Project Policy Implementation and Project Outcome in the Cape Coast Metropolis: the Moderating Role of Project Leadership Style

Abstract

Due to the numerous reports about failed government projects in Ghana, this study sought to assess the influence of project policy implementation and leadership styles on project outcomes within the Cape Cost Metropolitan Assembly (CCMA). The study was guided by three objectives and five hypotheses. The objectives were to (1) examine the effect of project policy implementation on project outcomes, (2) examine the effect of project leadership styles on project outcomes and (3) test the moderating role of project leadership styles in the relationship between project policy implementation and outcomes. The study provided the theoretical justifications by using the Resource Base View (RBV) theory and the situational leadership theory, followed by a review of previous studies to provide a basis for the current study. Using the explanatory design and a quantitative approach, primary data was collected from 97 project leaders who had worked on government projects within the CCMA between 2010-2020. The study employed the Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach to analyse the data collected based on the study’s objectives. The results revealed that project policy implementation and the transformational leadership style positively enhances project outcomes while the transactional leadership style adversely affects project outcomes. The study concluded that leadership style does not moderate the relationship between project policy implementation and project outcomes within the CCMA. It is, therefore, recommended that project organisations formulate and implement clear policies to guide the execution of projects. In addition to that, project leaders should be admonished to employ the transformational leadership style so as to increase the success rate of projects within the metropolis.