Leadership issues for road project engineers

Abstract

Being a construction team leader is an enormous responsibility because leaders inspire and motivate others. This study aims to identify leadership development and required skills from engineers’ perspectives. Using a qualitative approach from interviews with eight civil engineers, the authors explored their leadership issues and practices, especially in handling road project delays. The participants’ diverse viewpoints and experiences led to road construction’s four most common delay factors and how they responded to them. The research findings demonstrated that engineers in road projects require leadership competencies and extensive technical knowledge and experience to keep road projects on track. Since leaders accept responsibility, they must constantly learn to expand their knowledge and find new approaches to solve problems. This study generated a leadership chart highlighting road engineers’ leadership competencies to engage, coordinate and communicate effectively with team members and other project stakeholders. Combining technical expertise and soft skills enhances engineers’ ability to navigate construction complexities and adapt to changing trends.