LINKING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE WITH MEGA-PROJECT SUCCESS: ROLES OF HUMAN-RELATED AGILE CHALLENGES AND PROJECT COMPLEXITY

Abstract

Mega-projects in emerging economies frequently underperform despite advanced technical planning systems, highlighting status of behavioral leadership abilities. This study examines how project manager emotional intelligence (EI) influences mega-project success, whether this relationship operates through human-related agile challenges (HRACI) under varying levels of project complexity. Using the cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 312 project managers & senior professionals involved in the large infrastructure and national development projects in Pakistan through a structured self-administered questionnaire. The measurement and structural models were assessed using the PLS-SEM with bootstrapping procedures. The findings reveal that emotional intelligence has significant positive direct effect on mega-project success. EI also significantly reduces human-related agile challenges, and HRACI negatively predicts project success, confirming a strong mediation effect. The indirect effect of EI on project success through HRACI is significant, indicating that emotionally intelligent leaders boost project outcomes by mitigating human-related resistance, coordination breakdowns & agile adaptation difficulties. These findings donate to behavioral project management theory by clarifying the mechanism and boundary conditions linking leadership psychology to mega-project outcomes.