Leadership Styles and Emotional Intelligence in Large-Scale Infrastructure Projects: A Case Study of the ParramattaRyde Light Rail Project MGT5021

Introduction

The light rail project of 11km is awarded to the WSQ Construction Pvt Ltd. by the NSW Government. It is a broad infrastructure initiative which costs around $1.5 billion AUD. The project has been planned to extend from Parramatta Central Business District to Ryde via the Western Sydney University, situated in Rydalmere. It is expected to be completed within the time span of 2 years. This project involves over 200 casual and permanent workers from the different age-based, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. This requires a more effective and inclusive leadership approach to ensure the success of the construction project. The construction project requires different leadership approaches to ensure its long-term success and prosperity over time. This assessment would cover the assessment of leadership traits/skills, selection of the leadership style, and the key emotional intelligence (EQ) skills required for carrying out the construction project effectively.

Assessment of leadership traits/skills

One of the key leadership skills is the belief system that teams work best when the team members are participating in the decision-making process. Based on the context of light rail project, it involves a diverse workforce in the decision-making process (Northouse, 2021). This can lead to more innovations and a stronger sense of ownership among the team members. It is crucial to involve the team members in the decision-making process especially the ones which require the integration of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing, drones, and digital twin. These are important technology tools to use in the light rail project (Goleman, 2017). By maximizing the leverage of collective expertise of the human resources, the project leader ensures that the decisions are well-informed and it consider the multiple perspectives. This leads to successful outcomes of the construction projects over the period.

There are some of the additional leadership traits which can better help to assess the leadership approach for the project. Empowering other people is a leadership trait aimed to bring out the best potential in other people. This trait is crucial to motivate a diverse workforce which ensures that each of the team members performs to their fullest potential. This trait is important to motivate a diverse set of workforces so that they can ensure that each of the team members perform in the best possible manner (Bass & Riggio, 2016). The flexibility in leadership is another leadership trait which indicates a flexible approach to leadership where one is looking forward to set up but also, they are comfortable to allow others taking the lead in the appropriate time. Further Adaptability is also an important trait to manage a large-scale project as there are unforeseen challenges which may arise over time (Goleman, 2017). Being goal oriented, where one is determined to push forward the projects and aim to get the best results. This is essential to meet the tight two-year deadline to complete the project.

People must be allowed to make mistakes and learn by themselves. This highlights a growth mindset which encourages continuous learning and improvement. This in turn leads to innovative solutions to be performed during the project (Northouse, 2021). One of the most important things for a team is to improve the well-being of its team members. This emphasizes a people centred approach to leadership, which is important to maintain a high productivity and morale within the workforce. The leader should set high standards for himself and expect the other people to do the same for themselves. This trait is broadly based on a commitment to excellence which is important to deliver a high-quality project (Avolio & Yammarino, 2019). Furthermore, a leader should help people to unleash their fullest potential showcasing the commitment to professional and personal growth and development. This leads to a more skilled and capable workforce in the different organizations.

Selection of Leadership Style Authoritative Leadership Style

Based on the results of leadership traits assessment, the authoritative style of leadership is the most suitable leadership for the project. The authoritative leadership encourages the employees to follow them and grow along with them. The authoritative leadership motivate the team members to perform to their fullest potential ensuring that the employees have a clear direction in work as well as offering guidance for the team members who are uncertain about their work performance (IMD. 2024). The authoritative leadership is based on the strong emphasis on efficiency and results of the employees. Undertaking this type of leadership, the leaders focus on achieving the objectives, setting high standards, and expecting team members to meet the expectations over the period. There are several benefits of using authoritative leadership which are as follows:

1. Direction and vision to the company: The authoritative leaders approach the projects as well as the initiatives from a position of confidence (Stobierski, 2019). The authoritative leaders have a clear vision of the way success looks like and the way the team members can be provided the constructive feedback and the direction to work towards achieving the organizational goals.
2. Clarity for the employees: Authoritative leadership brings clarity in the workplace as it has the ability to motivate, inspire, and influence the team members (Stobierski, 2019). This motivation often emerges from understanding the strategic goals and communicate in a way so that the employees can reach to their goals.
3. Sense of Identity: The authoritative leadership improves the sense of identity for the employees which makes them perform to their fullest potential. As per Wang & Guan (2018), authoritative leaders are more able to provide a direct and unambiguous prototype with their subordinates. This makes the employees to gain a better understanding of the activities they must perform, offering them a better sense of their identity, behavior, and attitudes. The authoritative leaders are effective in this respect since they offer a direct support or identity to the team members.
4. Development of Goodwill: The authoritative leaders are able to approach the team members from a point of empathy (Stobierski, 2019). To be specific, the authoritative leaders are better able to understand both the professional and personal emotions, worries, and desires of team members where the authoritative leaders are able to identify the key roadblocks to performance, along with incentivizing the success in a simultaneous manner.

Emotional intelligence Skills (EI) for Authoritative Leadership

Self-awareness is the foundation of EI and it is highly crucial for the authoritative leader. It includes understanding the emotions, strengths, weaknesses of people along with the impact it has on the other people. Based upon the light rail project, self-awareness helps the leaders to identify the strengths, limitations of the respective leadership style (Goleman, 2017). This allows them to adjust their approach as needed to meet the overall demands of the projects. For instance, self-awareness of ones tendency to set the high standards can help the leaders to ensure that the expectations are communicated and along with this, the team has the key support and resources to meet them (Cherniss & Goleman, 2020). In addition to this, self-awareness allows the leader to identify when their emotions may affect the decision-making power. This ensures that the decisions are made in a rational way and according to the best interest of the team members.

The self-regulation further includes managing ones own emotions especially in the stressful and challenging situations. A authoritative leader offers clear direction and a reliable guidance to the team members providing them a sense of consistency and stability. The leadership skill is crucial to keep the project on track, especially when the unexpected challenges are emerged (Huang et al., 2022). This includes the technical difficulties and delays at large. Based on the context of light rail project, self-regulation helps the leader to remain calm and relaxed during the key phases of construction. This can allow them to guide the teams in a more effective manner by eliminating the key obstacles. The leader sets a positive example by modelling the self-regulation which promotes a culture of resilience and professionalism over the period.

One of the key components of EI is motivation and it is important for the authoritative leaders who can energize their teams and they also must inspire the team members. A highly motivated leader is backed by a deep passion for the project along with its commitment to achieve the goals. The intrinsic motivation can inspire the team to innovate, work hard, and preserve through the challenges (Cherniss & Goleman, 2020). Based upon the context of light rail project, the motivation of the leaders would be critical to maintain the momentum, especially during the 2-year lifetime.

Conclusion

To conclude, 11km light rail project from Parramatta to Ryde can be led with the help of a well-rounded leadership approach, leveraging the strength of EI and authoritative leadership. The project can foster a motivated, collaborative, team by assessing the personal leadership traits. It is capable to deliver the project in a more successful manner. The key EI of self-regulation, self-awareness, social skills, and motivation further improves the ability of the leaders to navigate the challenges of this construction project. This ensures that the project is completed on time, complying with the highest standards and within the budget.

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