The Role of Project Managers Competencies and Transformational Leadership on Project Success: An Empirical Analysis of the NGO Sector of Pakistan
Keywords:
Leadership Competencies, Project Outcomes, Organizational Culture, Moderation, NGOs, Pakistan, Project Management, Leadership Development.Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of leadership competencies on project outcomes in the NGO sector of Pakistan and to test whether organizational culture moderates this relationship. Although NGOs play a critical role in development programs, project failures are frequently linked to weak leadership capacity and misaligned organizational values. To address this gap, the study aims to: (1) evaluate the direct influence of leadership competencies on project outcomes (2) determine the moderating role of organizational culture and (3) provide empirical evidence to support future leadership development strategies within NGOs.
A quantitative research design was employed and data were collected through structured questionnaires from project managers, coordinators and field supervisors working in Pakistani NGOs. Using a sample of 250 respondents, reliability, correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings indicate that leadership competencies have a significant and positive effect on project outcomes (β = 0.48, p < 0.001), supporting H1. Furthermore, organizational culture was found to significantly moderate the relationship between leadership competencies and project outcomes (β = 0.21, p < 0.01), supporting H2. The moderation plot shows that a strong, supportive culture enhances the positive effects of leadership competencies, while a weak culture reduces them.
The study concludes that project success in NGOs is strongly dependent on both competent leadership and a cohesive organizational culture. These results highlight the need for leadership development programs and culture strengthening initiatives to improve NGO project performance.
