Leadership Skills in Project Management in Post-Conflict Regions

Much of the current literature on leadership skills in project management in post-conflict regions

pay particular attention to the varying skills and leadership needed in reconstruction and

rebuilding depending on the country and culture. Ebrahem (2017) argued that many companies

in the construction industry fail to properly manage the risks associated with their projects, as

most of them do not pay close attention to the importance of risk management. The evidence

shows an in-depth analysis of the various aspects of a research instrument that will help answer

the research question related to the planning and control of projects in post-conflict areas. Most

of the models used in planning and controlling projects in post-conflict regions are usually built

based on a single primary concept or principle, which will always govern the whole model.

Ebrahem's (2017) work on leadership skills in project management in post-conflict regions is

complemented by Ahmed, Tahir, and Azmi bin Mohamad (2013) study of project manager's

leadership roles that has majorly been overlooked in previous literature, which suggest that it is

becoming increasingly difficult to separate the functions of a project manager and a leader in

terms of their responsibilities and characteristics. The findings by Ahmed, Tahir, and Azmi bin

Mohamad (2013) are more significant to the present study as it focuses on the management skills

for projects in conflict and post-conflict regions. Ahmed, Tahir, and Azmi bin Mohamad (2013)

suggest that understanding the differences between project management and project leadership is

very important to determine the effects of project management on successful project

implementation in post-conflict regions. Similarly, Ebrahem (2017) declares that project

managers must have the right skills and competencies to lead and motivate their team members

while being able to adapt to the changing conditions and work with integrity and creativity to

achieve successful planning and control of projects in post-conflict regions. Ebrahem (2017)
agrees with Ahmed, Tahir, and Azmi bin Mohamad (2013) that project leadership is a new

paradigm that is becoming more critical to achieving successful project implementation in the

fast-paced environment in post-conflict areas. However, the findings reveal the need for further

researcher on application of leadership skills in reconstruction projects in post-conflict regions.

A considerable amount of literature has been published on the relationship between project

management leadership skills and post-conflict reconstruction and rebuilding. These studies

show the performance of leaders is crucial to how people work together. It is widely known that

their influence has a significant impact on project success or failure. Extensive qualitative

research conducted by Nixon, Harrington, and Parker (2012) explored how project management

in leadership performance influences the outcomes of projects. Nixon, Harrington, and Parker

(2012) found that the exact causes of project failure or success have been debated in project

management, thus making the study applicable to the current research. In brief, project success

can be considered from the perspectives and interests of all stakeholder parties involved in the

project.

Additionally, Nixon, Harrington, and Parker (2012) demonstrate how the effects of project

leadership on the success or failures of a project are often overlooked. Nixon, Harrington, and

Parker (2012) remark that the difference between project management and leadership tends to be

associated with project leadership traits. Based on Nixon, Harrington, and Parker's (2012) ideas,

the termination of a project can be considered a failed project due to the various factors that

could have contributed to its failure, such as legal, political, and environmental pressures. This

view is supported by Ika and Saint-Macary (2012), who writes that project managers do not have

the freedom to implement their projects in the international development field. Instead, they rely

on their knowledge and experience to carry out their tasks. By focusing on improving the
understanding and practice of project management core myths, Ika and Saint-Macary (2012)

agrees that this can affect the success of international development projects. Unlike Nixon,

Harrington, and Parker's (2012), Ika and Saint-Macary (2012) focused on general international

development without delving deeper into development projects in conflict and post-conflict

areas, restricting the effectiveness of the findings to the present study. Based on the findings by

Nixon, Harrington, and Parker's (2012) and Ika and Saint-Macary (2012), contrary to the

standard project management practice in post-conflict reconstruction, project managers are not

involved in the overall planning and implementation planning stages as they lack the autonomy

to execute the required critical front-end activities.

According to the research by Yang, Huang, and Wu (2011), increased levels of leadership may

help team members form stronger relationships, as it has been hypothesized that teamwork

influences project performance. Yang, Huang, and Wu (2011) conducted a questionnaire-based

survey to measure the project manager's ability to lead and motivate teams, manage costs, and

deliver quality work. Based on the findings, teamwork is associated with higher project success

and linked to the moderating effect of project type. The research by Yang, Huang, and Wu

(2011) is relevant to the current study as it offers more insights on the application of leadership

skills in the reconstruction of post-conflict regions. Yang, Huang, and Wu (2011) notes that

transformational project leaders create a vision and charisma for their subordinates as they

motivate their team members by creating expectations and exhibiting appropriate behaviors.

Other researchers, however, who have looked at why project implementation is not successful in

some post-conflict regions, have found that despite the advancements in project management,

many projects fail due to poor execution. It is primarily due to the lack of practical project

management skills and a leader's role. Anantatmula (2010), for example, conducted their
research based on literature review, surveys, and structured interviews to identify project

performance factors related to a set of people and understand the interaction of these factors.

Unlike Yang, Huang, and Wu (2011), Anantatmula (2010) contend that establishing the

processes and roles in a project are the initial steps in establishing a successful project as this will

lay the foundation for communicating expectations and implementing consistent strategies.

Together these studies provide important insights into the identifying and monitoring project

actions necessary to define and monitor the project's outcomes, showing how knowledge sharing

and team development are essential to the success of any post-conflict reconstruction project.

Up to now, several studies have reported that leadership style is a set of rules that describe how a

project manager would behave towards their subordinates and a significant component of the

research on leadership in projects. According to Clarke (2012), the assumptions supporting the

style of leadership and the usefulness of projects are now being questioned due to the complexity

of today's post-conflict projects. Instead, shared project leadership can be developed to respond

to the varying dynamics of most projects. There is an unambiguous relationship between

successful project implementation in post-conflict regions and the leadership style applied by the

team leaders. A qualitative study that captures the conditions that influence shared leaders in

projects is proposed by Clarke (2012) to enhance the theoretical framework on leadership. While

Clarke (2012) focuses on specific conditions that leadership skills excel in project

implementation, Muller, Packendorff, and Sankaran (2017) are more concerned with introducing

a new perspective on leadership, which is the distinction between the intent of leadership and the

practice of influencing. Muller, Packendorff, and Sankaran (2017) states that understanding the

dynamics of balanced leadership can contribute to the development of realistic leadership

theories. Unlike Clarke (2012), Muller, Packendorff, and Sankaran (2017) proposes that
leadership should not be limited to the actions of a few individuals. Instead, it should be viewed

as the work of many different actors, an idea that supports the need to develop more effective

ways of organizing and managing leadership in complex multi-dimensional settings. In all the

studies reviewed here, the concept of project management had been associated with leadership

problems due to the lack of influential leaders, and the reality is that projects have highly skilled

individuals who can solve complex problems.