The Effect of Project Types and Project Life Cycle Phases on Leadership Style

Abstract

With the current trend towards empowered teams, hierarchical company structures are increasingly being replaced by team-based ones. As a result, a shift in the classic understanding of leadership is needed and research on leadership in project management is increasing. Two major concepts have developed in recent years: shared and vertical leadership styles. This thesis reports on the development of a new Model of leadership styles that considers the effect of project types and the project life cycle phases on leadership style (vertical versus shared leadership), and how an appropriate balance between the two styles influences the likelihood of project management success. A web-based questionnaire yielded 313 complete responses and the data was analysed using hypothesis testing. Based on this empirical work and relevant literature, a novel Model is proposed. The Model explains how project types and life cycle phases influence the appropriateness of different leadership styles, and it guides the practitioner to selecting appropriate leadership styles for specific situations. Recommendations for furthering the model are discussed.