Impact of Emotional Intelligence, Project Managers’ Competencies, and
Transformational Leadership on Project Success
PA
PERS
therefore, are more socially aware
and are good at managing the emotions of others (Goleman, 2003). Such
managers are good leaders and are
emphatic toward others and organizational concerns (Müller & Turner, 2010).
Such leading managers drive their team
members toward individual and project/
organizational success (Goleman et al.,
2013).
Hypothesis H2: ‘Project managers’ competencies have a significant
positive effect on project success’ is
accepted. Managers who remain in
direct communication with their
employees remain attentive to their
concerns and therefore are always good
at managing conflicts before they occur
(Clarke, 2010). Such leaders promote
teamwork among their employees
with themselves acting as the mentor—together these competencies make
them the primary influencers, thus
achieving collective successes.
Hypothesis H3: ‘Project managers’ transformational leadership has
a significant positive effect on project
success’ is also accepted. Transformational leadership is more open to communication and is consistently being
rated as more effective by subordinates and is always linked to superior
organizational performance as well
as success (Lowe et al., 1996). Pinto,
Thoms, Trailer, Palmer, and Govekar
(1998) suggested that transformational
leadership is relevant in the project-based environment as it enables managers to transform their project teams
and ultimately impacts project performance. A leader knows and satisfies
his or her people’s needs, understands
what drives people, and promotes their
interests while pursuing the project’s
objectives (Barling et al., 2000). He
or she continuously encourages promotion of intellectual thinking among
his or her followers (Feger & Thomas,
2012); as a result, he or she leaves an
idealized influence on his or her followers who in turn follow him or her
(Müller & Turner, 2010).
Findings, Implications,
Limitations, and Conclusion
of the Study
Theoretical Findings
The findings lead to reporting a strong
understanding about the association
of emotional intelligence, project managers’ competencies, and transformational leadership style with the success
of the project. Construction project
managers with a high emotional quotient, bestowed with transformational
leadership behavior, and blessed with
competencies such as communication
skills, team work, attentiveness toward
others, and conflict management
skills, are expected to contribute more
to the success of projects than their
counterparts. However, this does not
undermine the importance of hardcore managerial skills and cognitive
intelligence (IQ) among construction
project managers, which remain of
equal significance. The study suggests
that project managers with a high emotional quotient, transformational leadership, and added competencies will
have the added advantages of better
performance and success over those
lacking them. In other words, the three
independent variables in this study—
namely, emotional intelligence, project
managers’ competencies, and transformational leadership—can be termed
as indicators of enhanced performance
by construction project managers in
addition to hardcore managerial skills
and cognitive abilities. Success, not only
in projects but the organization itself
can be multiplied manifold through
emotionally intelligent project managers
who possess the required competencies
and exhibit transformational leadership
behavior.
Practical Implications of the Study
In this study, we have examined the impact
of emotional intelligence, project manag-
ers’ competencies, and transformational
leadership on project success. The results
imply that Pakistani construction firms
must look to hire the emotionally intel-
ligent managers, along with looking for
cognitive intelligence and expertise in
hardcore managerial skills. Moreover, the
existing workforce must also be trained
to enhance their emotional intelligence
through undergoing professional courses.
As a result, the emotionally intelligent
workplace will prevail and will contrib-
ute better toward mutual and organiza-
tional success. The study also suggests
that construction companies must seek
managers who are more transformational
leaders and able to lead their teams well.
Furthermore, firms must enlist four top
competencies for hiring the project man-
agers, which includes effective communi-
cation, conflict management, teamwork,
and attentiveness. The findings also sug-
gest that organizations should strive to
train their existing workforce in emotional
intelligence and desired competencies in
order to ensure organizational success.
Limitations and Avenues for Future
Research
Although this study was conducted in
one country due to the limitations of
resources and time, its findings can
be generalized to those areas where
socio-economic conditions are similar
to those in Pakistan. The same model
can also be used in other countries
and in international settings to measure the accurate relationships between
project managers’ soft skills and project success. In future studies, it may
be beneficial to integrate cultural practices in the model, (for example, as
moderators in relationships between
project managers’ soft skills and project success). We cannot expect the
results in different industrial projects
to be the same as those in construction
projects. One might argue that project managers maybe more effective in
more competitive and supportive work
environments. Nevertheless, we recommend future research to develop across
industrial studies in order to investigate
better comparative and authentic outcomes. Future studies can also continue
