Exploring Leadership Styles to Foster Sustainability in Construction Projects: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Background: The construction sector has faced significant challenges in addressing the world’s pressing crises, such as climate change, poverty, and human well-being. Ensuring sustainability in construction projects is pivotal, and leadership plays a crucial role in embedding sustainable practices. Objectives: This research aims to identify an effective leadership style for implementing sustainable practices in construction projects through a systematic literature review (SLR). Methods: A comprehensive SLR was conducted, focusing on leadership in sustainable construction. The review process included identifying, screening, and analysing relevant literature. Thirty-one articles were meticulously selected and evaluated to understand the relationship between leadership styles and sustainable practices in construction. Results: The findings suggest that no single leadership style is universally applicable in all contexts within sustainable construction. However, transformational leadership stands out for its benefits in facilitating sustainable practices. The review provides insights into various leadership approaches and their effectiveness in different scenarios. Conclusions: The study concludes that while a universal leadership style for sustainable construction does not exist, transformational leadership is generally more effective. This finding is significant for construction project managers aiming to implement sustainable practices, providing them guidance on the leadership styles that are most likely to yield successful outcomes in their projects.