Leadership in Construction: Leadership Styles Practiced in Construction Project – A Review

Abstract

With the increasing importance of leadership in project-based organizations, innovative leader is essential for the sustainable development of construction projects. Leadership has been identified as one of the factors that contribute to construction organisation success. Effective leadership is essential in any company to achieve organizational goals and promote individual professional achievement. Leadership is important in all fields of human endeavour. The leadership role is critical for the smooth running of an organization and without strong leadership the organization may lose its direction, in particular when trying to achieve its target. Leadership has a direct impact on effective employee engagement. The aim of this paper is to explore the leadership style practiced in construction projects. Leadership is not “one size fits all” concept, and styles or approaches vary significantly among the successful leaders. Leadership styles should be selected and adapted to fit organizations, situations, groups, and individuals. In construction different styles of leadership are needed in different situations. These styles affect everyone from senior management to the newest intern. Different leadership styles may affect organizational effectiveness or performance. The success of any organization relies on the leadership styles practiced by the leaders. This review has found that leadership styles such as Transformational Leadership, Transactional Leadership, Full Range Leadership, Servant Leadership, Contextual Leadership, Safety Specific Transformational Leadership and Charismatic Leadership are being practiced in construction.