Project Leadership Competencies: The Case of Project Leadership in Construction Project

The current definitions of a project broaden the scope and areas in which project management can be learnt and understood. The traditional understanding of a project has always been in relation to engineering operations, but the current wave of projectification of operations has brought about new thinking. In line with tradition, this research was carried out amongst construction companies where project management is assumed to have matured over the years. Though project management can be studied as a generic discipline, there is an inherent organizational culture typical of specific industries defined implicitly by the practitioners. The construction is no different and is known to be masculine and pressurized for time with clearly defined technical specifications as outline in the architectural plans. The demands at a construction site remain universal regardless of the size, technical complications and levels of mechanization. Of particular interest were the implied findings that relate to ideal leadership styles for the industry when measured against the expectations of time, cost and quality of the product. The people who were interviewed were project managers, engineers, technicians and general labourers at the plant sites. The questions were specifically compiled for project practitioners who are affected by day- to- day challenges that are encountered during project execution. The findings are interesting as some of the conclusions reached do not agree fully with previously held views about effective leadership and management.