Leadership and teams in business: a study of IT projects in the United Arab Emirates
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business
ISSN: 1753-8378
Article publication date: 25 January 2011
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of leadership and team processes in information technology (IT) projects in business environments. The paper contextualizes the study in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Design/methodology/approach
The paper addresses two central questions: what is the level of IT project team effectiveness in the UAE context? What is the maturity level of leadership in IT project management in the UAE? A tailored instrument, based on Cohen and Bailey's team effectiveness evaluation model, was used in this study of 42 project teams in the UAE across various sectors.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that IT projects in the UAE demonstrate a maturity level that is transactional, with task‐focused teams and people‐oriented leadership styles.
Research limitations/implications
The implications of the paper can facilitate broader contextualized research on leadership and IT project team effectiveness, with particular emphasis on developing economies. This is important in addressing the issue of high failure rates in IT projects in general.
Practical implications
Understanding the role of leadership and its responsibility in facilitating teams in technical and high failure environments can impact on productivity and success rates in future projects.
Originality/value
This paper is unique in providing collated opinion about constructs within IT project team processes and leadership effectiveness in the context of businesses in developing economies. The use of a maturity structure addressing leadership, trust, teams and cohesion is distinctive.
Keywords
Citation
Randeree, K. and Ninan, M. (2011), "Leadership and teams in business: a study of IT projects in the United Arab Emirates", International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 28-48. https://doi.org/10.1108/17538371111096872
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited