Megaproject leadership in the developing world: an Indian perspective

This chapter describes the leadership traits and practices of Dr. Brijesh Dixit, the Managing Director of an urban metro rail project being developed in Nagpur, India. Through a qualitative study, three key leadership traits that Dr. Dixit espoused are identified - a focus on multidisciplinarity, a tendency to lead from the front and a risk-taking mentality that encouraged innovation. These traits then led to three specific strategies that Dr. Dixit employed in practice as a leader to manage the Nagpur Metro project. These helped assemble and motivate his team, ensured inclusivity of and transparency towards stakeholders, and developed trust through meeting commitments. The chapter presents a case study of how Building Information Modeling was brought to the Nagpur Metro project as an example that showcases Dr. Dixit’s leadership traits and practices. We conclude by discussing how Dr. Dixit’s past experiences - both personal and professional - contributed to his development as a successful megaproject leader.