Beyond the Blueprint: Navigating the Role of Leadership in Complex Construction Project Delivery

Effective leadership is essential for achieving success in private international schools. Beyond academic achievements, organizational success is reflected in teacher retention, financial stability, and institutional reputation, which signify the overall health and sustainability of these institutions. As international education becomes more competitive and culturally diverse, there is an urgent need for visionary, flexible, and capable school leaders. This research aimed to explore how different leadership styles—transformational, transactional, and distributed affected performance measures in a representative sample of private international schools from China, Thailand, Singapore, and the USA. Utilizing a strong mixed-methods approach, this research quantitatively analyzes data from structured surveys and qualitatively assesses information gathered through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Data from 320 respondents, including teachers, administrators, and school leaders, were supplemented by in-depth interviews with 10 senior education professionals regarding leadership behavior. Document analysis, which included strategic planning and performance reports, was utilized in triangulation and provided an institutional context. The findings suggest that transformational and distributed leadership styles are more effective in achieving organizational excellence, which is characterized by a combination of high academic performance, teacher satisfaction, financial stability, and a positive institutional reputation. These leadership styles effectively motivate teachers and stakeholders while being culturally appropriate. During times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, and strategic vision become crucial for leaders. Those who embody these qualities often achieve better academic results, higher staff retention, and increased stakeholder trust. Some challenges remain, including fragmented regulations, staff diversity, and the pressures of international accreditation standards. This study contributes to the global discourse on educational leadership by presenting empirically grounded, regionally contextualized insights into the dynamics of effective leadership in international schools, with practical implications for school administrators and policymakers. These include recommendations for investment in leadership training, development of cross-cultural competencies, and data-informed decision-making. The study concludes that leadership quality is more than just a matter of management, as it is a strategic imperative for long-term sustainability in an ever-changing world of international education.

The increasing significance of social media in organizations has led to collaborative efforts between IT professionals and marketers. Social media managers play a vital role in enhancing business exposure through effective strategies, requiring a diverse skill set encompassing soft skills like teamwork, emotional intelligence, communication proficiency, and leadership. Soft skills, defined as non-technical interpersonal and behavioral skills, are crucial for decision-making and project success in social media management, surpassing the importance of hard skills in project failure. Theoretical perspectives on soft skills vary, emphasizing traits such as leadership and communication. However, literature on social media management often overlooks these soft skills, necessitating a deeper understanding and prioritization. Assessing soft skills in social media managers presents challenges due to diverse skill lists and subjective evaluation. The adoption of unconventional methodologies is suggested to ensure comprehensive evaluations that consider cognitive and emotional dimensions. Success in the contemporary work environment hinges on soft skills, shaping an individual's ability to collaborate, communicate effectively, think critically, lead others, and manage conflicts. Detailed sub-chapters delve into specific soft skills essential for social media managers, including teamwork, communication, analytical thinking, leadership, active listening, business comprehension, collaboration, adaptability, conflict resolution, credibility, customer relations, data mining, decision-making, diversity comprehension, ability to edit, and engaging people. In conclusion, recognizing and prioritizing soft skills is crucial for comprehensive training programs, equipping social media managers to navigate the multifaceted challenges of managing an online presence in the digital age.

The definition of «Emotional Intelligence» today is not just a modern concept in pedagogy and psychology. In today's realities, the idea of emotional intelligence is rapidly gaining popularity, because it is the subject of scientific research and observations. However, people have not always perceived emotional intelligence in a modern interpretation. Scientific sources indicate that reflections on the connection between emotions and reason date back to antiquity and, having gone through a certain path of evolution, have reached the modern understanding of emotional intelligence. The modern system of higher education in Ukraine sets itself the task not only of transferring academic knowledge, but also of forming a personality ready for self-realization and competitiveness in the labor market. This requires the development of not only «hard» (skills), but also «soft» (soft skills). Among the key «soft» (soft skills) skills necessary for higher education applicants include emotional and social intelligence, empathy, motivation, sociability, flexibility, etc. The purpose of the article is to study the evolution of scientific approaches to the study of emotional intelligence, which will allow us to trace its formation as an important scientific concept. The definition of the concept of «emotional intelligence» was carried out through the analysis and synthesis of scientific sources, which made it possible to systematize existing approaches. The historical method helped to trace the evolution of ideas, and the logical method - to reveal their current state and internal connections. In addition, the comparative-typological method allowed to identify common features and differences between different concepts. In the scientific article, the author traces the stages of evolution of scientific approaches to the study of emotional intelligence. Also, it is considered how emotions and intelligence were related in different historical periods. Analysis of the works of philosophers and scientists of different eras, from Aristotle to Daniel Goleman, demonstrates that the idea of the connection between emotions and intelligence has deep historical roots. It is proven that the study of emotional intelligence is a relevant vector for modern education and professional activity, since its formation has a positive impact on mental health, interpersonal relationships, self-development and success. The results of this research demonstrate the history of the emergence of the concept of emotional intelligence, what I understand by emotional intelligence, and also that emotional intelligence is critically important for success in almost all areas of life. It has a positive impact on: mental health, interpersonal relationships, professional activities, etc. Emotional intelligence is a relevant vector for modern education and professional development. Studying this topic allows better understandment of yourself, your emotions and the emotions of others, which opens the way to personal growth and greater success in life.

Objective: To explore the relationship of leadership styles with the emotional intelligence level of medical educationists working in medical institutes of Punjab. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Medical colleges and universities in Punjab, Pakistan, from May 2024 to Sep 2024. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out through universal sampling involving 30 medical educationists in leadership roles across various medical institutions in Punjab. The Genos Emotional Intelligence Inventory (Concise), with 31 items, and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire by Avolio and Bass, with 45 items, were used to determine the relationship of their leadership style with their emotional intelligence level. Results: The analysis yielded a significant positive correlation between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership (r=0.887) with p-value of <0.001, suggesting that elevated levels of emotional intelligence are associated with a greater prevalence of transformational leadership behaviors. Conversely, a negative correlation was identified between emotional intelligence and transactional leadership (r=-0.702), indicating that higher emotional intelligence correlates with a diminished reliance on transactional leadership styles. No significant correlation was established between emotional intelligence and laissez-faire leadership (r=-0.281). Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of emotional intelligence in effective leadership within medical education, recommending tailored development programs to cultivate this skill among educationists. Strengthening emotional intelligence could foster supportive learning environments and enhance outcomes for students and faculty alike.

The article delves into contemporary leadership approaches, with a particular focus on the growing importance of "soft skills" in comparison to technical expertise. As technology continues to advance rapidly, the expectations placed on leaders have also evolved, emphasizing the human factor more than ever. While technical knowledge remains essential, the study presents a new perspective on leadership by highlighting the crucial role of social, emotional, and interpersonal skills. The research discusses key concepts associated with soft skills, such as communication, emotional intelligence, collaboration, and adaptability. It analyzes why these skills have become increasingly in demand in today's fast-paced job market, where changes occur at an unprecedented rate. The study finds that leaders with well-developed soft skills are better equipped to motivate their teams, make decisions in uncertain environments, and foster innovation. A significant portion of the article is dedicated to examining how technological progress is reshaping the role of technical knowledge in leadership. Despite the undeniable importance of technical competence, the emphasis on the human element is becoming increasingly significant. The proposed approach considers the development of soft skills as an integral part of a leader's professional growth, alongside enhancing technical qualifications. Moreover, the article explores the role of cultural and individual differences in the development of soft skills and their impact on leadership styles. It outlines how cultural contexts influence which soft skills are most valued in different countries and organizations. To address this, the article suggests methods for adapting leadership styles according to the cultural characteristics of teams, thereby fostering greater understanding and effectiveness in the workplace. This comprehensive analysis underscores the evolving nature of leadership in the modern world, where the balance between technical expertise and human-centric skills is crucial for success. As organizations continue to operate in increasingly complex and culturally diverse environments, the ability to adapt leadership styles to meet these challenges is becoming a key determinant of effective leadership.

: The present study is an attempt to find the effect of emotional intelligence on stress and how soft skills play a vital role in overcoming stress on Senior secondary students of Faridabad city of Haryana State . The Researcher had selected 600 senior school students giving representation to types of Schools Government and Private owned and on the basis of gender i.e male and female .The validated inventory of the emotional intelligence, stress and soft skill was used as a tool .The questionnaire contained 60 questions on Emotional Intelligence , 40 questions on stress and 50 on soft skills having five point scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree . Pearson coefficient of Correlation ,Mean ,T-test and ANOVA was applied to find relationship between various components of these three dimensions .The study found there is positive correlation between emotional intelligence and other two dimensions .It was found that private school students showcased markedly higher emotional intelligence compared to government school peers and female are shown higher emotional intelligence . The grade level of students, whether 11th or 12 th class ,did not impact emotional intelligence in any statistically significant manner. A crucial gender difference was also uncovered , with female students reporting experiencing markedly greater stress relative to their male counterparts across all domains. Keywords : Emotional Intelligence, Stress , soft skills , Gender ,Grade

PurposeIn times of crisis and volatility, especially in the Covid-19 scenario, project organisations are facing multifaceted threats. Project organisations are inclining towards flatter organisational structures. Employees are demanding more decision-making authority due to the changing working scenario. Despite the advancement in project management, a hard skill side, project organisations are still struggling to achieve successful projects. The project manager's leadership, employee self-leadership and soft skills are presented as the solution to these aggravated problems. This article attempts to determine whether a transformational leadership style can influence project success, directly and indirectly through employee self-leadership.Design/methodology/approachThe author raises the hypothesis, supported by social cognitive theory, that transformational leadership impacts project success directly and indirectly through self-leadership. Data were collected from 289 project team members in the IT sector, and the proposed relationships were assessed through Partial least squares structural equation modelling PLS-SEM.FindingsResults show that a project manager's transformational leadership behaviour and employee self-leadership positively impact project success. Additionally, self-leadership mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and project success. Lastly, empowerment demonstrated significant moderation for self-leadership and project success, and for transformational leadership and project success.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, one obvious methodological limitation is a cross-sectional design. Future research can be performed while adopting a longitudinal research design. Another conceptual limitation of the model is that the authors did not include all transformational leadership dimensions, which can be considered for future studies while replicating this research model. Another future front can be by examining other leadership styles. Another research limitation may be the single source data collection, a future study may be conducted by several sources for data collection to adequately test both of the leadership styles at different hierarchies and for project success.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the literature by finding that, in crises, a project manager's transformational leadership style enhances project success. In practice, project managers are needed to adopt transformational behaviour and encourage employee self-leadership and empowerment.

Interoperability in building information modeling for AECO/FM industry

This study aimed to examine the interplay between cultural intelligence and project governance within the context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) complex construction projects. From the reviewed literature, we established a lack of studies that have examined how project governance and cultural intelligence can influence the success of complex construction projects, specifically within the context of the UAE. A survey was conducted among 404 senior construction practitioners working in the UAE construction sector. The analysis approach followed the inclusion of regression and correlation analysis. Validity and reliability were attained by assessing the plausibility of the existing knowledge on project governance and cultural intelligence. The study found that project governance and cultural intelligence contribute significantly to successfully delivering complex construction projects. As established in this study, project governance and cultural intelligence need to be prioritised by project leaders to have more lasting effect on the delivery of complex construction projects in the UAE.

Objectives: The study aims at assessing the level of emotional intelligence as well as leadership styles and detecting the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership styles. Materials and methods: A descriptive study, correlational design that is initiated for the period of October 1st 2021 to June 1st, 2022. The sample of the study includes 260 nurse managers was selected by convenient sampling method (non-probability sample). The setting of the study includes the teaching hospitals in Baghdad city. Two scales were used in the current study; Emotional Intelligence Scales which comprised of 45 items and Leadership Styles which comprised of 26 items distributed on four dimensions: 5 items for Leading Change; 7 items for leading nurses; 6 items for Results Driven; 5 items for Communications. The data have been collected through the utilization of the self-administrative report as a mean of data collection. Statistical analyses were conducted by using statistical package for social science (IBM SPSS Statistics) version 26.0. Results: The study found that 95% of nurse managers are associated with high level of emotional intelligence (M±SD= 189.42±13.084), nurse managers show good competencies regarding leadership of change style (M±SD= 21.23±2.664), subordinate leadership style (M±SD= 29.61±3.863), focus on result style (M±SD= 25.31±3.075) and leadership of communication style (M±SD= 21.60±2.491). Emotional intelligence of nurse managers is positively correlated with leadership style of change, subordinate leadership, and leadership of communication style at p-value= .001, .001, and .033. Conclusions: Based on the study finding, the study concludes that nurse managers are associated with high emotional intelligence and good leadership competencies. There is evidence of a two-way relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership style competencies among nurse managers. Recommendations: The study is recommended The Health Institution administrators need to design a training program to improve conflict management and emotional intelligence for nurses to effectively manage conflicts among them which is inevitable in health care institutions. Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Relationship, Leadership styles, Nurse Managers

Formulation of the problem. In recent years, the concept of «soft skills» has become an integral part of the global labor market in various sectors of the economy and society. International and national studies confirm the importance of universal skills, which are called «21st century skills». However, in practice, higher education institutions cannot always create conditions for their comprehensive development. Therefore, one of the main tasks of training students of higher education in modern conditions is to find ways for targeted and systematic development of soft skills. The purpose of the article is to assess the degree of development of soft skills of higher education students in the educational process and to justify the pedagogical conditions that can contribute to increasing the efficiency of their development. The results. The study of the degree of development of the sought-after soft skills of higher education students in the educational process was carried out using a developed questionnaire in Google Form. The questions were formulated so that students, based on their own opinion, determined the degree of development in the educational process of each of the proposed soft skills on a 10-point scale. Students of 1-6 years of study of V.N. Kharkiv National University took part in the survey. Karazina (87 people). The results of the conducted empirical research confirm the need for purposeful and systematic development of soft skills demanded by the modern labor market of higher education graduates. According to the students, such soft skills as stress resistance and flexibility, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and communication skills need the greatest development. Pedagogical conditions and prospects for the development of soft skills are related to the end-to-end implementation of complex measures in the educational process: filling normative educational disciplines with a clear theoretical and practical context for the development of soft skills; transformation of teaching, shift of emphasis towards innovative methods and forms of education, which contain potential opportunities for the development of universal competences of higher education seekers; deep awareness by teachers of their mission in the development of the required soft skills of students; introduction of interfaculty and optional disciplines such as «Soft skills - the formula for success», starting from the first year of study, which will gradually expand the range of universal competencies of the future specialist; introduction of soft skills by conducting mandatory trainings with students; the organization of a summer school that will specialize in the development of students’ soft skills, where in a relaxed atmosphere under the guidance of professional psychologists, coaches and other specialists, students will be able to acquire modern knowledge and the necessary skills. Conclusions. The obtained results confirmed our assumption that the educational space contributes to the development of soft skills among students of higher education in a fragmentary, «spot» way. The path to the systematic and planned introduction of soft skills in the educational space is very difficult and so far takes place at the level of individual disciplines. Therefore, there is a need for a comprehensive policy in this field. Pedagogical conditions and prospects for the development of soft skills are related to the end-to-end implementation of the proposed comprehensive measures in the educational process, which, in our opinion, will be able to provide high-quality training of specialists capable of acting in non-standard situations, making quick decisions, ready for self-improvement, positive communication and a healthy response to challenges society.

The continuous advancement of Building Information Modelling (BIM) influences the paradigm shift of collaboration, among multi-organisations for better digital data information generation, sharing, and management. In Malaysia, the utilization of BIM in construction projects is limited due to various challenges faced by multi-organizations including disputes in handling BIM collaboration which create a complex situation for the contractor to manage the construction phase. In fact, from the contractor's perspective, there is less specific procedure and reference to refer to as a guideline to implement BIM among multi-organisations. Thus, the conceptual framework is an initiative created as best practice to influence the success of collaboration among organizations in managing BIM construction projects based on contractor perspectives. This research study focused on three main objectives; (i) to determine the challenges faced among multi-organisations in enhancing collaboration in managing BIM construction projects, (2) to investigate the indicators that influence the multi-organisation in enhancing collaboration in managing BIM construction projects, and (3) to establish the conceptual framework in enhancing multi-organisation collaboration in managing BIM construction project based on contractor perspective. The methodology for this research study is a systematic literature review (SLR) and questionnaire survey were involved 30 BIM experts who have experience in managing BIM construction projects. The data from the questionnaire survey was processed and analyzed using the ranking analysis via mean and standard deviation to rank the factor for both objectives. Finally, based on the consolidated findings, a conceptual framework for multi-organization collaboration in managing BIM construction projects based on contractor perspectives was developed. The conceptual framework serves as an initial reference database and guideline platform for the contractor and other organizations to enhance BIM collaboration in construction projects in the context of the virtual environment.

One of the factors in achieving project success is influenced by the role of a project manager. Project managers (PM) as project leaders are required to have and fulfill the competencies needed to ensure the realization of project management, so that the project is said to be successful. The competency of a project manager according to the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) Sixth Edition (2017) can be measured by three aspects known as The PMI Talent Triangle which consists of Technical Project Management, Leadership Skills, and Strategic and Business Management. This research aims to identify the competence of a project manager whose dominant influence on the success of the project and determine the magnitude of the effect of the application of project manager competencies on the success of construction project. Data were collected through a survey using a questionnaire which was distributed to a total of 30 respondents who are employees of the project. Data analysis was performed by multivariate regression analysis. From the results of the analysis, the regression coefficient values for the Technical Project Management, Leadership Skill and Strategic and Business Management variables were 0.423, 0.097, and 0.437. From the results of the coefficient of determination test, it was found that the influence of project manager competencies on the success of building construction projects was 44%. Keywords: Competency, Construction, Project Manager, Success.

This study addresses the role of a Dutch chief information security officer (CISO) and the soft skills required in this leadership role. The overview of soft skills is the outcome of the CISO perspectives in a Delphi study combined with an analysis of soft skills mentioned in job ads. A comparison with an earlier US-based study revealed that soft skills are ranked differently by Dutch CISOs. Moreover, we found that soft skills are not clearly described in job ads – none of these ads had explicitly listed soft skills. The present study demonstrates that CISOs with soft skills are in demand. The development of soft skills starts at a young age through various social activities and is also the result of self-actuation. The practical implications of this study are that it offers insights into the soft skills required for the role and discusses best-fitting leadership styles and ways in which organisations should include soft skills in recruitment.

High rise commercial construction projects in Punjab, Pakistan demand more than technical prowess; they hinge on the human ability to orchestrate diverse teams under pressure. This study explores how a project manager’s emotional intelligence (EI) shapes project success in 65 commercial towers built between 2019 and 2024. Drawing on the ability EI framework, we modelled EI’s direct influence and its indirect effect through team cohesion, while testing project complexity as a contextual amplifier. Survey data from 200 professionals were analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling. Results show that EI significantly improves schedule, cost, quality, and stakeholder outcomes, with nearly two fifths of the effect conveyed by stronger team cohesion. Moreover, EI’s positive impact intensifies as structural, organisational, and regulatory complexity rises. The model accounts for over half the variance in project success, underscoring the strategic value of emotional competence in emerging economy megaprojects. Findings guide contractors toward EI based leadership development and complexity sensitive staffing to elevate delivery performance.