Project leadership skills in cooperative projects

摘要

Purpose - In search for new ideas outside the firm's boundaries most companies choose to implementrncooperation in the form of discrete projects, increasing the importance of project management. Asrnresearch in this area so far mainly dealt with formalized instruments of process control, the purpose ofrnthis paper is to focus on personal aspects, particularly on the role of project leadership.rnDesign/methodology/approach - A sample of 84 biotechnological projects were analyzed.rnA standardized questionnaire was developed and sent out to research and development managersrnfrom the chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry. The level of analysis for the surveyrnwere single cooperative projects and basically regression statistics were employed.rnFindings - It was found that the requirement for a stronger project leader is highly dependent on therndegree of trust among team members and the administrative activity. In contrast, other factors, like thernrisk associated with a cooperative project, or the extent of upper management support are notrnsignificantly related to a stronger leader.rnResearch limitations/implications - As only biotechnological projects were analyzed, other studiesrninvestigating the required project leadership style in other industries would be necessary to be able torngeneralize. Furthermore, there are several factors with a potential influence that could not be examinedrnin this study.rnPractical implications - The findings would suggest to companies involved in cooperative projectsrnthat more emphasis should be put on the human factors of project management and not only onrnefficient instruments.rnOriginality/value - This paper focuses on the required strength of a project leader and should thus bernof interest to managers trying to set up effective cooperative projects.