits is‘notvery important’ traitswithmean below 2.5. This includes time management,enthusiasmandabilitytodelegate.Reasonadvancedforinsignificant ranking of the time management and theability to delegate are that although not apparent fromthesurvey,butcanbeattributedtoconstructionprojectsbeingcharacteristicallytimeboundprogrammedwithinagreed duration subject to unforeseen. It is a duty incontract to manage allocated time efficiently as an

indicator of successful outcome. Similarly, it is alsoargued that, since construction projects require groupeffortandteamwork,rolesarewelldefinedintheteameveninthefragmentedtraditionalapproach;ratherthanseek to evaluate the projects manager’s ability todelegate, attention should focus on the ability tocoordinate. However, the opinions of the respondentsare heterogeneous and do not vary significantly onefromanother(Fig6).




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4. DISCUSSIONOFRESULTS

Most leadership traits in the general projectmanagementfieldarerelevanttosuccessfulconstructionprojectdelivery.This is theresultof thestudy’s findingonthepreponderanceofthevariousleadershiptraitsinthe management of construction projects. Eleven(78.6%)ofthesetraitswereeitheragreedtoorstronglyagreed to as being significantly relevant to themanagementofconstructionprojects.Communicationisthe most important trait a construction project leadermust possessed for a successful project outcome.Communication is central among all leadership traits.This result of the finding is consistent with manyresearches in projectmanagement leadership. The firstandmostconventionalstudyonprojectleadershiptraits[47] identified communication as one of the eightcardinal traitsof theprojectmanager; [25]emphasizedcommunication among the ten qualities of a projectmanager.

Theopinionoftherespondentsdeviatessignificantlyonwhich leadership traits is suitable for successfulconstructionprojectoutcome(Fig6).Thestudyrevealeda mean standard deviation of about 0.88 in therespondents’ opinion. Project managers interviewedattributethetrendtovaryingopiniononthepartoftheparticipantsregardingwhich leadership trait issuitablefor a particular project circumstance. This is consistentwith the finding of [21]. They found that all relevantleadership traits for successful project outcome cannotbe found in a single project manager. They thereforesuggest the need to switch gears from one leadershiptraittoanothertosuitthestageaprojectisactuallyin.

The construction project manager’s leadership traitsstrongly influence project outcomes by promotingprojectmanagement capabilities that isPW,CTandAR(Table 2). The result of the chi square test on fourteenleadership traits and these variables strongly indicatesthat project managers who practice and exhibits theseleadership traitswould certainlyminimised overrun inproject delivery. The finding strongly corroborates theearlier findings in [17] and [7]. [17] Studied relevantattributes to effectiveness project management withrespect to leadership behaviour while [7] redefinetraditional success criteria as a correlate of superiorproject performance and outcome. Communication,honesty and integrity, team building, self‐efficacy andcompetenceare the leadership inputaprojectmanagermust exhibit for a superior outcome [7].[17] opinedeffective project management requires opencommunication; collaborative working, delegatingauthority,abilitytosolveproblemandconflictresolutionamongothers.Similarly,[16]basedonevidencefromtheIndian construction projects recognised leadershipattributesasa critical success factor that influencecostperformance.

5. CONCLUSION

It is accepted among academicians and practitioners ofproject management that there is a need for effectiveleadershipinthemanagementofprojects.Despitesomestudyintheareaofprojectmanagementleadership,the

extent to which leadership traits influence projectoutcomeisnotclear,noristherelevantleadershiptraitsapparent. To bridge this gap, the study used adescriptive‐inferential research method to determinewhethera relationshipexistbetweensuccessfulprojectoutcomeandconstructionprojectmanager’s leadershiptraits. 42 leadership traits drawn from emotional,managerialcompetenciesinliteratureandpracticeweretested for preponderance. Fourteen are relevant toconstruction management, and supported hypothesistest. The hypothesis determined the relationshipbetween leadership traits and project outcome. Threeelement of project management effectiveness weretestedagainst leadership traits.Therelevant leadershiptraits based on the study include effectivecommunication; competence, accessibility, self‐confidence; result oriented, willingness to adoptcollaborative leadership styles, intelligent, forwardlooking, sociable and adaptability, honesty & integrityandproblemsolvingability.Itisthereforeinferredthat,leaders who practice or exhibit these traits would bemoreeffectiveinachievingpositiveresultsineachofthefactors that measures successful project outcomes.However, no single leadership trait is suitable in allproject circumstance, thus the need for flexibility.Constructionprojectmanagersshouldalwaysattempttoshiftintuitively between the various leadership traits,according to the people they lead and the work thatneedstobedone.

The present study reveals relevant leadership traits toconstructionmanagementprojectwhichcanbeusedasayardstick forevaluatingwhetheraprojectmanagerwilldeliver on project objectives or not. The study wascarried out inNigeria; to enhance generalization of thestudy’sfindingfurtherstudiesmaybenecessaryinotherstatesofthefederation.

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leadership traits of construction project managers’ and their impact on project outcome

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