Implementation of the situational leadership theory in Turkish construction industry

As a consequence of the growth in the construction indstry, managerial competencies become crucial. Therefore, effective leadership has become one of the most important issues for an organization. The role of the leader towards the achievement is important. For this reason, a large number of different leadership theories has been developed. Leadership theories are gathered in 4 main groups; trait theory, behavioural theories, contingency theories, modern leadership theories. Due to focusing on situational conditions, contingency theories differ from the previous leadership theories. This consept meets the requirements of the construction industry. Because, construction industry is a project based industry in which the conditions are flexible. In order to maintain the balance, the leader must be flexible too. SL theory is a contingency theory which focus on "leadership style" and "level of follower development". According to the SL theory, task-centered leadership is applied by the leader, which is suitable for the construction industry's project based nature. In this context, the implementation of SL theory in construction industry is examined through the literature and a survey study is conducted. The aim of the survey is to search the implementation of the leadership behaviors (based on the SL theory) in Turkish construction industry through the sample of leaders from different executive positions. In the survey, the main cases from the construction phase of a project are given and the respondents were asked to indicate the best leadership style depending on the cases. As a consequence, the leadership behaviors based on the SL theory are applicable in Turkish construction industry. Also the advantages and the obstacles of the implementation are presented in the study.