Individual characteristics on multicultural team performance: does the role played by leaders and team members matter?

The main purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of individual characteristics of cultural sensitivity, adaptability, cohesion, and cultural diversity on the multicultural team performance. Also, we analyzed the moderating effect of being a team member or a team leader on the relationships mentioned above. To test out hipotheses, data were collected from 415 members of multicultural teams specifically, from 304 team members and 111 leaders. The findings provided evidence to support a positive relationship between cultural sensitivity, adaptability, cohesion, and team performance. Cultural diversity did not show a significant impact on team performance. The study also showed that the leaders and members had different perceptions about the factors that influence team performance. For instance, team members consider that cohesion influences team performance, while leaders consider adaptability as the key factor to achieve performance. Main implications from findings are discussed.

The importance of shared cognitions of team member expertise when building a high-performing team

Purpose

Organizations are increasingly using team-based work structures to solve complex challenges and issues. Such teams require team members to have shared cognitions – a shared, accurate and complimentary understanding of team processes – to enhance team performance. The purpose of the current research is to explore the impact of shared cognitions on team processes and team performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The current research focused on shared cognitions of teammate knowledge and expertise while working in a team environment. Using an experimental design with 20 teams collaborating on six problem-solving questions, the authors test hypotheses pertaining to the relationship between shared cognitions about team member expertise and team processes and team performance.

Findings

Analysis of variance finds that teams with a greater level of shared cognitions of team member expertise have enhanced team process and greater team performance than teams without shared cognitions.

Originality/value

Recommendations are made for future research and practice based on such findings. The authors discuss ways in which the findings of this study can contribute to greater team process and performance in schools, organizations and athletic teams, noting the additional ability to apply such findings in virtual settings.

Transformational leadership and project success: The mediating role of trust and job satisfaction

Transformational leadership (TFL) impacts on project and organizational success are well established. However, many underlying factors that make TFL effective are still missing. Therefore, we formulated hypotheses and tested the mediating role of trust (TS) and job satisfaction (JS) in linking TFL to project success (PS). A time-lagged methodology was used to collect quantitative data using a structured questionnaire from 326 project manager-team member dyads working in Pakistan’s public sector. Our results showed that TS, JS, and TFL significantly impacted project success. Moreover, we found that TS and JS mediate the relationship between TFL and PS. These findings highlight the importance of trust and job satisfaction as mechanisms that translate TFL into the success of projects for organizations.

Knowledge-Oriented Leadership, Team Cohesion, and Project Success: A Conditional Mechanism

We examined the impact of knowledge-oriented leadership on project success via team cohesion and the moderating role of valuing people and project complexity on this relationship. We collected data from 121 project employees in Pakistan in a two-wave field survey at an interval of 15 days. The results showed a positive association between knowledge-oriented leadership and project success, and team cohesion partially mediated this relationship. Valuing people positively moderated the relationship between knowledge-oriented leadership and team cohesion. Project complexity had a negative but insignificant moderating effect on project success. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

A Study of the Impact of Different Styles of Leadership on Project Quality Performance

Leadership is among the significant factors that affect project quality performance. There are different types of leadership styles . This paper examines the impact of different styles of leadership of project managers and how these styles affect project quality performance in the software industry. The author describes the topic background, the significance, and rationale of the study, the research objectives, the research questions and the statement of the problem. The literature review includes the appropriate scholarly citation that explains the existing relationship between the variables involved in the study. The research methodology which includes the sampling frame, sampling technique, representation of the target population, data collection instrument and data analysis and findings are also given. The paper is concluded by providing the most effective style of leadership for project managers and gives recommendations for further research. Our research has a lot of research and managerial implications

Reflections on SEM

For almost 40 years structural equation modeling (SEM) has been the statistical tool of choice for the assessing measurement and structural relationships in the social sciences. During the initial 30 years almost all applications of SEM utilized what has become known as covariance-based SEM. But in the past ten years an alternative structural equation modeling method, composite-based SEM, has increasingly been applied. In fact, a substantial number of social sciences scholars consider composite-based SEM the method of choice for structural equation modeling applications. In this paper, I provide an overview of the evolution of SEM, from the early years when factor-based SEM was the dominant method to the more recent years as composite-based methods have become much more prevalent. I also summarize several relevant composite-based topics including the emergence of composite-based SEM, confirmatory composite analysis (CCA), and a new method of generalized structured component analysis (GSCA). In the final section I propose some observations about current developments and future opportunities for composite-based SEM methods.

Transactional leadership and success of international development projects (IDP): mediating effects of cooperative style to conflict resolution and team potency

Purpose

This study aims to examine the mediating role of cooperative style to conflict resolution and team potency in the relationship between transactional leadership style and the success of international development projects (IDP). The study draws on full range leadership theory and contextualizes transactional leadership style to the IDP environment.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was administered to a convenience sample of 111 IDP managers in Benin. The data obtained from the survey were subjected to principal component analysis using the SPSS and confirmatory factor analysis using XLSTAT-PLSM. The research hypotheses are tested according to the partial least squares method.

Findings

The hypothesis test shows that transactional leadership has a direct and indirect positive influence (through team potency) on the success of IDP. Contrary to the cooperative style of conflict resolution, team potency plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between transactional leadership and the success of IDP. Also, considering the effect of the specific dimensions of transactional leadership on the success of IDP, only the “active management by exception” dimension influences directly and indirectly (through team potency) on the latter.

Practical implications

As a result, this research is of great value to IDP managers who are aware of the positive consequences associated with transactional leadership without knowing the role played by its dimensions. Indeed, it provides them with information necessary to identify the appropriate transactional leadership behaviors to improve the success of projects.

Originality/value

The relevance of this study is to consider team potency as intermediary mechanisms between transactional leadership and the success of IDP and examine the effect of the dimensions of transactional leadership on the success of IDP by integrating the mediating action of team potency. Besides, this research highlights a mechanism through which transactional leadership influences the success of IDPs and shows that the use of the construct of transactional leadership rather than its specific dimensions does not capture the specificities of the mechanism that links transactional leadership and its consequences.

Understanding the Impact of Transformational Leadership on Project Success: A Meta-Analysis Perspective

This paper aims to systematically analyze the reasons for the differences in the relationship between transformational leadership (TL) and project success and apply meta-analysis to summarize which dimensions of TL are the main driving forces for project success. Adopting the meta-analysis approach, we investigated 31 independent studies (N = 6475) and studied the theoretical moderators of this relationship from the perspectives of mediating variables, cultural background, and document type to test whether the moderating effects can explain the inconsistent research results. The results reveal that TL positively affects project success and leadership charm is the primary driver of TL. Also, the existence of a mediating mechanism has a more significant impact on the success of the leading project. Meanwhile, compared with project construction under the Western cultural background, countries with Eastern culture are more inclined to use a people-oriented philosophy for project management to promote project success. This research provides an empirical perspective to help project leaders select management talents, regulate leaders' words and deeds, and cultivate technical and soft leadership skills. Besides, this paper proposes a unique and nuanced view of the relationship between TL and project success, enhancing people's understanding of the TL's role in influencing project success.

Teams and Project Performance: An Ability, Motivation, and Opportunity Approach

This article analyzes the relationships between project performance and the team’s ability, motivation, and opportunity (AMO). We contribute to the project management literature by exploring which combinations of AMO factors are best for project performance at different levels of complexity. We test our hypotheses on a sample of 285 projects. Our study shows that in simple projects, ability is the key factor both as a main effect and as a constraining factor that acts as a bottleneck for project performance. In the case of complex projects, the multiplicative model is superior given the significant interaction effects of motivation.

Factors versus Composites: Guidelines for Choosing the Right Structural Equation Modeling Method

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a widely applied and useful tool for project management scholars. In this Thoughtlet article, we critically reflect on the measurement philosophy underlying the two streams of SEM and their adequacy for estimating relationships among concepts commonly encountered in the field (e.g., team performance). We also discuss considerations to ponder when making the choice between the two types of SEM as well as between SEM and regression analysis.

Critical Success Factors Affecting Project Performance: An Analysis of Tools, Practices, and Managerial Support

This study examines success factors for a team project. The influence of three success factors—(1) project management tools, (2) project management best practices, and (3) managerial support on the performance of individuals, teams, and projects was measured. We surveyed 121 business students with team project experience. Exploratory factor analysis confirms that success factors (project management tools, project management best practices, and managerial support) in a project tend to respond more to individual team members’ performance compared to team performance and project performance. Our findings indicate that project management tools, project management best practices, and support are equally important to success during project implementation. We also find that harmonious relationships among team members lead to extrinsic motivation within project teams and enhance team and project performance. However, most of the time, the system—not the individual—causes a project to fail. Therefore, this study suggests that project managers make a clear plan and agenda by utilizing project management tools.

Conflict Management, Team Coordination, and Performance Within Multicultural Temporary Projects: Evidence From the Construction Industry

The purpose of our study is to enhance the understanding of relationships between conflict management style, team coordination, and performance in multicultural project team contexts. We investigate how conflict management can contribute to team effectiveness through the mediation of the level of team coordination by collecting data from 126 team leaders and supervisors and 378 members nested in different multicultural projects in the construction industry. Our results show that, contrary to the findings from prior research in other team contexts, an avoiding style of conflict management can have a positive impact on the performance of multicultural project teams.