Critical project leadership competencies in mechanical engineering in the Cape Town municipal area, South Africa

Abstract

Leadership and how it impacts on the performance of human beings remains to wide and to generic to define in a one stop shop. The inability of the research community to have one definition of this well researched topic, complicates the process of identifying those critical factors that lead to effective leadership. Sometimes, incorrectly so, leadership and management are interchangeably used when they do not always mean the same thing. Whilst both can be found in an individual, they are different with leadership relating to personality as compared to management which relates to formal position. Because leadership resides in the person of the individual, it lands itself into different styles as they pertain to the knowledge, understanding, education, culture and experience of the leader. Project management or leadership, is unique because of the unique nature of the project and the environment in which projects are executed. A special type of leadership is presumed to be able to provide effective leadership in the presence of the matrix structure leading to the authority gap, the temporary nature of the project leading to labour instability, and the square root parameters against which the success of the project are measured. The findings clearly indicate that there are certain behavioural patterns necessary to provide effective project execution in the risky and unpredictable project terrain.