Delport, MarthinusNdandani, Zintle2024-06-132024-06-132024http://hdl.handle.net/11660/12591Dissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2024The primary purpose of this study was to identify leadership behaviours that enable project leaders to foster team cohesion and engagement among project teams. At Hillside, project leaders are expected to be knowledgeable about technical processes and skilled in their applications to achieve demanding deadlines, anticipate restrictions, overcome financial constraints, and ensure quality requirements. A qualitative case study research design was therefore used, and structured interviews with current project leaders were conducted to learn more about their leadership behaviours that are critical for team performance, team cohesiveness, and team engagement. Participants in this study were project representatives from different departments that enabled project execution at the Hillside plant in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal across various levels of leadership. The inquiry engaged 10 project team members through structured interviews. Key findings showed that planning and coordination, building a collaborative and supportive work environment, diversity management and interpersonal sensitivity were enablers of team cohesion and engagement in Hillside project teams. In contrast, limited resources and working in silos were identified as potential pitfalls to team cohesion and engagement. The adoption of practicable tools and procedures that improve the efficiency of the planning and coordination of teams was recommended. The second recommendation was for the organisation to cultivate a culture in which project team members actively acknowledge not only each other’s contributions and needs but also those of their leaders and managers. The last recommendation is that project leaders prioritise effective communication strategy that promotes both personal and business interactions to facilitate ongoing cohesion and engagement efforts in Hillside smelter project teams.enproject team performanceteam cohesionengagementleadershipDissertationUniversity of the Free State