The Role of Leadership Styles in Project Management: Systematic Literature Review

This article examines the role of leadership styles in project management through a systematic literature review and focuses on three main leadership styles, i.e., transformational, transactional, and servant leadership. Leadership is one of the critical factors that have a direct impact on project outcomes, team dynamics, and stakeholder satisfaction. The bottom line is that choosing the right leadership style directly impacts the success or failure of projects, team dynamics, and stakeholder satisfaction. Transformational leadership is associated with greater project success, better team cohesion, and increased stakeholder satisfaction by inspiring and motivating teams to achieve a common goal. This research aims to identify the effects of these leadership styles in different project environments and determine the conditions in which each style has the most significant advantage. Transactional leadership, which emphasizes structures, rewards, and punishments, is effective in environments where strict adherence to processes is required but may limit creativity. On the other hand, by prioritizing the growth and well-being of team members, servant leadership leads to increased creativity, cooperation, and improved team morale. The research method is a systematic review of existing articles and studies from reliable scientific sources to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of leadership styles on project management by analyzing their results. This study summarizes the various findings and evaluates the effects of these leadership styles in different project contexts. Finally, the importance of matching leadership styles to project needs is highlighted to improve performance, enhance team dynamics, and achieve successful outcomes.