Project manager’s competencies and leadership styles in project management in Vietnam and Germany

Abstract

Project manager’s competencies and leadership styles are very important in project management as they are relevant to the failure or success of a project. The aim of this study is to find out the different competencies of project managers working in Vietnam and Germany, the key competencies that determine the effectiveness of them and the current leadership styles of project team management in each country. The target population included 150 participants from different organizations headquartered in big cities of Vietnam and Germany who used to work or are working in project teams. 15 competencies according to Dulewicz and Higgs (2005) and 4 types of leadership styles (autocratic, bureaucratic, democratic and laissez-faire) were the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection including review of archival organizational documents and result of the survey from 150 respondents were gathered, organized and coded. A quantitative methodology was carried out to deal with numerical data and apply mathematical methods to analyze these data. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: differences in project managers’ competancies in two countries, key competencies that determine the effectiveness of project managers, current leadership styles of project team management in Vietnam and Germany. The implication of this study is to create a reference or guidance for German organizations which have been operating in Vietnam as well as for Vietnamese employees who have been working in German context to gain business efficiency.