The Applicability of a Transformational Leadership Style to Construction Projects

Abstract

The construction industry is plagued with schedule delays, budget exceedances, and quality defects. Academicians and industry professionals are on a mission to uncover means and ways to improve these observed shortcomings.

Effective leadership has been identified as an important factor in driving superior performance in diverse settings. Indeed, a transformational leadership (TL) style has been associated with many positive outcomes. These benefits include: increased employee motivation; improved team cohesion; better overall performance; an inclination for employees to exert extra effort; and the use of innovation at work. This prominent leadership style is composed of four core components referred to as the "four I's." These include idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and individualized consideration.

The literature seldom examines contextual factors and their effects on the applicability of leadership styles. Typically, leadership theories are developed and studied in stable business environments. Conversely, construction is a project-based industry with multiple characteristics distinguishing it from traditional organizations. Therefore, it is critical to understand the applicability of the four components of TL in the unique construction environment. The end goal is to profit from the improvements this style may bring when its components are properly exercised.

To this end, this study explores the effects of six factors on the applicability of the four components of TL in construction. These factors are: (1) the hierarchical gap between leader and follower; (2) the enabling interaction period/type; (3) the leader's exposure to their subordinates’ work; (4) the follower’s exposure to their leader’s work; (5) the age gap between leader and follower; and (6) the physical separation between work locations. The twenty-four hypothesized interactions (six factors vs. four components) are validated by nine experts through a two-round anonymized Delphi survey.

As a result of the survey, the states of the studied factors that are conducive to the applicability of TL components are identified. Furthermore, a ranking of the leader-follower dyads materializing on the construction site is created based on the applicability of TL components and the overall applicability of the style in each leader-follower pair.