Transformational leadership for sustainability in architecture engineering and construction project teams

Green or sustainable Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) projects have become a global phenomenon. To deal with the unique nature of green projects, teams require improved design and construction processes. This demands teams to integrate and collaborate better. To achieve this, the literature highlights project delivery attributes such as delivery methods, contractual conditions, and owner’s commitment. This study explores a new dimension in this regard: Leadership. Previous studies have pressed upon the need to explore the role of leadership in green AEC project teams. Proponents of leadership believe that it can help align team goals and create an encouraging atmosphere for improved performance. Transformational leadership is currently one of the most highly regarded and researched theories in the literature. Transformational leaders inspire their followers by setting examples, give others individual attention, cater to their needs; and stimulate them intellectually by encouraging them to take part in discussions and bring in their ideas. There is a need to explore how transformational leadership emerges in green AEC project teams and can impact team performance. Some leadership experts believe that the concept of having a single leader for a team is not the true representation, and there can be multiple leaders in a team regardless of assignment, decision-making power, and position. This form of leadership is known as shared leadershipTo study this phenomenon in the AEC industry, this study collected data from nine near completion, new construction and major renovation projects aiming for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. LEED certification by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) is the leading rating system for green buildings, both nationally and internationally. The researcher used the shortlist on the USGBC website to identify projects and invite team members to participate in this study via emails and phone calls.   This study uses mixed methods approach to achieve the study aims. A survey was used to collect individual-level data (n=103) and quantitatively test the relationship between perceptions of transformational leadership and team performance, mediated through team integration. The data was analyzed for validity using confirmatory factor analysis and reliability using Cronbach’s alpha. The study employed structural equation modeling to test its hypotheses. At the project team level, case study methodology was adopted to qualitatively explore the structure and flow of transformational leadership in green AEC project teams using social networks. Case studies were analyzed using pattern matching, while t-test and Chi-square tests were also employed to assess additional leadership characteristics as a follow up to the network study. The study provides significant theoretical contributions by developing a modified version of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) to measure transformational leadership specific to sustainability in AEC projects. It provides quantitative evidence in support of transformational leadership for team integration and team performance improvement. The study is first of its type to report leadership flow in AEC project teams and provides practical implications and directions for future research.