What Is Leadership and Does It Apply to Project Management - Literature review Example

What is Leadership and does it apply to project management Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: Executive summary The topic in this particular analysis is the definition of leadership and its application in project management. This is founded on the background that despite the diverse definitions of leadership in diverse realms of academia, different scholars have pointed to the fact that it plays a central role in influencing the success of the project in terms of ensuring that the scheme is finished in time and within the allocated budget. The objective of this report is to exhibit the imperative niche of leadership in the performance in a project, mostly in relation to the employees among other stakeholders in the project. The scope of this report is limited to the construction projects and thus other projects outside this industry will not be considered. Nonetheless, it is important to note that the findings in this report might find application in other projects outside the realms of the construction industry. The methodology in this report entails a critical analysis of the various areas in which robust leadership plays a key role in ensuring the overall success of the construction project. Findings in this report exhibit that leadership plays an integral role in cultivating motivation and commitment of the employees, in problem solving and decision making as well as in promoting a positive work ethics in the project. All these are imperative in the eventual success of the construction projects. This report recommends that profound mechanisms be put into place in various construction projects in order to cultivate positive leadership which has enormous implications on the viability of the project. What is Leadership and does it apply to project management Introduction In the past decades, diverse scholars and international agencies have made extensive efforts to define the concept of leadership. Thus, the generic definition of this concept has undergone massive discourses resulting in the generation of a wide alley of literature in different realms of academia, central to them being realms of management as well as organizational science. Bernard Bass who is one of the most renowned scholars of leadership perceived leadership as a ‘universal phenomenon’ and proceeded to define it as the interaction of two or more members of a certain group which in most cases entail a structuring or restructuring of the situation and the opinion and anticipations of the members (Ver, 2009). Leadership in project management, mostly in the realms of construction which is central to this analysis has been found to play a fundamental role towards the success of the project, in the sense of the project meeting its objectives. This fact is supported by Balogun (2008) who determined that albeit the fact that there are differences among projects in terms of scope and size, the rudimentary aspect of the success of these projects rests upon the aspect of having competent leadership and strong skills in resources management which culminates to effectiveness. Thus, the leadership factor is endowed with the capacity of accounting for the success of the project, just as it has the capability of prompting failure. Against this backdrop, this paper is a profound effort to expound on what leadership is as well as its applicability in project management. This analysis will primarily focus on the projects in the construction industry which has experienced enormous growth in the recent decades in various countries around the globe. Definition of concept It is imperative to be cognizant of the fact that over the last seven decades, there have been approximately six chief schools of leadership theory which include but not limited to the trait, behavioral, competency, contingency, charismatics as well as emotional intelligence schools (Turner & Muller, 2005). These leadership theories can be found in diverse works by various scholars, for instance, Handy (1982), Dulewicz & Higgs (2003) andPartington (2003) among others. However, despite the diversities in the perceptions of leadership previously mentioned, leadership can generally be defined to the ability as embedded in an individual to effectively motivate, influence and empower other people to participate towards the success and effectiveness of an institution in which they derive membership (House et. al, 1999). Based on the above definition, this results to the question; how does leadership apply in project management. This will be explored in the subsequent section. Application of leadership in project management It is paramount to recognize at this juncture that leadership in project management is practically different from the mainstream management field based on two rudimentary characteristics of every project as embedded in the work The Fast Forward MBA in ProjectManagement by Verzuh (2008). Firstly, every project has a beginning and an end and secondly, every project usually produces a peculiar product. Thus, leadership in project management often takes a different form when juxtaposed with ordinary management based on the virtue that particular projects have their own features and characteristics (Xiong, 2008). Against this background, leadership finds deep applicability in project management, primarily in construction projects as exhibited in the subsequent analysis. Cultivating motivation and commitment of the employees This is central to the efforts aimed at ensuring the success of the project. Good leadership in a construction project results in heightened motivation of the employees which results in increased satisfaction in the allocated task which elevates the commitment of the employees in this particular project towards fulfilling their allocated tasks in time. This is where the leader exhibits extensive knowledge of his/her employees through reckoning the level of competency and commitment of the subordinates while they perform the required tasks in the wider construction project, for instance, the development level of the architectural engineers, production and procurement personnel among others. This will assist in the leader having knowledge in regard to whether the employees have developed a positive attitude regarding their tasks as well as the level of knowledge and skills to perform the specific construction tasks (Balogun, 2008). This will help the leader to motivate the weak performing employees in their tasks, recognizing the input of the highly performing employees and reaffirming the importance of the input of all the employees in meeting the construction targets. This will not only enhance their endeavors for better performance and satisfaction in their respective tasks but also increase their commitment towards achieving the overall objectives of the construction project. This is fundamental in the eventual success of the project during the diverse phases of the construction work. Thus strong leadership finds important applicability in construction project management in this respect, which is also replicable in other projects. Problem solving According to Ofori (2000), the construction industries in all parts of the globe are confronted by diverse challenges and problems, mostly in the wake of the global financial slump in 2008. These challenges range from attraction and retention of qualified workforce, dynamics in technology as well as the complexity of international standards in regard to construction projects (Turker et. al, 2009). On a higher level, conflicts and disputes are bound to occur in the construction projects, for instance, contractors-design professionals, contractor-sub-contractors disputes, contractors-employees conflicts and conflicts with the construction certification agencies among other wide alley of disputes. The leadership in any construction project plays a core role in ensuring timely resolution of these disputes based on the fact that the continued wrangles pose detrimental impacts on the eventual success of these projects. Thus, the positive role of the leader in a given project ensures that the construction project is completed within the set time frame and within the allocated budget. Therefore, in case the project management is caught into a dispute, for instance, with the employees, the leader plays a central role in facilitating the course of action, either towards amicable dispute resolution methods like mediation, arbitration or litigation. The role of the leader in either of these processes usually impacts on the eventual success of the project. This is epitomized whereby the proactivity of the leader in the mediation processes to solve the disputes between the employees and the management structure of the project plays a key role in swift resolution of the dispute which impacts on not only the performance and productivity of the employees, but also ensuring that the project is completed in time. This also depicts the fundamental role of leadership in project management in respect to resolution of problems threatening the viability of construction project. Decision making Profound decision making is central to the successful operations of construction projects. This is founded on the fact that these projects are usually confronted by diverse decision making complexities characterized by risks and uncertainties in terms of designs, funding as well as the enforcers of the different policies affecting the feasibility of the project (Priemus, Flyvbjerg & Wee, 2009). Therefore, the leadership structure in any given construction project plays a central role in making profound decisions affecting the project, for instance, in regard to increasing the workforce in the project to ensure that it is completed in time, sub-contracting some of the construction tasks to various agencies, procurement of construction materials, compliance with different environmental standards, risk management among other decisions which affect the project. Therefore, good leadership in construction project ensures that the decisions arrived at through holistic approach entailing consultation with all the involved departments in the project are implemented as agreed upon and penalizing non-compliance with the set policies which can jeopardize the operations of the project. This role of the leader in a project is critical in making sure that the operations in project runs as planned which eventually impacts on the overall success of the construction project. In addition, the leader in a construction project is responsible for instituting a contingency plan in the project in case unforeseen uncertainties like inflation resulting to hiking of the construction materials and environmental risks among others do occur. The sole mandate of decision making in regard to the execution of this contingency plan in case on an uncertainty lies with the leadership of the project. Thus, this reveals a key role of leadership in construction project in regard to making profound decisions affecting the project as well as deciding on when to execute the contingency plan in case an uncertainty occurs. Promoting positive work ethics in the project According to Badger and Gay (1996) ethics in the construction industry is often perceived to point to ‘personal ethics’ which is usually taken by the professional in construction to infer to treating other people with equal honesty same as one would like to be treated with. Other aspects of ethics in construction projects includes transparency and accountability, integrity and respectability, all of which are embedded in the codes of practice, which describes the responsibilities and roles of professionals in the construction projects (Harris et. al, 1995) as well as forming the foundation of the ethical programs (Calhoun and Wolitzer, 2001). Thus, the leader in a construction project has a major role of disseminating these ethics into the daily operations in the project among the employees as well as personnel in the management echelons. This is important in ensuring that a positive culture based on adherence to ethical standards is established and upheld by all the stakeholders in the construction project during the entire period that this project is underway. This is best epitomized whereby is the leader of the organization is engaged in unethical acts like gender discrimination, embezzlement of funds, mistreatment of employees, failing to meet deadlines, this particular culture is bound to trickle down to the employees and other stakeholders in this project. Nonetheless, if the leader is proactive in the process of enforcing ethical standards since the instigation of the project to the end as well as setting a positive example to the employees and other stakeholders, this is bound to result in the development of an ethical culture among all these individuals and collectives which is central to the success of the construction project. This is based on the fact that there will be no embezzlement of funds in the project which can detrimentally affect the project budget and on the other hand it will ensure that all the employees treat each other with respect and dignity during the entire project which is core to the cooperation and coordination among the employees. This will eventually translate to the success of the construction project since it will be completed within the set timeframes and within the allocated budget. Therefore, leadership in a construction project is imperative in promoting an ethical culture in the course of the project which is chief to the success of the project. Conclusion From the preceding discourse, it is apparent that leadership is central to the activities in project management, mostly in the construction projects. This is founded on the fact that leadership plays a central role in the motivation of the employees, problem solving and decision making processes as well as positive work ethics in the project. All these have extensive impacts on the eventual success of the project as well as ensuring optimum performance and productivity in different phases of the construction project. This results to the need for instituting mechanisms for cultivating strong leadership in the construction projects. References Badger, W.W. Gay, S.W.(1996). The top ten lessons learned in constructioncontracting, Cost Engineering, 38(5), 20–9. Balogun, M. (2008). Leadership in Project Management: Exploring Roles & Behaviours. (Masters Thesis, Saint Mary’s University). Retrieved from http://www.cmc-canada.ca/Member_Benefits/documents/LeadershipProjectManagement.pdf. Calhoun, C.H. & Wolitzer, P. (2001). Ethics as a value added service, The CPA Journal, 71(1), 71–3. Dulewicz, V., & Higgs, M. J. (2003). Design of a new instrument to assess leadership dimensions and styles. Henley Working Paper Series HWP 0311. Henley-on-Thames, UK: Henley Management College. Handy, C. B. (1982). Understanding organizations. London: Penguin. Harris Jr, C.E. Pritchard, M.S. &Rabins, M.J. (1995). Engineering ethics: concepts and cases. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company. House R.J. et. al. (1999). Cultural influences on leadership and organizations: Project Globe. Retrieved September 19, 2012 from http://t-bird.edu/wwwfiles/sites/globe/pdf/process.pdf Ofori, G. (2000). Challenges of Construction Industries in Developing Countries: Lessons from Various Countries. Singapore: Singapore University Press. Partington, D. A. (2003). Managing and leading. In J. R.Turner (Ed.), People in project management. Aldershot, UK: Gower. Priemus, H., Flyvbjerg, B. & Wee, B. (2009). Decision-making on Mega-projects: Cost Benefit Analysis, Planning and Innovation. A Journal of Urban and Regional Policy, 40(2), 380-383. Turker R.L. et. al (2009). Key workforce challenges facing the American Construction Industry: An Interim assessment. Retrieved November 07, 2012, from http://www.ce.utexas.edu/org/ccis/a_ccis_report_03.pdf Turner J.D. & Muller, R. (2005).The project manager’s leadership styleas a success factor on projects: A literature review. Project Management Journal, 36(1), 49-61. Ver, H.L. (2009). Conception of Leadership. Background paper 04, Canberra: Developmental Leadership Program. Verzuh, E. (2008).The Fast Forward MBA in ProjectManagement. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Xiong, R. (2008). Leadership in project management. (Masters Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology). Retrieved from https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/26596/xiong_riyue_200812_mast.pdf? sequence=1 Read More