Impact of Leadership Styles and Qualities on Project Lifecycle

Abstract

Leadership is a function of management and the major determinant of project success or failure. This study employs a positivist epistemological positioning approach to capture the perceptions of stakeholders in the geo-political zones of Nigeria. In all, 240 survey questionnaires were administered to the randomly selected samples of project stakeholders, out of which 180 completed and usable questionnaires (representing 75% response) were retrieved. Secondary data were collected through a systematic review of relevant scholarly publications. Descriptive statistical (Relative Importance Index, RII) tool was used along with SPSS version 26 for primary data analysis. Findings of the study revealed that every leadership style has its impact on the climate of the project and project lifecycle, hence there is no single 'best' style of project leadership. Furthermore, empirical results of the study identified integrity, technical expertise, communication, problem-solving, negotiation, risk management, decision making, goal setting, delegation, and team building as major project leadership qualities. Therefore, this study strongly recommends that project leaders should develop and strengthen leadership qualities in order to successfully complete projects and meet stakeholders' expectations.