The Influence of Champion Leadership of R&D Project Leader on Project Viability and Team Efficacy

R&D 프로젝트 리더의 챔피언 리더십이 프로젝트 생존성 및 팀 효력에 미치는 영향

This study draws on a sociopolitical perspective to investigate the possible impact of champion leadership by project leaders on project viability(resource supply and organizational support) and team members' team efficacy by analyzing the empirical data of 92 ongoing projects collected from 22 public and private R&D institutes in the electronics, telecommunication, machinery, and chemical industries. Results revealed that higher level of project championing by project leader tended to positively related to a high level of organizational support and resource supply. It was also found that teams members who experienced higher level of project championing by project leader tended to have higher team efficacy. Furthermore, project type and innovative climate moderate the champion leadership-project performance relationships. The results found in this study offer several theoretical and managerial implications. First, champion leadership by project leaders is quite helpful to get more moral support and legitimacy of the organization for the project, and thus for acquisition of more tangible and intangible resources required for successful implementation of the R&D project. Champion leadership by project leaders also impacts the morale and self-confidence of the team members. Project leaders gives a sense of purpose and meaning to project members by actively and enthusiastically promoting the project, and by expressing confidence in team members' capabilities to perform a given task. In addition, his or her soliciting assistance and additional resources can contribute the building the confidence of members that the project can be performed well. Second, the relationship between champion leadership and project performances is context-specific (i.e., project type and innovative climate). This study is one of the few to have tested the moderating effects between champion leadership and project performances with a empirical research design. This study extends the current knowledge on champion leadership in the innovation process by generalizing their importance in R&D projects to a new industrializing context, Korea, and further sheds light on the contingent relationship between champion leadership and project performances in the innovation process. Based on these findings, some areas for future research are discussed.

본 연구는 국내 공공 및 민간 부문 전자, 통신, 기계, 화학분야 22개 연구기관 92개 팀을 대상으로 수집한 실증 자료를 통해 프로젝트 리더에 의한 챔피언 리더십이 팀에 대한 자원 공급 및 조직 지원, 팀원들의 팀 효력에 미치는 영향을 고찰하였다. 분석결과 프로젝트 리더의 챔피언 리더십은 높은 수준의 조직 지원 및 자원 공급과 관련되어 있으며, 프로젝트 리더의 챔피언 리더십을 높게 지각하는 팀의 팀원들은 보다 높은 수준의 팀 효력을 보였다. 또한, 프로젝트 유형 및 혁신 분위기는 챔피언 리더십과 자원 공급 및 조직 지원, 팀 효력 사이의 관계를 조절하고 있음을 발견하였다. 끝으로, 연구결과의 이론적 및 실무적 시사점이 논의되고 연구의 한계점과 미래의 연구방향이 제시되었다.