Project management, leadership, and performance: A quantitative study of the relationship between project managers' leadership styles, years of experience and critical success factors (CSFs) to project success

The purpose of this research study was to examine the direct empirical relationship between project managers' leadership styles, years of experience and critical success factors (CSFs) in relation to project success. Research literature review revealed a lack of empirical studies on these key variables. Thus, this research study intended to explicate and to resolve this research problem while also contributing to the body of knowledge by assessing the direct and specific empirical relationship between project managers' leadership styles as evaluated by Bass and Avolio's (2004) Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), years of experience as obtained by the demographic questionnaire, and critical success factors (CSFs) in relation to project success as evaluated by Pinto and Slevin's (1992) Project Implementation Profile (PIP). The results from the study showed that a positive and statistically significant relationship exists between the project managers' leadership styles and project success, in terms of transformational and transactional leadership styles, but not with passive/avoidant leadership style. There was no statistically significant relationship between project managers' years of experience and project success, although the effect was positive. In addition, the results showed a large effect size (r = .75) and statistically significant relationship exists between project managers' critical success factors and project success. Based on the study's results, 10 regression equations were generated. The predictor variables of transformational and transactional leadership styles, and critical success factors, were shown to positively predict project success significantly. The implications of these findings are relevant and can help managers, leaders and organizations in the improvement of project success rates across various organizations and business industries.