Leadership Practices and Challenges in The Construction Industry of Ethiopia: The Case of Bokra Construction and Trading Plc
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Date
2023-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
It is arguable that, with effective and influential leadership, an industry can win in a more competitive, complex and dynamic business environment and can achieve its sustainability and growth. Specially, the construction industry, which involves the commitment and integration of many stakeholders will benefited more from effective leaders. However, in Ethiopia there was given little attention and it leads them inefficient performance and project ineffectiveness. Past studies are not dealing with the qualities required for an effective and influential leader of the construction industry rather their focus was investigating leadership style and individual attributes. This paper aims to assess the practices and challenges of leadership in the construction industry of Ethiopia in the case of BOKRA Construction and Trading PLC and it also covers the practical aspects of Transformational and Transactional leadership styles and its attributes. Data is gathered from 64 respondents composed of managers, team leaders, subordinate employees and supervisors. The study adopts descriptive type of design to answer the research objective. It uses a quantitative method. Data is gathered both from primary through questioner and secondary through interview sources. The study found that both Transformational and Transactional leadership styles are moderately applied with a dominant exercising of transformational leadership style by BOKRA and there are some attributes like clear recruitment, employee development and equal treatment which rarely applied in BOKRA and it is due to the organizational culture and qualities of leaders, which seen as a challenge. Further, the qualities of leaders must give attention by exceling the leadership skills and knowledge which will be exercised in an effective and influential manner. Generally, effective and influential leadership will be practiced by fully addressing the attributes of leadership styles, organizational culture and quality of leaders assessed in the project that can enhance firm performance and effectiveness. The study suggested further studies to be taken by conducting a survey from many construction firms and also by considering other parties’ challenges like suppliers, financial institutions and governing bodies