Toor, S U R and Ofori, G (2008) Tipping points that inspire leadership: An exploratory study of emergent project leaders. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 15(3), pp. 212-229. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose – Recent research on leadership has focused on the exploration of the taxonomies of leadership antecedents (or “trigger events”) that significantly influence the development of the attributes of leadership in individuals. These leadership antecedents – which may involve individuals, social institutions, and life experiences – constitute a worthwhile topic for research. This paper aims to report a study which explores the leadership antecedents that inspired leadership development among graduate project management students. Design/methodology/approach – To ascertain the significance of leadership antecedents, a study was conducted at National University of Singapore. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data on taxonomies of various leadership antecedents which contributed to the development of leadership skills among the subjects. Of a total of 90 questionnaires, which were distributed, 58 completed questionnaires were received. Findings – The results suggest that teachers, parents, and mentors are significant in the development of leadership among the emergent leaders. It was also noted that educational and occupational experiences play a central role in leadership development. Future studies can use qualitative approaches, especially grounded theory methodology, to develop comprehensive frameworks explaining leadership development process. Research limitations/implications – The results of this exploratory study can form the basis for further work in the field of leadership development. Originality/value – The taxonomy of leadership antecedents employed in this study can be used to design controlled interventions for leadership development in emergent project leaders and project management trainees.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | career development; leadership development; Singapore; skills; team leaders |
| Index terms: | taxonomy, career, questionnaire, grounded theory, exploratory study, future study, mentors, project management, Singapore, methodology, qualitative approach, survey, taxonomies, exploration, leadership development |
| Subjects: | training, knowledge organization and systems, environmental resource management, project management theory and practice, Geography, research methods, data analysis and analytics, research design and methodology, theoretical framing, data collection methods, practitioner, professional development |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Sustainability, Research Practice, Project Management, Human Resources, Information Management, Geographical Context |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here