IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bco/bsoaaa/v13y2025p57-77.html

Unveiling the Power of Leadership Styles in Project Management: A Comprehensive Systematic Literature Review

Author

Listed:
  • Mohammad Ali Hatefi

    (Petroleum University of Technology, Iran)

  • Mahdi Iranfar

    (Department of Energy Economics & Management, Petroleum University of Technology (PUT), Iran)

  • Mohammad Senisel Bachari

    (Department of Energy Economics & Management, Petroleum University of Technology (PUT), Iran)

Abstract

An Effective Leadership Style (LS) plays a pivotal role in determining the success of projects, making comprehensive research in Project Management (PM) essential. The Systematic Literature Review (SLR) in this article meticulously examines how different LSs impact project outcomes. Through systematic searches in reputable academic databases, we scrutinized peer-reviewed articles to uncover key insights. The primary aim of this review is to assess the effectiveness of various LSs within PM contexts, shedding light on their influence on project success and team performance. The results underscore the significance of transactional and transformational LSs in PM. Both styles contribute positively to project outcomes, but transformational leadership stands out as exceptionally impactful in boosting team motivation and overall project performance. By nurturing a sense of purpose and empowerment, transformational leaders inspire adaptability in the face of dynamic challenges. In conclusion, we encourage project managers to thoughtfully integrate transactional and transformational LSs to optimize project success. While transactional leadership ensures task completion and structure, transformational leadership fosters innovation and team commitment. This review advocates for a strategic fusion of these styles, cultivating a culture of excellence and achievement in project endeavors.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohammad Ali Hatefi & Mahdi Iranfar & Mohammad Senisel Bachari, 2025. "Unveiling the Power of Leadership Styles in Project Management: A Comprehensive Systematic Literature Review," International Journal of Behavior Studies in Organizations, EUROKD, vol. 13, pages 57-77.
    • Handle: RePEc:bco:bsoaaa::v:13:y:2025:p:57-77
    DOI: 10.32038/jbso.2025.13.05
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://api.eurokd.com/Uploads/Article/1594/jbso.2025.13.05.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.32038/jbso.2025.13.05?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Riaz Ahmed & Noor Azmi bin Mohamad, 2016. "Differentiating between Leadership Competencies and Styles: A Critical Review in Project Management Perspective," International Journal of Information Technology Project Management (IJITPM), IGI Global Scientific Publishing, vol. 7(1), pages 58-71, January.
    2. Seydou Sané & Pascaline Abo, 2021. "Transactional leadership and success of international development projects (IDP): mediating effects of cooperative style to conflict resolution and team potency," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 44(12), pages 1623-1638, October.
    3. Juanjuan Jiang, 2014. "The Study of the Relationship between Leadership Style and Project Success," American Journal of Trade and Policy, Asian Business Consortium, vol. 1(1), pages 51-55.
    4. Seydou Sané & Pascaline Abo, 2021. "Transactional leadership and success of international development projects (IDP): mediating effects of cooperative style to conflict resolution and team potency," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 44(12), pages 1623-1638, October.
    5. Muhammad Khalique Ahmad & Abu Bakar Abduhamid & Sazali Abd Wahab & Muhammad Umair Nazir, 2023. "Can the Project Manager's Transformational Leadership Lead to Project Success?: Empowerment, Goal Clarity, and CR Leadership," International Journal of Information Technology Project Management (IJITPM), IGI Global Scientific Publishing, vol. 14(1), pages 1-21, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Matić Ivan, 2024. "Leadership Profile of Croatian Project Managers - Investigating the Effects of Stress and Followers’ Expertise in Achieving Project Success," South East European Journal of Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 19(1), pages 32-49.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bco:bsoaaa::v:13:y:2025:p:57-77. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sara Gunen (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.