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Project managers (PMs) who are middle-level leaders at the project level report to superiors in the headquarters who are top-level leaders. Other studies have focused on how PMs as middle-level managers lead teams at the operating level, with scant emphasis on the dynamics between the top-level leader and PMs. This research investigates the effective organizational behaviors that companies and top-level leaders adopt when managing PMs so that they achieve good job outcomes. A mixed-methods research design comprising survey with PMs and interviews with top-level leaders was employed. Data were collected via an online survey using a structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews via video calls. It was found that top-level leaders adopt a mix of custodial, collegial, and supportive organizational behaviors when managing PMs. However, the study found that the custodial organizational model, which depends on monetary benefits and economic resources and is frequently used, is associated with increased absenteeism rates among PMs and not associated with positive job outcomes. The study reveals a significant finding: adopting both supportive and collegial management models correlates strongly with increased job satisfaction, salary contentment, and internal work motivation among PMs. The contribution to knowledge is highlighting that a combined approach to organizational behavior yields excellent job outcomes for PMs, emphasizing the need for a balanced and nuanced approach. The study's practical contribution lies in the actionable recommendations offered to top-level managers for effectively managing PMs. Practical Applications: These findings have practical applications for strategic management in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) organizations. To effectively manage PMs, organizations and top-level leaders should empower PMs by providing them with the resources necessary to take ownership of their projects. Top-leaders must clearly define the roles and authority of PMs, ensuring they understand the organization's strategic direction and its impact on project objectives. For decisions that are not high-stakes, PMs should be allowed to make choices independently, with the top-level leader offering supportive leadership. When it comes to decisions with significant risk, a collegial leadership is recommended, where top-level leaders and PMs collaborate to share the decision-making process. However, for highly uncertain decisions, top-level leaders should make the decisions themselves. Routine problem-solving should be managed by PMs using available resources, but top-level leaders should address critical problems. To promote a collegial culture, leaders should prioritize identifying solutions over assigning blame. Finally, organizations should establish performance-based incentives to reward PMs for their achievements. Recognition of PMs' performance should go beyond monetary rewards and include public acknowledgment and opportunities for special assignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, titled "Mastering Project Management: 5 Powerful Techniques for Project Managers," emphasizes the importance of effective communication, strategic planning, agile methodologies, resource optimization, and continuous improvement in project management. The author highlights the need for clear communication and stakeholder engagement to ensure alignment and transparency. Additionally, the article discusses the significance of strategic planning, risk management, and adaptive leadership in navigating challenges and driving project success. The author also emphasizes the importance of resource optimization, conflict resolution, and continuous improvement in enhancing project performance. The article concludes by emphasizing the commitment to excellence and continuous learning as essential for project managers to achieve exceptional results. [Extracted from the article]

This research aimed to evaluate the implementation of lean management at Landspitali, the National University Hospital of Iceland, by examining the current state of the methodology, the effectiveness of the methodology, and the factors influencing managerial attitudes and outcomesin the hospital. The study provides actionable insights to optimise lean management practices in healthcare and offers guidance for future improvements. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combined quantitative and qualitative analyses. The quantitative component involved a questionnaire with 18 questions distributed to 115 managers at Landspitali. The findings revealed that while most managers were familiar with the lean management methodology, many needed more confidence in its effectiveness, mainly due to insufficient information about its benefits. These results underscore the need for enhanced communication and education to build confidence and motivation among managers, thereby supporting more effective implementation at Landspitali and similar institutions. Additionally, the study identified a critical need for further training and development among staff – for example, through the establishment of a dedicated training academy focused on lean management methods. This initiative will address the gaps highlighted in the research, ensuring more effective implementation and sustained success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of stress in demonstrating adequate project leadership and ultimately achieving project success, while also respecting followers' expertise as the most important context factor. During 2021, the empirical research was conducted on 71 project managers in the Republic of Croatia. Results obtained via SPSS Statistics 23.0 and PROCESS macro v4.0 for SPSS indicate that demonstrated project leadership and followers' expertise positively affect the project's success. According to the results, stress, due to its inverted U-shaped nature of effect, does not affect project success, whereas it has a negative moderation effect on demonstrated project leadership by reducing its positive effects on project success. In addition to these results, this paper offers other interesting insights into the relationships between demonstrated project leadership, project manager's stress, and project success, further filling the identified gap in research. A relatively small sample of project managers and its cross-sectional nature stand out as the main limitations of the empirical research presented in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable project management (SPM) is pivotal for enhancing sustainable project success (SPS) and transforming organizations into sustainable practices. Many prior studies empirically found that SPM is positively associated with SPS. This association can be further enhanced through sustainable leadership. However, the role of sustainable leadership as a moderator on the association between SPM and SPS has not been fully grabbed in the prior studies, especially the public sector development program (PSDP) in Pakistan remained unexplored. The study aimed to investigate the moderating role of sustainable leadership on the association between SPM and SPS in the PSDP projects in Pakistan. Using a quantitative survey-based design and the data from 285 completed PSDP projects collected through a single informant strategy, the hypothesized relationships were tested with the PLS-SEM-based hierarchical component modeling approach. The results revealed that SPM is positively associated with SPS and sustainable leadership moderates the association between SPM and SPS in this context. The study provides important insights into the emerging trend of SPM and SPS and evocatively contributes to the existing literature. The study also contributes to the practice and assists project managers, decision-makers, and policy-makers in planning and developing PSDP projects more effectively to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). The findings are also beneficial for other countries operating in similar circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex construction projects are characterized by a large scale, high dynamics, many unknown risks, high complexity, etc., which often result in serious consequences, such as schedule delays, cost overruns, and uncontrolled objectives. Organizational leadership, which can be dynamically adjusted to the changes in the external environment, is the most important management ability of project managers. Therefore, it is of great significance to systematically analyze organizational leadership for the management of complex construction projects. In this paper, through the dynamic Bayesian method, the influencing factors of organizational leadership of complex construction projects and its dynamic development law are studied in depth. First, 17 organizational leadership factors are identified. Second, a dynamic Bayesian measurement model of organizational leadership was developed using 128 training samples. Third, the developed measurement model was applied for model analysis. The results of the study are as follows. (1) This study models changes in organizational leadership influences over time. (2) The organizational leadership measurement model proposed in this study can be applied in practice to predict leadership trends in specific projects. (3) Leaders should pay more attention to management competence in the personal leadership dimension, culture building in the relational leadership dimension, and institutional support in the strategic leadership dimension. This study proposes a quantifiable model for project leaders that breaks through the traditional model of studying organizational leadership from a static perspective, provides a quantifiable model for project leaders, and can cope with the dynamics of actual projects so that project leaders can control the whole leadership process macroscopically, thus providing an important reference to improve the organizational leadership capacity of complex construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project management is in a state of upheaval, with entire workflows and processes having been digitalised or moved to virtual space in a very short space of time in recent years. Projects are now largely managed virtually and from the home office, which has massively increased the importance of (virtual) communication. Among other things, this has abruptly changed the demands on project managers, so that the current situation with all its changes goes far beyond the other "usual difficulties" in everyday project work. This study therefore focusses on the following areas: Structural anchoring of project management in companies, Procurement of personnel for project implementation and support, Requirements for future competencies of project managers, and Leadership and goal achievement. To this end, project managers were questioned in a semi-structured interview. By focussing on best practice, the trends for the future in project management are to be derived using the qualitative approach and the current state of the art is to be described. The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the world of work - and therefore also project management. Within a very short space of time, there has been a massive shift towards decentralised, virtual workplaces, which has undermined the unwritten law of physical presence on site. This inevitably changed the model of collaboration, which led to significant changes in operational, structural, organisational and personnel processes. These changes, the trends in the emerging orientation of project management and best practice points were the focus and were considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of humble leadership on project success. In addition, we examine the mediating effect of organisational learning on the relationship between humble leadership and the success of international development projects. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a quantitative research methodology based on questionnaire data collected from 80 international development project managers from different sectors in Senegal (West Africa). The variance-based structural equation method, following the partial least squares approach, was used to test the research hypotheses. Findings: The results showed that humble leadership is positively related to project success. Furthermore, organizational learning mediates the relationship between humble leadership and project success. Research limitations/implications: This research has several limitations. The authors did not examine the role of organizational culture as a moderating variable. However, the authors believe that the cultural variable can have an impact on project success and team building, and future studies should consider this aspect as well. In the African context, each country has its own culture, which may affect the behaviour of the project manager. Also, the authors admit that the sample size is relatively small, which greatly reduces the generalizability of the results. Practical implications: These findings have important implications. First, because a project leader's humility enhances project success, it is critical for development projects to select leaders who demonstrate modest conduct in the workplace. The perfect selection of a humble leader depends heavily on judgements about the characteristics of a humble leader from new project manager candidates. Originality/value: Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study found that humble leadership is important for project success, thus extending the utility of the concept of humble leadership to the project literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the importance of positive leadership in project management and the need for organizations to upskill their leaders. It emphasizes the challenges of change and the responsibility of leaders to set a clear vision and provide guidance. The article suggests several strategies for upskilling and nurturing current and future leaders, including creating or reviewing the organization's vision, promoting values such as positivity and respect, providing training, implementing continuous process improvement, fostering organizational agility, and developing and grooming successors. The author also highlights the importance of continuous professional development and encourages leaders to create a culture of learning and sharing. The article concludes with information about the author, Frank Saladis, a highly experienced project management professional and author. [Extracted from the article]

This article, written by project management experts Harold Kerzner and Al Zeitoun, explores the concept of inspiring leadership in the context of future project culture. It emphasizes the importance of leadership in navigating external disruptions and highlights the need for leaders to adapt to changing ways of working. The article discusses the characteristics of servant leadership, crisis leadership, and the competencies that future leaders should possess, such as purpose clarity, transformational skills, and change management. It also emphasizes the importance of value focus, communication skills, and program management for inspiring change. [Extracted from the article]

Project management represents an essential area of research with a significant impact on society and the economy. This paper aims to critically analyze the scientific literature on team cohesion and its influence on project outcomes. We employ a qualitative approach based on secondary sources to identify and evaluate critical factors such as knowledge exchange, trust, and team cohesion and to examine how these contribute to project success. The novelty of our work lies in its interdisciplinary approach, integrating perspectives from organizational psychology and project management to investigate the dynamics of team cohesion and its impact on project performance. Within this article, we critically analyzed team cohesion through the lens of individual team member competencies first, leadership styles second, and the relationship between them third. Our results indicate that integrating team cohesion into project dynamics maximizes operational efficiency and enhances resilience and adaptability against unexpected challenges. Managers who adopt specific leadership approaches (e.g., transformational and transactional) are identified as crucial factors in creating and maintaining project team cohesion. Furthermore, the article emphasizes that integrating team cohesion into management practices contributes not only to project success but also to its sustainability. Managers can develop effective strategies and interventions to enhance collaboration and outcomes within project teams by profoundly understanding the relationship between team cohesion and project performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the organizations strive to innovate. Innovation is needed at all levels and of different types. We see new products and innovation in existing products every day. Virtually all organizations try to innovate their processes for simplicity, speed, and efficiency. Systematic innovation and a culture of innovation can create a sustainable advantage for the organization and create a position of industry leadership. The organizations world over follow time tested strategies for capital management, strategic planning, human resource management, employee development, and leadership. Building innovation in organizations DNA sets the organization apart. Rather than waiting on the competitor come up with next big idea, organizations need to innovate and remain ahead of the curve. This paper will cover the ways to create and sustain a culture of innovation and manage innovation at enterprise level. We will discuss how the project managers and program managers can lead the innovation at team and organization level. Why do we need to worry about innovation? How do successful organizations such as GE, DuPont, Visa, P&G, Google, etc. manage innovation? What is the responsibility of leadership in managing innovation?. All views are that of the author and does not represent the views of the organizations he works for, is associated with, or has worked in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of multi-dimensional senior management support on the relationship between clusters of leadership competencies and the success of public sector projects. Survey data were collected from 197 project managers/directors of public sector projects in Pakistan. The findings reveal a positive relationship between task-oriented, relationship-oriented, and innovation-oriented competencies, project success, and all five dimensions of senior management support. Furthermore, the relationships between clusters of leadership competencies and project success are not strengthened in the presence of providing resources, communication, expertise, and power, whereas structural arrangements strengthen the relationship between innovation-oriented leadership competencies and project success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Project managers face decisions every day and those decisions result in an "either or" situation. This is also true when it comes to the choice of a project management approach, i.e. predictive versus iterative. A case is made in this article that project managers should be ambidextrous and apply practices that are beneficial to the project, irrespective of the origin of the practices. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on a questionnaire focussing on six themes. The results of 290 projects were analysed using ANOVA and boxplots to test for skewness and variances. Findings: Based on the analysis of 117 practices, most of these projects could be classified as either hybrid or iterative projects. The results indicate that irrespective of the classification of the projects or the industry, projects are managed using a hybrid approach, with a tendency to incorporate more iterative practices than predictive practices. Originality/value: This article contributes to the current debate on which approach is the best given certain circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The project manager has a great responsibility to their subordinates and achieves the organizational objective and allocates resources to meet the project objective and motivate the project team by providing a vision of an ideal outcome. Project management skills are very crucial to the success of a project. Many projects have failed due to the ineffective leadership style of the project managers in such a way that insufficient planning, lack of authority, and poor communication forest the lack of transparency. This study aims to analyze the impact of democratic leadership style of a project manager on project success by analyzing the mediating role of innovative work behavior. The research strategy for this study is quantitative. 300 questionnaires were distributed to established project-based organizations to collect data. Statistical software for social science research, SPSS, and PLS, was used to analyze the data. The findings show that democratic leaders have a positive impact on project success. Innovative work behavior can help to boost project success in a complex situation within an organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Guanxi" is a Chinese term that refers to the relationship or network of connections between people, businesses, or organizations. It is a critical concept in East Asian culture and business, emphasizing the importance of building and maintaining personal and professional relationships for mutual benefit and success. Success itself is defined and perceived by people. Understanding Guanxi helps build professional connections toward project success. For a project to succeed, we need proper support from the right people at the right time. Project management is managing the human side of the project and not just status reports, meetings, and deliverables. The human side of project management in healthcare encompasses understanding and applying human values, emotional intelligence, empathy, and effective communication within project delivery. Healthcare projects involve the lives and well-being of patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Healthcare project managers have interesting challenges to deal with. While they must be focused on the ultimate project goals, they must also recognize the need for collaboration, trust, and empathy to ensure that the human element remains at the forefront. By focusing on the human side of project management, healthcare organizations can enhance patient experiences, improve outcomes, and create a compassionate and supportive healthcare environment. In this article, the authors discuss the role of human values and emotional intelligence in the context of project management in healthcare. The authors also outline the role of human aspects in dealing with Artificial Intelligence- related projects. The article concludes by acknowledging the author's work in healthcare project management and expressing gratitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Effective leaders have emerged as the cornerstone of project success. The major purpose of this paper is to propose a framework to categorize and prioritize leadership competencies for project managers in megaprojects. Design/methodology/approach: In the first stage, this study utilizes PMBOK 6th Edition, IPMA ICB 4.0 frameworks to develop a hierarchy-based four clusters of leadership competencies. In the second stage, a Fuzzy-AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) approach was employed to prioritize the leadership competencies for an organization dealing in megaprojects. Finally, using ordinal priority approach (OPA), the results of Fuzzy-AHP method are validated. Findings: Based on PMBOK, IPMA and literature, the proposed framework deduced twenty-four leadership competencies and grouped them in four clusters. The Fuzzy-AHP results indicate that among clusters, people competencies cluster is ranked most important, followed by perspective, practice, and innovation competencies. Considering the sub-categories and global weights, culture/values, governance, interpersonal skills, and development and growth emerged as the most important leadership competencies. The results from OPA corroborate the findings of Fuzzy-AHP method. Practical implications: Megaprojects are characterized by massive investments and extensive economic and social impact. The proposed framework would be an important aid for policymakers to develop suitable strategies and programs to inculcate leadership competencies that would lead to successful project managers and improved project performance. Originality/value: The need for this research stems from the need to integrate popular project management frameworks in leadership competencies development in project based organizations. The proposed integrated framework, based on PMBOK 6th Edition and IPMA ICB 4.0 competency frameworks, is an original contribution to understand and prioritize leadership competencies for megaproject success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the role of passive project leadership in project success. The article deduces a theoretical model implying that passive project manager leadership behavior affects the success of information technology projects, directly and indirectly, via employees' creativity. Self-regulation is proposed as a mitigating factor to minimize the destructive effects of passive leadership on creativity. The current study is based on a quantitative research design. A time lag design was used to collect data from 347 respondents working on information technology projects in Pakistan. SmartPLS was used for data analysis. The findings demonstrated that although passive leadership appears in flat organizations, it can have a negative impact on project success via creativity. Additionally, if the person is self-regulatory, it will not alter the results. The study added to the project management body of knowledge by confirming that a strong leadership role, instead of a passive one, is essential to boosting the creativity of project personnel. A passive leader remains inactive during situations where a strong leader is needed; however, self-regulation on the part of employees proved insufficient to propel a project toward success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examines the individual factors that predict whether individuals will emerge as leaders in global virtual teams, which often lack a more formal leadership structure. Research Design & Methods: We focus on emotional intelligence (EQ) and cultural intelligence (CQ) as two contemporary concepts that are of key relevance to leadership success. Building on socioanalytic theory, we hypothesize that individuals with higher levels of EQ and CQ have a higher probability of emerging as team leaders. We test the hypotheses on a sample of 415 teams comprised of 1 102 individuals who participated in a virtual international collaboration project. Using structural equation modeling, the results reveal that individuals with higher CQ were more likely to emerge as leaders. Findings: Our findings did not support the relevance of EQ. In addition, individual factors such as English proficiency, a higher age, and a lower power distance were also associated with leadership emergence. Implications & Recommendations: The study identified the gap in the literature regarding EQ and CQ in the context of leadership emergence. The results demonstrate that individuals with high CQ and high EQ that may have beneficial effects on the team and its outcomes do not automatically emerge as team leaders. We recommend that managers carefully consider which projects and tasks they will leave the leadership structure to emerge more informally. Contribution & Value Added: The key contribution and value added of this study is the investigation of the role of CQ and EQ with leadership emergence in global virtual teams (GVT), through the creation of a leadership emergence model building on socio-analytic theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The Power of Project Management Leadership" is a book by Laszlo A. Retfalvi that provides guidance on achieving outstanding results in project management. The book emphasizes the importance of being a visionary and engaged leader, inspiring trust and confidence in team members and stakeholders. It outlines the Project Management Leadership Model, which includes four components: Project Management Expertise, Core Leadership Skills, Risk-Smart Attitude, and Accountability-Based Behavior. The book offers practical advice, techniques, and assessments to develop management leadership skills. It is recommended for anyone looking to improve their management leadership abilities and become an outstanding project manager. [Extracted from the article]

"The Leap to Leader: How Ambitious Managers Make the Jump to Leadership" by Adam Bryant is a book that explores the path to becoming an effective leader through personal anecdotes, industry insights, and practical wisdom. The book covers topics such as self-assessment, the role of management, working for the team, and making the leap to leadership. It features interviews with successful leaders from various industries and cultures, providing different perspectives and advice. The book is recommended for professionals at any level who want to advance in their careers or improve their leadership skills. [Extracted from the article]

Managing infrastructure projects in conflict zones presents unique challenges and requires specialized approaches to ensure successful outcomes. This paper explores the distinct considerations, strategies, and best practices for managing infrastructure projects in complex environments affected by conflict. The initial focus of this study is to explore the existing body of knowledge on infrastructure delivery in conflict zones. The study aims to investigate the specific challenges of infrastructure delivery and provide a comprehensive understanding of the issues, including security risks, resource constraints, and logistical challenges. Subsequently, it stresses the critical role of strategic planning and the need for an adaptive project management approach that can address the challenges posed by the unpredictable nature of conflict zones. It highlights the importance of being able to adapt and respond to evolving circumstances in such challenging environments. The paper emphasizes the significance of stakeholder engagement and communication as vital components that foster transparency, trust, and project accountability. It discusses the importance of monitoring and evaluation in conflict-affected projects. It also highlights the importance of building resilient teams and leadership, accentuating the value of a supportive team culture. Additionally, it explores the aspects of risk management, emphasizing the need for contingency plans and flexible approaches to address the ever-changing conditions in conflict zones. Lastly, the paper concludes by drawing insights from brief case studies of infrastructure projects undertaken in conflict zones, showcasing valuable lessons learned and best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on leadership theory, this research verified what makes shared leadership an effective form of leadership for agile project teams, and whether using it influences the outcomes achieved by such teams as well as the more distal outcomes. Survey data were collected from 251 members of agile project teams implementing projects of an iterative and incremental character. Structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was adopted to test the hypotheses. Our research confirms that shared leadership is an effective form of leadership for agile project teams whose members are empowered to engage in leadership functions or processes. The findings confirm a positive direct impact of shared leadership on the performance of agile project teams and indirect impact on project efficiency and effectiveness. The research results also confirm the influence of project team-related contextual moderators on shared leadership inputs and outputs. The study contributes to leadership theory in the plural leadership research stream and confirms the shift from individual leadership to collective leadership as a result of the growing popularity of the agility paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to understand the challenges of managing projects in hybrid organizations. The authors explore how organizations with persistent competing institutional logics strive to balance competing priorities, and the authors craft a research agenda to examine the capabilities to manage projects in hybrid organizations. Design/methodology/approach: The authors focus on the social enterprise hybrid organizational form to study how such organizations manage persistent competing social and economic logics. The authors review the project management and social enterprise literature to generate new insights and suggest future research directions for theory development for project management. Findings: The understanding of the influences of the institutional context on the management of projects is still quite limited. The authors propose that project managers need adaptive capabilities to address how the dual logics, and their corresponding different expectations, can be flexibly combined. The objective is not to reduce the complexity due to the different logics, which is the focus of much of the literature on institutional complexity. Instead, the focus is on how to incorporate dual logics into a successfully blended hybrid organization. Originality/value: There is a dearth of literature about how projects are successfully managed in hybrid organizations with persistent competing institutional logics, like social enterprises, and important questions remain to be answered. This paper offers new insights on the capabilities required to flexibly combine dual logics that would generally compete and create conflict on projects in hybrid organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Great attention has been paid to the projects' success, which is the core of project management. It is not surprising that much research is being done in this area, as several factors contribute to the project's success. However, the moderating effect of top management support (TMS) on the relationship between transformational leadership (TL) and project success (PS) has not been investigated before. This study aims to examine whether the relationship between a project manager's transformational leadership and project success is moderated by top management support. This study uses a post-positivism philosophical objective to investigate the theoretical model. A cross-sectional time-lagged survey design was used to collect quantitative data. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire from 273 team members, project managers, and stakeholders working in Pakistan's public sector. The factor and hierarchical regression analysis were used for analysis. Our results showed that TL and TMS significantly impacted project success. Moreover, we found that TMS moderates the relationship between TL and PS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how stakeholders contribute to leading a project. Using a longitudinal study of a project embedded in a public project portfolio, the article uncovers a leadership configuration in which project portfolio and project actors come together in four patterns: top-down influence, transactional exchange, pooled leadership, and co-leadership. This configuration reveals integrated leadership units, the possibility of senior managers to both constrain and channel project manager contributions, and a wider variety of leadership patterns in horizontal and vertical relationships. These insights offer a more comprehensive account of distributed leadership that contributes to the development of leadership capacity in projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of specific types of leadership behaviors on recovery processes and the success of troubled information technology projects was investigated. A theoretical model of leadership for troubled IT projects is proposed. Control and transformational leadership behaviors are hypothesized to affect different recovery processes and through these processes affect project success. A survey instrument based on previously validated theoretical constructs from the IT troubled projects and leadership research was used to gather data from project managers, team members, and project sponsors. The results indicate strong support for the proposed model. Implications for practitioners and researchers are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on conservation of resources theory, our study investigates whether a project manager’s despotic leadership style influences project success directly and indirectly through the underlying mechanism of project team members’ emotional exhaustion. Additionally, the moderating role of project team members’ emotional intelligence (EI) between despotic leadership and emotional exhaustion is also examined. Data were collected from the project-based employees working in telecommunications organizations (n = 250) using a time-lagged survey in three waves. The result indicates that despotic leadership has a significant negative influence on project success, and emotional exhaustion partially mediates this relationship. Moreover, conforming to a rare line of inquiry that there is a dark side to being emotionally intelligent, our findings show that the effect of despotic leadership style on emotional exhaustion is stronger when a project team member is highly emotionally intelligent. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aims to investigate the consequences of team mindfulness in project-based organizations by proposing team cohesion as an underlying mechanism and effective team leadership as a boundary condition through which team mindfulness promotes project team performance. Data were collected through a time-lagged survey from Pakistani employees (N = 379). The data supported the proposed model revealing that team mindfulness enhances team cohesion among employees, which increases project team performance and effective team leadership moderates this relationship. This study has identified the team-level factors that can be used by project managers to increase project team performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A project manager’s competency depends on the project’s complexity and includes a unique set of personal attributes and the ability to apply appropriate leadership styles. This paper reports on a Delphi study that includes the views of 30 experts – employed by a utility that executes projects with different levels of complexity. The results confirm that project manager competence is influenced by leadership styles that are appropriate for specific project lifecycle stages and levels of project complexity, as well as specific personal attributes. The study thus provides guidance regarding the project manager competence that is required for specific situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, extent to which project managers are assessed with green related parameters to stimulate selection is lacking. Poor leadership affects effective planning, execution and control thereby impacting project delivery. Sustainable renovation projects are generally complex in nature as new sustainable technologies are introduced to reduce energy demand of existing buildings. To establish the research gaps, an extensive review of the literature was undertaken. Given that a selection criteria that relates closely to a project manager for green renovation is lacking, the study designed a conceptual framework to explain the scope of the research. A quantitative approach was adopted to examine the agents that influence selection of project managers for green renovation projects. A questionnaire was used to gather data of factors that impact selection of project managers in green renovation projects in Ghana. The findings of a rigorous statistical analysis indicate adequate working experience, cost of green renovation project, duration of a green renovation project, academic qualifications and knowledge of sustainable technologies are critical to the selection of project managers. Others include ability to work effectively in a team, evidence of adequate green training, green renovation projects managed and understanding of conflict management. The findings reinforce theories underpinning construction project management as selection variables for effective project delivery are addressed. The findings inform government decisions to engage project managers for green renovation projects and provide literature for teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The goal of the study was to examine project managers ability to apply different styles of leadership depending on the project situation. Design/methodology/approach: LEAD-Self questionnaires were used as the main research tool, which is based on the Model of Situational Leadership by P. Hersey and K. Blanchard. The tests were carried out in 12 production plants located in Poland, Italy, Spain, Turkey and China. The plants produce parts for household appliances, automotive and HVAC industries as well as intelligent power grids. 45 project managers participated in the study. Findings: Research results indicate that project managers have a wide range of styles, yet their adaptability is low and moderate level. None of the surveyed project managers has a high level of adaptation. This means that the project managers participating in the study use only the basic leadership style and only occasionally use supporting styles. Practical implications: Implications for organizations and project managers are given in the publication. The most important of them is training project managers in the field of situational leadership model and making managers aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each style, so that they are able to adapt them to the situation and to be ready to act by individual team members. Originality/value: The publication refers to the issue of situational leadership in the context of project management, which broadens the knowledge of human resource management in project management, and highlights the importance of adapting the leadership style of a project manager to a specific situation. The publication can be valuable for organizations implementing industrial projects and for project managers themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balanced leadership theory conceptualizes that in projects leadership authority bounces back and forth between different roles in situational contingency, and is controlled by the project manager. One of these roles is the horizontal leader—a team member appointed by the project manager to lead the project through a particular issue or crisis. This article investigates the transition at the end of a horizontal leader's assignment and the morphostatic or morphogenetic consequences for future assignments, stemming from the “fit” between the horizontal leader's work with the expectations that led to his/her appointment. A realist social theory and transition theory perspective is taken with 30 interviews in eight case companies. A model for transition in balanced leadership is abductively developed. Variables identified are context, conditions, actors, mechanism, criteria, and outcomes. Results explain the nature and change of assignment conditions, as well as the (dis)continuation decisions on horizontal leader roles at the end of their assignment. A theory is developed that describes the transfer event, with its variables and their interaction. This provides for an extension of the theory of balanced leadership. Practitioners can apply the study's insights to steer the process of horizontal leader appointment and its (dis-)continuation to desired outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leadership has been widely studied both in business schools and by scholars. However, little attention has been given to leadership specifics in project-based organizations, especially in the construction industry. Aiming to decrease the gap in aforementioned body of knowledge, this article intended to contribute by identifying competences that are crucial to the success of project management as well as by revealing their manifestation in future construction project engineers. Therefore, theoretical framework of this article offers a literature review on variety of leadership theories. Building onto that, empirical part investigated importance of different leader competences, as perceived by future project managers, being graduate civil engineering students. The use of the mixed method research has been chosen as the most appropriate for this study. It combined the use of qualitative methods with survey obtained data based on a Likert scale. In respect of that, theoretical framework was constructed relying on the research of secondary data sources, whilst empirical part data were processed using descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests. Findings show that there are no significant differences in opinion among students in respect of their gender and almost none in respect of study course. The lowest rated competence concerns indecisiveness, suggesting high level of students' self-confidence and self-awareness. The highest rated competence indicates students' tendency to have things under control. Such reluctance toward risk taking has been found as potentially harmful for their personal and professional growth. Although their propensity to risk is expected to increase with experience, fostering emotional intelligence related competences has been advised as a tool of smarter risk perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ongoing question is what constitutes the characteristics of a project manager. This is the subject of many studies. The characteristics, skills, abilities and knowledge of project managers—essential factors in a project's success—describe their level of competency. This study aims to assess the relationship between project manager competencies and project complexity in the information technology (IT) sector. In total, 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior practitioners associated with complex IT projects in the private and public sectors. All transcripts were analysed through grounded theory and content analysis, with experts approving the results. Our study identified 41 competencies within project complexity, with these grouped under the following 10 dimensions: project management (PM) knowledge; management skills; interpersonal skills and attributes; professionalism; expertise; emotional skills; contextual skills; influencing skills; team working; and cognitive skills. According to this research, leadership is the core competency of a project manager, while project management knowledge is the most essential of these competency dimensions. This study's findings can assist both academics and practitioners in simplifying the complexity of projects and helping to achieve a project's objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Project managers are under a never-ending pressure to demonstrate the expected value of projects to the project sponsors; however, in most cases, project managers fail to realize this strategic value due to the loopholes left in project governance throughout various stages of the project life cycle. Furthermore, another root cause of project failure might be linked to an exceedingly self-interested project leader who is exploitative of his/her team. This is a recurring yet still unexplored aspect of destructive leadership that requires attention from the scientific community as well as practitioners. Hence, the present study explored the relationship between project governance and information and communication technology (ICT) project success, as well as the moderating effects of exploitative leadership on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: With this aim, 357 responses were collected from project professionals in the emerging ICT industry in Pakistan, and the results were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with partial least squares (PLS). Findings: The findings provide new evidence that project governance significantly improves project success opportunities in the ICT industry; however, this relationship is negatively moderated by exploitative leadership. Originality/value: The study findings extend the project leadership literature by uncovering the influence of the dark side of project leadership (i.e. exploitative leadership), in addition to revalidating the impact of project governance on project success through a multi-dimensional context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In times of crisis and volatility, especially in the Covid-19 scenario, project organisations are facing multifaceted threats. Project organisations are inclining towards flatter organisational structures. Employees are demanding more decision-making authority due to the changing working scenario. Despite the advancement in project management, a hard skill side, project organisations are still struggling to achieve successful projects. The project manager's leadership, employee self-leadership and soft skills are presented as the solution to these aggravated problems. This article attempts to determine whether a transformational leadership style can influence project success, directly and indirectly through employee self-leadership. Design/methodology/approach: The author raises the hypothesis, supported by social cognitive theory, that transformational leadership impacts project success directly and indirectly through self-leadership. Data were collected from 289 project team members in the IT sector, and the proposed relationships were assessed through Partial least squares structural equation modelling PLS-SEM. Findings: Results show that a project manager's transformational leadership behaviour and employee self-leadership positively impact project success. Additionally, self-leadership mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and project success. Lastly, empowerment demonstrated significant moderation for self-leadership and project success, and for transformational leadership and project success. Research limitations/implications: In this study, one obvious methodological limitation is a cross-sectional design. Future research can be performed while adopting a longitudinal research design. Another conceptual limitation of the model is that the authors did not include all transformational leadership dimensions, which can be considered for future studies while replicating this research model. Another future front can be by examining other leadership styles. Another research limitation may be the single source data collection, a future study may be conducted by several sources for data collection to adequately test both of the leadership styles at different hierarchies and for project success. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the literature by finding that, in crises, a project manager's transformational leadership style enhances project success. In practice, project managers are needed to adopt transformational behaviour and encourage employee self-leadership and empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The project’s success has attained preeminent relevance within organizations. Traditionally, a project is deemed successful if its objectives are met on schedule and within budget. This evaluation criterion has remained the most prevalent measurement method in many fields. According to the literature, leadership qualities are a crucial factor in ensuring the success of a project. Therefore, the project manager must consider the team leader’s role in addressing human and interpersonal difficulties that affect the project’s performance. This is the reason; the primary goal of the research is to examine the skills and perspectives of project managers on the relationship between personality traits and success indicators in the Iraqi construction industry. The data was acquired from 350 project managers using the approach of purposive sampling. This paper is based on quantitative and explanatory research demonstrating the relationship between critical success and leadership abilities. Using the Partial Least Square (PLS)-Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique, it was determined that learning goals orientation, adaptability, social skills, self-esteem, and emotional stability have a positive and statistically significant effect on the success factors of the Iraqi construction industry. While performance targets have a negligible impact on the successful elements of the Iraqi construction industry, These data indicate that the leadership abilities of project managers have a substantial effect on success factors. Therefore, this study could aid project managers in comprehending the mobilization of their leadership skills for greater project outcomes and success. In addition, the analysis can assist project managers in recognizing the impact of human traits that can positively influence the success elements of the construction sector. This study could have also assisted future researchers in conducting their investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of complex projects is increasing across many sectors and the associated challenges are substantial. Using a field study, the present dissertation aims to understand how project managers' emotional intelligence (EI) contributes to project success. Further, the study proposes and tests a model linking EI to project success and examines the mediating effects of project managers' transformational leadership style on this relationship. To achieve the objectives of the study data were collected through self-administered questionnaires from a sample of 218 project managers and project employees. The descriptive stats and partial least square structural equation model were applied through SPSS and SmartPLS for data analysis. The results of the study revealed that the emotional intelligence of project managers has a significant and positive effect on project success of construction projects. Furthermore, the study found evidence that the transformational leadership style mediates the relationship between EI and project success. The study has practical implications for construction companies and recommends the need to look for cognitive intelligence and experience in hardcore management skills to recruit emotionally intelligent managers which result in project success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the factors of financial sustainability of project management when they face complexities using the complexity theory. This research argues that to manage project complexities, the employees' performance readiness, situational leadership style and trust in leaders increase financial sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a quantitative approach using a questionnaire survey with the Project Management Institute members in Indonesia. From the total population of 190 project managers, 91 questionnaires were valid and used for analysis. PLS-SEM is the statistical tool used to test the eight hypotheses formulated in this research. The survey was designed to analyze the factors influencing financial sustainability and how these variables are related to each other to overcome project complexity issues and deliver financial sustainability. Findings: The research recommends that to overcome project complexities, the readiness of the employees to perform is important. These variables, which are supported by trust in the leader and situational leadership, have positively significant effects on financial sustainability. The findings strengthen the initial arguments of this research and confirm the existing studies. Research limitations/implications: This research, however, comes with several limitations. First, the situational leadership was chosen in this research because of the short project duration that requires the leader to be acting accordingly based on the employee's abilities. The short project duration made it impossible for the leader to build any relationships with the team members. Therefore, this research might not be appropriate to explain the organizational long-term strategies. Thus, it is suggested that the future research should address this. Second, with the very limited studies regarding the performance readiness and maturity, where in this research are used interchangeably, there should be further research to explain both variables independently as it holds an important role in project management and to overcome project complexities. Hence, this research adds the various studies found on the project complexities and how performance readiness, trust in leaders and situational leadership interact to increase financial sustainability in projects. Originality/value: This study contributes to the limited research on the financial sustainability of project management in developing countries. Moreover, the research on project complexities has not been related to financial sustainability and, therefore, promotes a high novelty. The findings of this study also provide substantial empirical evidence for future work in the project management area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schedule delays in construction projects are often a major concern and considered as a global phenomenon in the construction industry. In regards to project delivery, lack of senior management support is one of the main issues that impact project outcomes. This empirical research study aims to investigate the moderating effect of senior management support on the relationship between schedule delay factors and project performance. A questionnaire survey method was adopted to collect data from project directors, project managers, civil and construction engineers, project supervisors, and experts from small, medium, and large construction companies from major cities in Pakistan. A response rate of 84% was obtained based on 310 valid responses from a sample of 368 potential participants that received the survey. The cross-sectional data were used to test direct relationships and moderating effects through regression analysis and "process" method, respectively. The findings indicate that schedule delays in construction projects occur due to lack of commitment, insufficient site management, poor site coordination, lack of clarity in project scope, lack of communication and substandard contracts, in addition to major delays owing to improper planning. Moreover, the relationship between schedule delay factors and project performance is moderated by all dimensions of senior management support, i.e. providing resources, structural arrangements, communication, expertise, and power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]