Abstract
The existing study aims to assess the association between humble leadership and project success by analysing the moderating effect of the project. Cross-sectional data was extracted from 231 project managers, nominated by convenience sampling, working in project organisations in the construction industry in Punjab, Pakistan. By using SPSS and AMOS, the results are verified. The outcome exhibited that humble leadership assists in achieving the project's success, and project complexity plays its role as a moderator. This research shows how the chosen leadership style (humble leadership) deals with the project complexities and helps in the smooth implementation of projects that help achieve a successful project. For the construction projects to be completed successfully, it is essential to identify a leadership style that helps to identify and resolve the complexities of the project. The investigation yields favourable results for the project managers in Pakistan's construction industry. Since a project's success depends on the roles and perspectives of its leader and his leadership style, the recognition and participation of the leader play a part in its achievement. This study also encourages academics to focus on project management by connecting the leadership style and outcomes that should be understood and implemented from the project's initial planning stages.
References
Abdallah, S. B., El–Boukri, S., Floricel, S., Hudon, P. A., Brunet, M., Petit, M. C., & Aubry, M. (2022). A process–oriented framework to measure development performance and success of megaprojects. International Journal of Project Management, 40(6), 685-702.
Aga, D.A., Noorderhaven, N. and Vallejo, B. (2016). “Transformational leadership and project success: the mediating role of team-building”, International Journal of Project Management, 34(5). 806–818.
Ahmadabadi, A.A. and Heravi, G. (2019). “The effect of critical success factors on project success in public-private partnership projects: a case study of highway projects in Iran”, Transport Policy, Vol. 73, pp. 152–161.
Alfes, K., Shantz, A.D., Truss, C. and Soane, E.C. (2013). “The link between perceived human resource management practices, engagement and employee behaviour: a moderated mediation model”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 24 No. 2, pp. 330–351.
Al-Hodiany, Z. M., & Misztal, A. (2022). Influential Factors of Project Success In Fuel Companies. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 25(1).
B. Heredia-Rojas, The Contingent Effects of Value Creation Processes on Project Value–An Empirical Analysis from Project Managers’ Perspective», 2018, http://hdl.handle.net/ 2123/18087.
Bharanitharan, K., Chen, Z.X., Bahmannia, S. & Lowe, K.B. (2018). “Is leader humility a friend or foe, or both? An attachment theory lens on leader humility and its contradictory outcomes”, Journal of Business Ethics, 1–15.
Brady, T., & Davies, A. (2014). Managing structural and dynamic complexity: A tale of two projects. Project Management Journal, 45(4), 21–38.
Carnevale, J.B., Huang, L. and Paterson, T. (2019). “LMX-differentiation strengthens the prosocial consequences of leader humility: an identification and social exchange perspective”, Journal of Business Research, 96, 287–296.
Chang, S. H. (2021). Maintaining Equilibrium between Project Success and Team Well-Being: Pharmaceutical Project Management.
Clauss, T., & Spieth, P. (2016). Treat your suppliers right! Aligning strategic innovation orientation in captive supplier relationships with relational and transactional governance mechanisms. R & D Management, 46(S3), 1044–1061.
De Marco, A., & Mangano, G. (2021). A correlation between perceived usage of project management methodologies and project success in Horizon 2020 projects.
Ding, H., Yu, E., Chu, X., Li, Y. and Amin, K. (2020). “Humble leadership affects organisational citizenship behaviour: the sequential mediating effect of strengths use and job crafting”, Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 11.
Durdyev, S., Omarov, M., & Ismail, S. (2017). Causes of delay in residential construction projects in Cambodia. Cogent Engineering, 4(1), 1291117.
Eisenhardt, K.M. (1989). “Making fast strategic decisions in high-velocity environments”, Academy of Management Journal, 32(3), 543–576.
Emiliano de Souza, D., Favoretto, C., & Carvalho, M. M. (2022). Knowledge management, absorptive and dynamic capacities and project success: A review and framework. Engineering Management Journal, 34(1), 50-69.
Eriksson, P. E., & Westerberg, M. (2011). Effects of Cooperative Procurement Procedures on Construction Project Performance: A Conceptual Framework. International Journal of Project Management, 29(2), 197–208.
Fink, A., & Kosecoff, J. (1985). How to conduct surveys: A step-by-step guide. Sage Publications.
Floricel, S., Michela, J. L., & Piperca, S. (2016). Complexity, uncertainty-reduction strategies, and project performance. International Journal of Project Management, 34(7), 1360–1383.
Floricel, S., Michela, J. L., & Piperca, S. (2016). Complexity, uncertainty-reduction strategies, and project performance. International Journal of Project Management, 34(7), 1360–1383.
Gemino, A., Horner Reich, B., & Serrador, P. M. (2021). Agile, traditional, and hybrid approaches to project success: is hybrid a poor second choice? Project Management Journal, 52(2), 161-175
Gutermann, D., Lehmann-Willenbrock, N., Boer, D., Born, M. and Voelpel, S.C. (2017). “How leaders affect followers’ work engagement and performance: integrating leader-member exchange and crossover theory”, British Journal of Management, 21(2), 299–314.
Hanisch, B., & Wald, A. (2014). Effects of complexity on the success of temporary organizations: Relationship quality and transparency as substitutes for formal coordination mechanisms. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 30(2), 197–213.
Hassan, M.M., Bashir, S. & Abbas, S.M. (2017). “The impact of project managers’ personality on project success in NGOs: the mediating role of transformational leadership”, Project Management Journal, 48(2), 74–87.
Ishtiaq, F., & Jahanzaib, M. (2017). Impact of Project Complexity and Environmental Factors on Project Success: A Case of Oil and Gas Sector of Pakistan. Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 13, 351–358.
K. Tyssen, A. Wald, and S. Heidenreich, “Leadership in the context of temporary organizations,” Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 21(4), 376–393, 2014.
Kelemen, T. K., Matthews, S. H., Matthews, M. J., & Henry, S. E. (2022). Humble leadership: A review and synthesis of leader expressed humility. Journal of Organizational Behavior
Lin, X., Chen, Z.X., Herman, H., Wei, W. and Ma, C. (2019). “Why and when employees like to speak up more under humble leaders? The roles of a personal sense of power and power distance”, Journal of Business Ethics, 158(4), 937–950.
Luo, L., He, Q., Xie, J., Yang, D., & Wu, G. (2017). Investigating the relationship between project complexity and success in complex construction projects. Journal of Management in Engineering, 33(2), 4016036.
Mallen, F., Domınguez-Escrig, E., Lapiedra, R., & Chiva, R. (2019). Does Leader Humility Matter? Effects on Altruism and Innovation. Management Decision.
Mills, A. (2001). A Systematic Approach to Risk Management for Construction. Structural Survey.
Müller, R., Geraldi, J., & Turner, J. R. (2012). Relationships between Leadership and Success in Different Types of Project Complexities. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 59(1), 77–90.
Mutwiri, F. R. (2021). Antecedents of Project Success in Constituency Development Fund Construction Projects in Kenya (Doctoral dissertation, JKUAT-COHRED).
Nguyen, L. D., Le-Hoai, L., Tran, D. Q., Dang, C. N., & Nguyen, C. V. (2019). Effect of Project Complexity on Cost and Schedule Performance in Transportation Projects. Construction Management and Economics, 37(7), 384–399.
Ou, A. Y., Tsui, A. S., Kinicki, A. J., Waldman, D. A., Xiao, Z., & Song, L. J. (2014). Humble Chief Executive Officers’ Connections to Top Management Team Integration and Middle Managers’ Responses. Administrative Science Quarterly, 59(1), 34–72.
Owens, B. P., & Hekman, D. R. (2012). Modelling How to Grow: An Inductive Examination of Humble Leader Behaviors, Contingencies, and Outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 55(4), 787–818.
Owens, B. P., & Hekman, D. R. (2016). How Does Leader Humility Influence Team Performance? Exploring the Mechanisms of Contagion and Collective Promotion Focus. Academy of Management Journal, 59(3), 1088–1111.
Owens, B. P., Johnson, M., & Mitchell, T. R. (2013). Expressed Humility in Organizations: Implications for Performance, Teams, and Leadership. Organization Science, 24(5), 1517–1538.
Pereira, J., Varajão, J., & Takagi, N. (2022). Evaluation of Information Systems Project Success–Insights from Practitioners. Information Systems Management, 39(2), 138-155.
Pesa ̈maa, O., Eriksson, P. E., & Hair, J. F. (2009). Validating a Model of Cooperative Procurement in the Construction Industry. International Journal of Project Management, 27(6), 552–559.
Pesa ̈maa, O., Eriksson, P. E., & Hair, J. F. (2019). Validating a Model of Cooperative Procurement in the Construction Industry. International Journal of Project Management, 27(6), 552–559.
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common Method Biases in Behavioral Research: A Critical Review of Literature and Recommended Remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879.
Qazi, A., Quigley, J., Dickson, A., & Kirytopoulos, K. (2016). Project Complexity and Risk Management (ProCRiM): Towards Modelling Project Complexity-Driven Risk Paths in Construction Projects. International Journal of Project Management.
Qin, X., Chen, C., Yam, K. C., Huang, M., & Ju, D. (2020). The Double-Edged Sword of Leader Humility: Investigating When and Why Leader Humility Promotes Versus Inhibits Subordinate Deviance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(7), 693–712.
Rahman, M. M., & Kumaraswamy, M. M. (2005). Relational Selection for Collaborative Working Arrangements. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 131(10), 1087–1098.
Rego & Simpson (2018). The Perceived Impact of Leaders’ Humility on Team Effectiveness: An Empirical Study. Journal of Business Ethics, 148(1), 205–218.
Rego, Owens, B., Leal, S., Melo, A.I., Cunha, M.P., Gonçalves, L., & Ribeiro, P. (2017). How Leader Humility Helps Teams to Be Humbler, Psychologically Stronger, and More Effective: A Moderated Mediation Model. The Leadership Quarterly, 28(5), 639–658.
Samset, K., & Volden, G. H. (2016). Front-end definition of projects: Ten paradoxes and some reflections regarding project management and project governance. International Journal of Project Management, 34(2), 297–313.
Schein, E., & Schein, P. (2018). Humble Leadership: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Scheuren, F. (2004). What is a Survey? American Statistical Association.
Scott-Young, C. M., Georgy, M., & Grainger, A. (2019). Shared Leadership in Project Teams: An Integrative Multi-Level Conceptual Model and Research Agenda. International Journal of Project Management, 37(4), 565–581.
Shenhar, A. J., Dvir, D., Lechler, T., & Poli, M. (2002). One size does not fit all: True for projects.
Spreitzer, G. M. (1995). Psychological Empowerment in the Workplace: Dimensions, Measurement, and Validation. Academy of Management Journal, 38(5), 1442–1465.
Tadewos, S. G., & Patel, D. (2018). Factors influencing time and cost overruns in road construction projects: Addis Ababa, Ethiopian scenario. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, 5, 177-180.
Tatikonda, M. V., & Rosenthal, S. R. (2000). Technology novelty, project complexity, and product development project execution success: A deeper look at task uncertainty in product innovation. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 47(1), 74–87.
Ul Musawir, A., Serra, C. E. M., Zwikael, O., & Ali, I. (2017). Project Governance, Benefit Management, and Project Success: Towards a Framework for Supporting Organizational Strategy Implementation. International Journal of Project Management, 35(8), 1658-1672.
Unterhitzenberger, C., & Bryde, D. J. (2019). Organizational justice, project performance, and the mediating effects of key success factors. Project Management Journal, 50(1), 57-70.
Vidal, L.-A., & Marle, F. (2008). Understanding project complexity: Implications on project management. Kybernetes, 37(8), 1094–1110.
Walters, K. N., & Diab, D. L. (2016). Humble leadership: Implications for psychological safety and follower engagement. Journal of Leadership Studies, 10(2), 7–18.
Wang, Y., Liu, J., & Zhu, Y. (2018). Humble leadership, psychological safety, knowledge sharing, and follower creativity: A cross-level investigation. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1727.
Weidman, A. C., Cheng, J. T., & Tracy, J. L. (2018). The psychological structure of humility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 114(1), 153.
Wu, W. W., Eom, M. T., & Song, J. (2019). Spheres of IT Project Complexity and IT Project Manager.
Wu, Y., Chau, K. W., Lu, W., Shen, L., Shuai, C., & Chen, J. (2018). Decoupling relationship between economic output and carbon emission in the Chinese construction industry. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 71, 60–69.
Xia, B., Olanipekun, A., Chen, Q., Xie, L., & Liu, Y. (2018). Conceptualising the state of the art of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the construction industry and its nexus to sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 195, 340–353.
Zahoor, H., Chan, A. P., Utama, W. P., & Gao, R. (2015). A research framework for investigating the relationship between safety climate and safety performance in constructing multi-storey buildings in Pakistan. Procedia Engineering, 118, 581-589.
Zaman, U., Nawaz, S., Tariq, S., & Humayoun Asad, A. (2019). Linking transformational leadership and ‘multi-dimensions’ of project success: Moderating effects of project flexibility and project visibility using PLS-SEM. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 13(1), 103–127.
Zhao, S., Yu, H., Xu, Y., & Bi, Z. (2014). Relationship-Specific Investment, Value Creation, and Value Appropriation in Cooperative Innovation. Information Technology and Management, 15(2), 119–130.
Zhou, F., & Wu, Y. J. (2018). How humble leadership fosters employee innovation behavior: A two-way perspective on the leader-employee interaction. The Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 39(3), 375–387.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.