Leadership style, teamwork and performance of national water and sewerage corporation (NWSC) projects

Abstract

Project performance is essential for an organization to achieve its objectives. A successful project will ensure there is value for money and customer satisfaction. As much as National Water and Sewerage Corporation has put in efforts such as resource mobilization, internal controls and employee capacity building to equip them with the requisite skills, their performance has on several occasions remained below the expected standards as evidenced by delays in the completion of projects and failure to achieve set targets and inefficiency in service delivery. Besides, the impact of leadership styles and team work on project performance is scarcely known as the area remains under-studied in Uganda. This study sought to establish the relationship between leadership styles, teamwork and project performance of NWSC projects in Kampala. A quantitative approach was used to describe and draw inferences from the study findings. A sample size of 44 projects was considered to partake in the study. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data and this data was sorted, edited, coded and analyzed using SPSS Software. Descriptive frequency, Pearson correlation co-efficiency, and regression analysis statistics were used to examine the study variables. The correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between leadership styles, team work and project performance. This implies that, all the two variables are directly associated with project performance. Multiple regression analysis revealed that team work was a better predictor of project performance, implying that team work has a greater influence on project performance. The study therefore concludes that project performance is indeed determined by the leadership style specifically transformational and transactional leadership. Once project leaders reinforce good leadership, there will be increased collaboration among employees, smooth communication and cohesiveness within projects. Strong teamwork leads to improved project performance. Therefore, to achieve better project performance, there is need to practice good leadership and encourage team work among employees. The study recommends that NWSC leaders should effectively communicate to their employees, motivate them to pursue a shared vision and engage in inspirational motivation through emotional support and encouragement. Similarly, team members should put in place systems to facilitate effective communication, monitoring and control of project activities in their teams. Additionally, management should learn that rewarding employees‟ efforts and awarding promotions for good work will promote employee commitment to the projects at hand. Innovativeness should also be promoted to enable others think about new ways of implementing projects and regular training of team members to empower them with necessary skills to carry out tasks effectively. Leaders should also focus on the project interests other than their personal interests and employees should always endeavor to meet agreed-upon standards and targets.