Ajay (York St John University, London Campus, UK)
Abstract
It is, therefore, reasonable to argue that leadership in international project
management is a topic that requires further empirical studies concerning leadership
behaviours within a project context, mainly where cultural differences between
employees are taken into consideration. This research examines the skills necessary
in the leadership of multicultural teams concentrating on conflict solving, motivation
of workers, and efficient deployment of cultural variations. Through a critical
analysis of the current literature and quantitative analysis, the study reveals that
emotional intelligence, ethical leadership, and cultural sensitivity are vital attributes
for overcoming the ordeal of globalization while managing projects at the
international level. The findings discussed in the paper stress that leaders who possess
the enumerated competencies are more prepared to support collaboration, reduce the
possibility of misinterpretation, and enhance project outcomes. However, this study
shows that sometimes cross-cultural Leadership may be characterized by some
positive and negative aspects at the same time. Besides, good managers encourage
cultural differences and at the same time use them as an asset for improving
organizational performance. Thus, this research serves to advance the knowledge of
the field by presenting a strategic framework to control and prevent cross cultural
issues that may harm the overall performance of international project management
teams to enhance the performance of the teams by providing guidelines for leadership
different behaviors. The final part of the study highlights the main research
limitations and the avenues for future research with the focus being made on the
necessity to undertake additional primary research to support the given strategies in
practice.