Effective leadership behaviours in construction safety practices

Abstract

Effective leadership behaviours have been shown in literature to be a contributing factor to construction safety practices. However, researchers have neglected the leadership behaviours and have their focus on the construction projects features of management. The inclusion of leadership as a part of an organisation has been the subject of interest all over the world. This development has driven researchers’ interest to come out in a holistic manner to give the clear understanding of leadership. The review of literature in the existing body of knowledge becomes paramount in order to continue with the research on the subject matter. The review will also enable the road map for the future to be drafted. This development has led to the review of empirical studies conducted by researchers on leadership in the construction industry. The research adopted literature study from various sources such as reviews of leadership behaviour in the construction safety practices. This review of literature led to the selection of appropriate literature for the study. A rigorous process was carried out in the selection of appropriate literature for the study, from a total number of fifty-two studies reviewed, out of which thirty-five empirical studies were selected. The findings from literature were summarised through coding, according to the publication outlet, authors, nature of the study, country of publication, target population, methodology and key findings. It was found out that most of the empirical studies have focussed on construction projects features management, while less attention has been given to several other equal dimensions, particularly leadership behaviours in the construction industry. This study focussed mainly on the effective leadership strategies in achieving organisational goals. Discussions also included the health and safety improvement in the construction industry and types of motivational measures for safety.