Transforming vertical leadership into shared leadership in infrastructure project teams: a dual-pathway perspective
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 20 March 2023
Issue publication date: 25 July 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Infrastructure projects are pivotal for regional economic development, but also face low project effectiveness. Leadership is always regarded as a key enabler for project team effectiveness, including vertical leadership and team-level leadership. The purpose of this paper is to examine how vertical leadership facilitates shared leadership in infrastructure project teams.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper develops the conceptual model based on the literature review. Then the questionnaire survey was conducted. The empirical data obtained from 117 infrastructure project teams in China were analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) for validating the proposed model. Finally, the results were comparatively discussed to explain the dual-pathway between vertical leadership and shared leadership. And the practical implications were presented for the project managers in infrastructure project teams.
Findings
Drawing on social learning theory and social cognitive theory, the results show that both participative leadership and task-oriented leadership can facilitate shared leadership. Further, team atmosphere fully mediates the link between participative leadership and shared leadership. Team efficacy fully mediates the relation between task-oriented leadership and shared leadership. Also, role clarity has a negative moderating effect on the former path.
Originality/value
The study extends the knowledge of leadership theory in the construction field. Based on the proposed conceptual model and PLS-SEM results, this study unveils the black box between vertical leadership and shared leadership and contributes to the theory of leadership on how the impact of different vertical leadership on team process promotes shared leadership.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71871164) and the China Scholarship Council (No. 202106260231). This work was also supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 71971157. The authors gratefully acknowledge director Guosheng Yang of the China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group CO. LTD, who helped the authors contact many executives of infrastructure projects under construction.
Citation
Gan, X., Jia, J., Le, Y. and Hu, Y. (2024), "Transforming vertical leadership into shared leadership in infrastructure project teams: a dual-pathway perspective", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 31 No. 8, pp. 3097-3123. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-04-2022-0323
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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