Effective Leadership of Teams in Construction

Abstract

The construction industry encompasses temporary project teams and leadership on many managerial levels. Team members work closely together and develop primarily during the production phase, where the leaders can create conditions for effective teamwork. Many teams within the construction industry seem to have problems regarding teamwork, and there is a lack of research on managerial team leadership in construction. Therefore, empirical examples about leading teams in production needs to be further investigated. The aim of this study is to investigate how site management may create conditions for effective teams during the production phase. Special attention is paid to the way in which leadership on site accommodates for positive team dynamics. To fulfill the aim, a theoretical framework was designed, based on the team dynamic model of Susan Wheelan. The model has four stages and describes how teams develop and what role, if any, leadership plays. In addition, a qualitative interview study and one field observation were carried out at a large construction company in Sweden. Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with foremen, site managers and project managers, all with different backgrounds and experiences. The findings from the study are presented through six principles needed to become an effective team. These are: unity about clear goals and values; a mixed team; clear roles and distribution of responsibilities; support and involvement; personal relationships between members; and understanding team development. In addition, it was found that adaptable leadership and communication are crucial conditions needed in order to achieve these principles.