Leadership Style of the United Arab Emirates Construction Sector - Research Paper Example

The construction industry has suffered from a leadership crisis in recent years, in spite of the growth of construction companies (Brouer & Scwedhelm, 2002). The leadership crisis has slowed down the development of the industry because the leaders lack the necessary style to lead and achieve the desired objectives. Effective leadership is vital in an organization to attain goals and promote professional achievements at an individual level (Loo, 2002). The construction industry is composed of several closely related sectors.

The process of establishing requirements is complex. It would benefit from sound leadership styles and management skills (Bossink, 2004; Opfer, Kloppenborg & Shrinber, 2002). Leaders must be able to satisfy the conflicting requirements of multiple players while simultaneously supporting the organizational success (Goetsch and Davis, 2006). In addition, effective leadership must facilitate successful growth of professional careers in the same field. Such leadership style is essential for the execution of projects (Cooper & Schriesheim, 2005).

The effectiveness of different leadership styles varies according to job roles. For example, the literature argues that participatory leadership in the construction industry is necessary for executives, while project managers and superintendents must possess autocratic styles of leadership (Loosemore, 2003). The dimensions of transactional and transformational leadership have a separate impact on organizational performance. The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) construction sector is an industry in which the application of the transactional and transformational leadership and practices are highly relevant (Newton, 2009; Briggs, 2008).

To acquire a culture of high productivity and improve the construction industry, leadership styles and their essence play a central role (Berry & Cartwright, 2000). The industry must establish professionals to work at different levels of construction projects. Managerial positions in the construction industry fall under project executives, project managers, field engineers, and office engineers (Collinson, 2005). A successful executive must be intelligent, imaginative, and inspirational.