Project uncertainty, project risk and project leadership : a policy capturing study of New Zealand project managers : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
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Date
2016
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Massey University
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Abstract
Cooperation between project practice and project research could help
reduce failure rates for projects in New Zealand and globally. The current
research used a “policy capturing” method - systematically varying
sources of project uncertainty (policy cues) to explore project leadership
responses. A contingency model proposed that project uncertainty (low
path-goal clarity, low team cohesion, and high technical complexity)
would lead to greater perceptions of project risk (scope/quality, budget,
schedule, and project team satisfaction) that would negatively predict
the (rated) effectiveness of transactional leadership style and positively
predict ratings for transformational style. In total, n=131 experienced
project managers rated the effectiveness of leadership styles from ‘not
effective’ to ‘extremely effective’. Greater uncertainty produced higher
perceived risks that reduced the rated effectiveness of transactional
leadership. Path-goal clarity was of particular importance as a policy
cue, directly predicting transactional leadership ratings (R=-0.189). These
results are consistent with the task-orientation of traditional project
management. However, the results for transformational style were
unexpected - only team cohesion predicted transformational leadership
ratings (negatively) (R= -0.119)
and no link between risk and
transformational leadership was found. Possible reasons for the
‘disconnect between transformational leadership, uncertainty and risk
are discussed and further research suggested.
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Keywords
Project management, Risk management, Research Subject Categories::SOCIAL SCIENCES::Social sciences::Psychology