title: A method to support Leadership Effectiveness in a Construction Project Organisation in Nigeria
Creators: name: Ibrahim, Ahmed Muhammadu
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2019

description: Abstract Title: A method to support Leadership effectiveness in a construction project organisation in Nigeria Author: Ahmed M. Ibrahim, Doctor of Business Administration, University of Liverpool Background: The leaders of a construction project organisation live and work in Abuja, the Nigerian capital. These leaders are the participants of this research and desire to improve their effectiveness. Why? The current recession in the Nigerian economy has adversely affected their organisation by drastically slowing down operations. The critical situation signifies the importance of this study which focuses on a $10m (ten million USD) project that involves conceiving, designing, developing and selling of seventy-one houses. The planned lifespan of the project was thirty-five months but has seen an extension of another eighteen months. The extension came directly from the scarcity of funds. The challenge has called for the concerned group or the leaders of the organisation to rethink from an individualistic to a more collaborative approach (Raelin, 2015): an internal response to an external business challenge. Research question and objectives of the study: The main research question is: How can a method be developed to improve leadership effectiveness in the construction project organisation? The objectives of the study are 1) Developing mutual collaborative behaviour, 2) Value creation from analogical reasoning, 3) Effective decision making from critical reflection. These objectives came from the three organisational issues that make up the organisational problem. Methodology and methods of inquiry: The action research methodology was used to work on the organisational problem. A social constructionist perspective and the positive note of appreciative inquiry were used to define the challenge collectively, take action, and evaluate the action. The aim was to develop an ethical process to dealing with messy problems not by solving situations but by making them significantly better. Outcomes: The result was the development of actionable knowledge for the participants from the three areas of collaboration, value creation and effective decision making. While these areas were developed from the three organisational issues, a collective action inquiry phase together with an individual template analysis by the researcher revealed three other thought-provoking areas. These findings were 1) Integrative, 2) Questioning, and 3) Development and Learning approach to leadership effectiveness. There was also methodological significance as the action inquiry process highlighted leadership effectiveness as appreciative, developmental and as a continuously evolving process. Finally, there was the continuous application of critical reflexive practice as personal development for the researcher. Alternatively, there was a challenge of managing organisational politics which was confirmed as the most complex process in researching one's organisation. Limitations: Although there were several limitations in this study the ones that stand out are: firstly, the action inquiry phase was majorly within the leadership team. Hence there was a limitation in the exploration with external stakeholders. Secondly, the participants were used to facts and figures to confirm the impact of inquiries like this one. As a result, a mixed-method study could have provided additional evidence on the findings of the study. Keywords: Leadership effectiveness, project management, action research, case study research, template analysis