Identifying the Preferred Leadership Style for Managerial Position of Construction Management

Abstract

The construction industry is multidisciplinary by nature, operating within many boundaries and collaborating closely with many players, including designers, constructors, owners, and government agencies. Project and organization success depends on well-developed interpersonal skills working at different hierarchy levels to meet varying leadership and performance demands. Leadership styles can be represented with differing combinations of three main decision-making styles: 1)<i> Autocratic</i>, 2)<i> Participatory</i>, and 3)<i> Free-rein</i>. This study hypothesizes that varying managerial positions require different combinations of leadership styles to achieve high levels of performance and successful career. This study surveys eighty-two project executives and managers to identify their preferred leadership style for construction managerial positions. The statistical results indicate that both project executives and managers prefer to have more autocratic managers and superintendents at project manager positions and a more participatory leadership for project executives. Demographic factors surveyed, also include current executive and manager levels of education, length of employment, and leadership program attendance to understand the career path of a managerial position in construction.