Identifying Key Leadership Characteristics of IT Project Leaders

Finding a strong project leader with effective management skills is critical to the successful implementation of information systems. Experience tells us that IT project leaders with superior leadership skills are able to take into account the unique challenges of managing technical employees. Yet, the key characteristics of leaders of technology projects are not wellunderstood. If these leadership characteristics can be defined, then it will be possible to select qualified IT project leaders and to secure the success of large-scale systems projects. The objective of this study is to contrast the leadership characteristics of project managers of successful vs. unsuccessful IT projects. These leadership behaviors will be measured using The Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes and Posner, 1999), which provides an individualized leadership profile for each respondent using a self-assessment and an observer assessment