Success of construction managers management essay

Many factors contributes to success of construction managers when they start their career in construction industry. In construction business organisations believe that manpower is their utmost asset. This highlights only having latest technology or equipments will not lead to organisational success but how its leaders perform, execute their work and make their subordinates and co-workers work is also important. Hence new research on psychological factors related to individual success are obtaining importance in construction sector. Previously intelligence used to be calculated in terms of academic intelligence but now days researchers believe there are more components involve in intelligence. Salovey and Mayer (1990) emerged one term “ Emotional Intelligence” based on their studies of interaction between emotions and thoughts. Butler (2006).

Leadership qualities in construction managers is also an vital aspect. A person with appropriate leadership attributes and traits becomes a successful manager. Many leadership related consensus are their such as; effectiveness, meticulousness, sociability, agreeableness, open to experience and mild neuroticism. Emotionally intelligent leaders manage complexity of the situation, understands other individuals need and gives them motivation. The search for emotional intelligence and leadership is always been a major objective of research. But now it has become vital to learn how this qualities help construction managers in their early years of their career.

Contemporary research explores relationship between transformational relationship and emotional intelligence. They particularly describe Emotional Intelligence patterns of construction managers and compares these patterns with individuals leadership qualities. The research tested newly construction industry entered managers to determine how emotional intelligence and leadership qualities affect their early years of career. This work will focus on construction managers those are in early years of their career and student studying in construction management course. This research study explores emotional intelligence, leadership and their relation with each other, factors influencing early years of career of construction managers and strength and weakness among these construction managers regarding their emotional intelligence and leadership qualities.

To obtained a structure of research study aim and objectives are developed which are mentioned below. Questionnaire and Interview questions will be structured so that analysis of the answers will satisfy objective of study.

1. 1 BACKGROUND STUDY:

Cherniss (2001) articulates that Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Effectiveness are correlated. Gardener and Stough (2002) in their studies has correlated emotional intelligence with effective leadership behaviours in middle and upper-level management. He concluded in his studies that those leaders who hold high Emotional Intelligence are always involve in transformational leadership and these behaviours of these managers positively contributes to the success of organisation.

Prati et al (2003) explains emotional intelligence as the “ ability to read and understand others in social contexts, to detect the nuances of emotional reactions and to utilize such knowledge to influence others through emotional regulations and control”. Managers had to change their traditional structure of business organisation to flattered , flexible structures which has interactive, interdependent and creative management and creative processes. For an organisation to be competent the field have keep gaining changes as per the demand at the same time its employees should also be competent enough to adopt the changes both internal and external. Hence organisations are really dependent on its members. Hence these organisations now stresses on having leaders who are capable of taking roles of simplifying, synchronizing and arranging the work deeds of others. He further says that social; effectiveness skills are essential to the performance and effectiveness of leaders.

Benator and Thumann (2003) suggest good people performing well always make a way to let things happen. The project manager’s ability to lead his team effectively has impact on success of project. Leadership includes successful continuous implementation of good leadership skills. With leadership skills it is important to apply sound leadership principles. Further they defined leadership as the, “ process of influencing individuals or groups to accomplish an organisational goal or mission”. Leadership is strength to make influence on group and each and every individual of your group and achieve the final goal or objective of your organisation. A leader maintains coordination between each and every individual of team and also maintain project within a limit of time and budget with high quality.

Most of the time technically qualified people like to work in technical fields such as design, planning, building related things and problems related to it. With the increase in experience over years they are imparted with more responsibilities or they imposed themselves with responsibilities. These responsibilities also includes leading peoples involve in organisation to achieve organisations aim.

Sometime people are born talented with leadership quality who can understand others emotions others perceptions and can manage them to get required goal. But it is possible to become a good leader by working hard with having proper education, training and practice. Like other professions leadership skills can be adopted and improve with practice.

-4 – 3 – 2 – 1 0 1 2 3 4

Will never be leaders Most of us Natural leaders

Fig 1. Normal Curve , Source: Benator and Thumann, 2003.

Emotional intelligence is the ability of individual which is inborn or may be gained if tried to understand own emotions, assimilate it, think about it and handle it successfully ; associating it with others emotions and deal with surrounding. (Poon, 2003)

It is the strength to understand others, what rally motivates them, their way of working, working co-operatively with them. It is key to self-knowledge which gives access to one’s own feeling and ability to discriminate among them and draw upon them to guide behaviour.

1. 2 RATIONALE FOR RESEARCH:

Poon (2003) says some people proved to be successful in their career when compare to others. And it has become one of the important issues of industry. Now a day’s many organisations before employing any person on work ask him or her to undergo psychology test which interprets whether employee has overdriven by emotions or he is practical enough to make decisions. Whether he has got required leadership quality which is required to tackle the problems faced while working in work field. Emotion perceptions and leadership quality of an employee are important to organisation as now days organisations facing challenges of global competition.

It is always general scenario that few managers perform excellent from the beginning of their career itself. And construction industry always has been concern about this. Many attempts are always been made to study and improve emotions and leadership feature necessary for managers. This is the reason behind undertaking this study to critically analyse influence of emotional intelligence and leadership quality in early years of career in construction management.

1. 3 AIM:

To study effect of leadership and emotional intelligence in early years of career of construction project manager.

1. 4 OBJECTIVE:

To study and explore up to what extent leadership and emotional intelligence plays role in the early years of career in construction project management.

To study and explore what is emotional intelligence and leadership.

This objective shall be satisfied by thoroughly reviewing previous research done related to emotional intelligence and leadership.

To identify the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership qualities of construction manager.

This objective is to be achieved by literature review.

To find out factors which affect emotional intelligence and leadership of construction managers in their early stage of career.

This objective is to be achieved by taking telephonic interviews of construction managers.

Strength and weakness found in construction managers in relation to emotional intelligence and leadership quality.

This objective will be achieved by doing questionnaire surveys.

1. 5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

This research will include a review of literature on leadership and emotional intelligence, its relationship with each other. A existing knowledge on leadership and emotional intelligence shall comprehensively be reviewed by focusing on nature of emotional intelligence and leadership, aspects of emotional intelligence and leadership, building emotional intelligence, leadership. This study should provide clear understanding of the research subject area. The secondary data will be collected form books, emotional intelligence and leadership related journals, previous reports, magazines etc.

This research population shall comprise of construction managers which are in early years of their career, students of construction management course.

A questionnaire shall be developed on the basis of objectives to be achieved from the research. Questionnaire is the easiest and fastest way to collect comprehensive the data. Questionnaire can be sent to managers by postal or email method or can be personally hand over.

Out of the all responses got to distributed questionnaire selected respondents shall be interviewed. Interview questions shall be structured keeping into mind the ultimate aim behind the research.

1. 6 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS:

As research is based on questionnaire and interview with quantitative and qualitative research, research study will face limitations. Research is partly based on interviewing construction management professionals who are in early years of their career or who just have started construction management as their career. Very first of all it is quiet easy to find construction managers in a field and set up an appointment with them for the purpose of interview but may be it will become hard to find particularly a construction manager who is in his early stage of career.

As telephonic interview of the managers who are working in India are done few difficulties were faced such as, time difference between India and Unite Kingdom. Due to time difference it was difficult to communicate with Indian construction managers during their working hours. Questionnaire was sent to among construction managers, response to these questionnaire was also less.

Research contain and conclusion made will depend upon what information is obtained by interviewing managers answers given to the questionnaires. Students can also be interviewed considering that they are in early stage of their career. Again interviewing will restrict to student studying in construction and project management stream.

Obtaining information from reading books, journal papers, reports, internet may not be reliable as the writer or researcher may have biased opinion on certain thing mentioned in his writing. Such kind of limitations can be faced while working on my dissertation which can be tackle successfully; if each task of work is planned properly and performed.

1. 7 DISSERTATION STRUCTURE:

Chapter 1- Introduction

This chapter gives general introduction about research subject. It gives descriptive information about research rational, aim and objectives of the research. It has given information about adopted research methodology , research limitations and structure of dissertation.

Chapter 2- Literature Review.

This chapter in first part will give detailed information about emotional intelligence. This part shall define emotional intelligence, it should define nature of emotional intelligence, aspects of emotional intelligence, building emotional intelligence and the criteria in which emotional intelligence can be studied. In second part of literature review it shall define Leadership, types of leaderships. Third part shall give insight of emotional intelligence and leadership. This chapter will thoroughly study emotional intelligence and leadership and relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership of construction managers.

Chapter 3- Research Methodology.

This chapter thoroughly explain how research work is conducted and the methods applied to carry out this research. This chapter is giving details of how each objective of the project is achieved by adopting which method. This chapter also explains limitations and rational behind choosing particular method.

Chapter 4- Analysis.

In this chapter general description is given in the beginning. This chapter analyses data collected in detailed related to emotional intelligence and leadership. The answered questionnaires and questions answered by the interviewers will be analysed in this chapter in manner to satisfy research objectives.

Chapter 5- Conclusion.

This chapter gives conclusion upon research carried out in context of research aim and objectives. This chapter also gives recommendations, limitations in research area and have suggested future research scope.