Construction Organizations Research Articles

Evaluation of Factors Affecting the Competitive Advantage of Organizations in Establishing Sustainable Project Management Post Covid-19

Competitive advantage significantly matters for modern construction organizations as it promotes the sustainable development and safety management of projects. UK construction organizations have greatly suffered from a lack of safety and sustainability of project management in infrastructure development projects because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-COVID-19 UK infrastructure development projects are uncertain in the context of organizational competitive advantage as they cannot maintain sustainable project management. This study was conducted to identify, rank, and present a framework of factors influencing the competitive advantage of UK organizations. The study design involved identifying factors from the current literature, after which the most relevant factors were filtered with the help of semi-structured interviews with 15 experts. A pilot survey was conducted then, involving 192 respondents, after which a reliability test and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were conducted on the results. A primary questionnaire survey involving 250 respondents was conducted, after which RII and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted on the final data. A total of five subgroups were found to be significant in the CFA, such as Resources and Policies, Quality and Delays, Motivation and Expectation, Management and Environment, and Government and Business. It is recommended based on findings that the construction organizations of the UK have to consider working on identified factors to maintain a competitive advantage in establishing sustainable project management solutions for post-COVID-19 UK infrastructure development projects.

Developing a construct to measure contractor project manager performance competencies

PurposeConstruction organizations' investment in effective talent-development programs is a key strategy in attracting, developing and retaining staff. Such programs are especially important given the current challenges in the construction workforce, including labor shortages, an aging workforce, generational differences in the workforce, supply chain disruptions and the need to effectively train staff in the skills that are essential in a constrained labor environment. To address these challenges, this study proposes a performance measurement strategy that construction companies can use as input to design their talent development programs.Design/methodology/approachThe strategy intends to assess the performance of project managers and develop criteria that define categories of their performance, including the top performers' category. This enables construction organizations to provide each project manager with individualized training that addresses areas of weakness and in turn, develops the skills that correspond with being top performers. The proposed strategy was developed and tested by surveying the immediate supervisors of 187 project managers working for general and specialty contractors in the United States. Principal component analysis was used to develop a single performance construct from seven performance criteria.FindingsThis construct was used to organize the project managers into the categories of top, above-average and below-average performers. According to the findings, top-performing project managers have well-rounded skills in the areas of leadership, communication, technical proficiency and overall job knowledge.Practical implicationsThe outcomes of this study can help construction organizations focus their talent-development programs on the skills most associated with PMs being top performers.Originality/valueThis study provides construction organizations with a comprehensive performance-measuring construct to focus their talent-development programs on the skills most associated with top-performing project managers. Researchers can use this study as a foundation for further understanding how performance is related to various construction professions.

The Application Research of BIM Technology in the Construction Process of Yancheng Nanyang Airport

The application of BIM technology in building construction provides the possibility to realize design accuracy, to visualize the construction details, to optimize construction schemes, and to enhance cooperation among various professionals. The Yancheng Nanyang Airport terminal 2 project, with its large span of steel roof structure, complex installation in mechanical and electrical pipeline (MEP) engineering, and difficulty in construction organization, is taken as the engineering background. The whole process application of BIM technology in the construction process is introduced. In structural engineering construction, the application of BIM technology can provide guidance for plane layout of the construction site, and can also assist in deepening the designs of irregular steel components. In steel construction, the application of BIM technology gives a commendable visual demonstration of the construction process of the metal roof system and the single-layer reticulated shell. In MEP engineering, the application of BIM technology provides a great approach to establish a synthesis of pipeline drawings to further form pipeline section diagrams and operation drawings. By integrating the dimension of time, precision control, and deviation rectification, a recursive construction drawing can be built. With respect to synergistic management, the quality and safety management in the construction site can be implemented on the basis of BIM terminal equipment as well. This paper will give a great reference on the application of BIM technology in the airport terminal construction.

Determinants of an effective digital transformation in construction organisations: a qualitative investigation

PurposeDigital uptake amongst construction organisations is described as slow and ineffective, undermining a fundamental transformation and limiting construction firms from exploiting the digital benefits. In this space, meaningful research that utilises a qualitative approach in pursuit for employees' insights towards digital transformation is lacking. Such limited focus from previous efforts presents an opportunity to illuminate the determinants of an effective digital transformation that are, arguably, responsible for the status quo of low digital uptake in the construction sector. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned idea.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a qualitative approach to address the literature's digital discreetness in construction. The qualitative approach captures employees' perspectives through its unbounded characteristic of encouraging illustration and discussion.FindingsThis paper captures 35 digital transformation determinants under three clusters, namely, organisation related, i.e. hierarchy, size and management, people related, i.e. team orientation, training and knowledge and leadership related, i.e. awareness, attitude, approach and leaders' characteristics. Findings suggest a new set of arguments in relation to understudied factors and their influence on the digital uptake in construction organisations.Originality/valueThis paper offers empirical indication of the determinants believed to influence an effective digital transformation in construction organisations. Such conceptualisation is crucial and is depicted as perceived by construction employees and practitioners, which is a less biased approach than that of comparable studies that argue the viewpoints of industry leaders in isolation of other members of the hierarchy.

Strategic plan formation of a construction organization for sustainable project management

Today it is important to develop strategic management in project-oriented companies, which include construction organizations, where it is necessary to combine project management with strategic management mechanisms. To manage the projects of a construction company and in order to ensure its sustainable development, it is necessary to use models, methods and project management tools that need to be integrated into the overall strategic management system of the company. The article presents the strategic planning system of a commercial company in the field of construction and describes its subsystems. The interrelation of strategic management of the organization and project management in a construction organization is studied. In order to ensure sustainable project management, the authors have formed a strategic plan for a construction organization, which includes certain considered in detail stages. The final part of the article contains brief conclusions.

Influence of Internal Factors in Construction Organizations on Implementing Integrated Project Delivery Viewed from the Organizational Change Theories

Influence of Internal Factors in Construction Organizations on Implementing Integrated Project Delivery Viewed from the Organizational Change Theories

Understanding the perception differences on BIM adoption factors across the professions of AEC industry

Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry lags behind other industries in terms of digitalization and technology adoption. On the other hand, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is seen as an important tool that can enhance AEC industry. However, BIM adoption might not at the desired level taken into the account of perception differences on BIM use benefits across the professions of AEC industry. Studies on the BIM adoption of construction organizations show that one of the most fundamental factors affecting the adoption is BIM users. Although studies in literature generally aim to measure how BIM adoption can be increased in different countries, none of these studies investigated whether there is a perspective difference on BIM use between BIM users according to occupational groups. In this context, this study has an attempt to develop a better understanding of architects and civil engineers’ perspective on BIM adoption factors in AEC industry. In line with the purpose, main factors affecting the BIM adoption in AEC industry were identified. Then, a survey was conducted with the participation of a total of 150 BIM users. Mean score and independent t-test were performed to explore rankings of BIM adoption factors and the perception differences between architects and civil engineers respectively. According to the analysis results, majority of the perception differences on BIM adoption factors heap together under the triggering variables rather than internal and behavioral intention variables.

Small and medium business transformational leadership and supply chain management

The performance-related problems facing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa are well known. Efforts to find lasting solutions are ongoing and include empirical research focusing on various business practices and models. Applying leadership practices and supply chain management to SMEs provides fertile ground for groundbreaking solutions. This study tested the relationship between transformational leadership, supply chain execution and supply chain performance in manufacturing SMEs in South Africa. The study uses structural equation modelling to examine this empirical connection using data collected from 411 professional employees drawn from SMEs in three South African provinces. The study found that idealised influence and intellectual stimulation exert a positive impact on supply chain execution. Supply chain execution is positively linked to four supply chain performance factors, namely agility, reliability, cost optimisation and responsiveness.Transdisciplinary contribution: The study connects transformational leadership, which is an organisational behaviour construct to supply chain management, the latter of which is an emerging business discipline. The study recognises that business strategy is implemented by people whose conduct and practices are pivotal to strategic success. In addition, the study has an entrepreneurship orientation as it addresses the challenges facing manufacturing SMEs in South Africa.

The modernity artistic metanarrative and the 19th century novel structure

The article proposes the concept of "artistic metanarrative", similar to the well-known concept of Lyotard's metanarrative, but used to describe some mechanisms of the novel structure. The novel of the 19th century is considered as the central phenomenon of the modern culture, but due to the problematics of the moral norms conflict generated by the autonomous personality’s value representations of the new era of culture and the past moral principles, which remain active in the 19th century. For the novel hero, this is essentially a conflict of two cultures, - a moral conflict developing in his mind and behavior and more or less dramatically demanding the impossible from the hero to join the unjoinable. The subject of the analysis are the forms of the work scheme, where artistic reflection on the novel heterogeneous value vectors, relationships, narratives and cultural norms occurs in the perspective of some kind of ordering and some kind of value harmonization of the whole. In the categories of S. Broitman's historical poetics, this creative problem corresponds to the concept of "autonomous involvement", which determines the features of the poetics of artistic modality, but in the case of a "conflict of cultures" it acquires a special acuteness in the individual consciousness. Metanarrative reflection on the value relations operating in the artistic world of the novel occurs at the level of the organization of the text construction forms that creates a situation of self-generation of meaning in the field between the author and the reader. This meaning goes beyond the boundaries of the certain stories directly depicted in the novel and has no direct verbal expression. At the same time, at the metanarrative level of the novel's integrity, the practices of smoothing out the conflict by creating a composition of value relations, where opposites are relatively balanced, are quite obvious. The "conciliatory" nature of this relationship in the 19th Century novel does not guarantee the prospects of harmonious human existence, but makes one realize the problem in all its depth.

Quality II: A new paradigm for construction

The Quality I paradigm utilizes an error prevention strategy to avert rework in construction. The effectiveness of this paradigm is questionable as rework has become an innate feature of practice. If rework is to be mitigated in construction projects, a new paradigm is needed to challenge conventional thinking and offer a different perspective on managing errors. We introduce a new paradigm, Quality II, by drawing on a narrative review, emerging best practices deployed in construction, and contemporary developments in safety (e.g., Safety II and III). The implications of a Quality II paradigm for theory development and practice are also examined. The contributions of this paper are twofold as we: (1) provide construction organizations with a new approach for managing and learning how to handle (i.e., learning through) errors, and thus provide them with the ability to adapt and respond to varying conditions effectively; and (2) align Quality II with contemporary safety paradigms to offset competing demands enabling construction organizations to maximize the use of their limited resources better. By curbing rework, the performance and productivity of projects and the profitability of construction organizations will improve.

Implementing ISO 14001 in the engineering and construction sectors: a systematic review

There is a need within society to manage its impacts on the environment. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) ISO 14001 tool, based on the original BS 7750 standard, was created in 1996 and subsequently updated in 2004 and 2015; it has become the most prevalent type of environmental management system (EMS) adopted worldwide. Engineering and construction organisations wanting to implement ISO 14001 should be fully acquainted with the advantages and disadvantages of adopting an EMS. Using the Scopus academic database, this study used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses method to identify and select publications (since 1999) for systematic review. Examination of the chosen articles (n = 46) revealed a limited number of works per annum, with a peak in 2011 (n = 6). The most frequently reported benefits are ‘enrichment of green corporate and public image’, ‘improved environmental performance’ and ‘regulation compliance’, while the barriers are ‘costs’, ‘lack of experience, expertise or knowledge’ and ‘lack of training’. Further analysis, using the VOSviewer software, shows the network relationships between article keywords, notably that sustainability is increasingly listed (since 2011) and links with most other keywords. This suggests that the engineering and construction sectors may be seeing beyond the cost barrier and are realising the positive difference that ISO 14001 can contribute to their operations, their local/national communities and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

An Analysis of Factors Influencing African Indigenous Vegetable Farmers’ Bargaining Power: A Case Study from Zambia

Growing African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs) is an innovative way to address poverty and malnutrition problems in Zambia. Farmers’ bargaining power plays an important role in increasing AIV production and farmers' income. Based on 300 responses from Zambian AIV farmers, we define AIV farmers’ bargaining power and analyze its benefits to farmers and the AIVs industry. We used the ordered logistic regression model (OLRM) to analyze the influences of several factors that contribute to farmers’ bargaining power. Three key results and innovations arose from the analysis of the data. First, we define farmers’ bargaining power through their self-reported bargaining power. Second, we find that the respondents’ bargaining power is significantly influenced by seven variables: age, gender, education, main trading partners, awareness of AIVs prices, and distance to the market from the farm. Last, farmers' bargaining power can be improved through education, especially women’s education level, strengthening farmers' organization construction, altering some of the farmers' trading methods, and developing infrastructure.

Barriers to adoption of work–life balance practices amongst construction companies in Lagos, Nigeria: an exploratory factor analysis

PurposeThe current study seeks to investigate and determine the principal barriers to the adoption of work–life balance (WLB) practices amongst construction companies operating in the developing countries using Lagos, Nigeria as a case study.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a survey research technique. Snowball sampling technique was adopted to identify the target respondents for the administration of questionnaire. A total of 156 questionnaires were distributed and a response rate of 66% (103 questionnaires were completely filled and returned) was attained. Data elicited were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.FindingsThe results from the exploratory factors analysis show that the principal barriers to the adoption of WLB practices amongst construction companies in Lagos, Nigeria are categorised into four components: nature of construction job and limited evidence on impact of WLB, support, awareness and culture, lack of involvement of management staff and organisational factors.Originality/valueThis study contributed to more effective WLB studies by highlighting the barriers to the adoption of WLB practices in the construction sector. An understanding of these barriers can aid policy makers and management personnel in construction organisations as well as facilitate development of strategies required to reduce the barriers to WLB practices in the construction sector.

Factor analysis of the housing market in Ukraine (2003–2023)

The residential real estate market plays a key role in the development of global and national economies, since it has acted as a powerful driver of GDP growth, increasing the level of employment, household incomes, and profitability of financial institutions, construction organizations and trading enterprises. The house price growth has two dimensions, threat to financial stability and source of economic development. The aim of this research is to formulate a list of criteria, based on which one can decide whether the house price at a given stage of housing market development needs to be constrained or not. The aim is achieved by a multi-perspective analysis of residential real estate market in Ukraine and its evolution. This research is based on general scientific and special methods of cognition, including abstract logical reasoning, grouping, and statistical analysis. The factors that con­tribute to the growth of house prices are formed using the method of principal component analysis, and the effect is estimated using least squares regression. Five stages of the evolution of the Ukrainian residential real estate market are identified according to two general indicators: housing price growth and credit activity. The segmentation is based on signi­ficant changes in market conditions and/or changes in housing price drivers, as well as changes in the regulatory environment. Factors affecting house prices at each of these stages were investigated using principal component analysis to identify variables for regression analysis. A set of criteria has been formed using which one can assess if the current rise in housing prices poses systemic risks to the national financial system and overall economy. Three hypotheses were put forward and their empirical verification was carried out, according to the results of which it was established that demand factors had the greatest impact on housing prices during the observation period; macro-financial conditions primarily affect prices on the primary real estate market; lending conditions affect price dynamics mainly only at the first stage of development of the housing market in Ukraine, which are determined in this study. The main drivers of the housing market in Ukraine are the unemployment rate, income growth levels, and population size. The conclusions drawn can significantly contribute to the monitoring system of the housing market in Ukraine and the analysis of the systemic risks it generates.

Don State Technical University Experience of Enhancing Vocational Training of the Specialists in Organisation of Construction

Introduction. Professional requirements set for the specialists in organisation of construction (job foremasters and foremen) grow from year to year along with the emergence of new building technologies, materials, machines and equipment. After implementation of the new professional standards in our country, such specialists are urged to acquire the additional knowledge, abilities and skills necessary for fulfilling their job functions and activities in compliance with their proficiency level. Therefore, searching the ways of enhancing the vocational training of the specialists in organisation of construction has become the objective of the authors’ research.Materials and Methods. To achieve this objective, the authors have developed a series of additional activities for teaching the specialists in organisation of construction, based on improving the competencies required in their profession. This series of activities includes the initial, intermediate and final stages of vocational training. The initial stage is implemented during the first three years of bachelor and long first degree (specialist) programmes within direction of study “Construction” and the remaining two stages – during the last years of university study or after graduation.Results. The article presents the Don State Technical University experience of enhancing vocational training of the specialists in organisation of construction. The article contains the information on integration into the educational process of the photo and video tests, construction machines simulators, business games (including the ones on erecting the building structures out of the crane operator’s field-of-view), thematic references on difficult (challenging) issues of construction production, glossary of construction slang, as well as the information on organisation of the student scientific circle “Student construction control”.Discussion and Conclusion. The experience of enhancing vocational training of the specialists in organisation of construction accumulated by the authors is successfully implemented at the Continuing Education Department and the Production Technology in Construction Chair of Don State Technical University. It can be recommended for implementation in other universities where students of the direction of study “Construction” are educated.

Research on the role of psychological education in college Civic Education under the background of Internet

Abstract Psychological education in colleges and universities can inject new vitality into Civic Education. In this paper, the ridge estimation of regression parameters is based on the linear regression model, the canonical form of ridge regression is constructed, and the selection method of ridge parameters is proposed by combining the ridge trace plot and the Mcdorard-Garaneau method. The prediction accuracy of the ridge regression is optimized by using the idea of partial least squares for the shortcomings of the general ridge regression. After completing the improvement of ridge regression, the quantitative evaluation indexes of psychological education and Civic Education in colleges and universities were established, and the influence of psychological education on Civic Education was studied through regression analysis. The correlation coefficient R of faculty and hardware construction of psychological education on the content richness of Civic Education reached 0.725, and the standardized regression coefficient T of the former was −0.357, while the latter was −4.257, and the former was more significant than the latter. Meanwhile, the regression coefficients of organizational management and institutional setting, faculty construction and work organization and effectiveness on the level of college students’ psychological education were 0.54, 0.26 and 0.24, respectively, with significant joint effects. This study realizes the quantitative analysis of psychological education influencing Civic Education, which helps to promote the integration and development of psychological education and Civic Education.

The organizational climate in Indonesian Islamic banks: A conceptual determination for organizational growth

Research aims: This study aims to investigate the growth of Indonesian Islamic banks and explore the determinants of organizational growth from different perspectives through climate factors, namely clarity, standard, commitment, communication, responsibility and teamwork, and support. The study also attempts to develop a model to measure the growth of Islamic banking institutions. Only limited studies have thus far explored this issue, with this study trying to fill the gap.Design/Methodology/Approach: This paper drew upon theories and arguments from the “climate” and “growth” areas and identified organizational climate as one of the main topics affecting Islamic banks. Grounded in a review of the mutual impact of organizational climate and growth constructs, the authors developed research propositions and discussed the implications of the proposed relationships for both.Research findings: Despite Islamic banks having been established and prospered for 28 years, supported by Indonesia having the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, the development of Islamic banks in Indonesia has been inferior to that of conventional banks. This paper argues that organizational climate must be considered an important factor in enhancing Indonesian Islamic banks' quality. It is because the essence of its climate may help an organization become more effective and generate a better perception, with the climate being used to improve the organization’s quality of management.Theoretical contribution/Originality: By combining the aspects of “climate” and “growth” from earlier studies and categorizing them by organizational studies and a comprehensive literature review, this study proposes a model specific to the banking institution. The study offers a conceptual model for the organizational climate in Islamic banking institutions and argues that organizational climate can be used to determine organizational growth in Indonesian Islamic banks.Practitioner/Policy implication: Based on its proposed conceptual model, this study is expected to contribute knowledge of Indonesian Islamic banks, policies, stakeholders, regulators, and government. The research explores various related studies in organizational growth from a climate perspective. Further, this study's results will be of significant practical assistance to the managers of Islamic banks and policymakers in developing climate mechanisms for Islamic banking growth. Moreover, this study significantly contributes to economic growth's sustainability and enhances banks’ growth.Research limitation/Implication: While several factors may be used to predict and determine growth, this study used climate factors to determine the growth of Islamic banking institutions. Thus, it is necessary to explore various factors to develop further studies and add new insight to determine organizational growth.

Методический подход к оценке развития эффективно-ориентированных трудовых отношений субъектов производственных организаций

The article highlights the necessity of researches in the field of theory and methodology of developing the effectively oriented labor relations of employees. A methodical approach to assessing the level of development of effective-oriented labor relations of the subjects of production organizations is presented, which includes four structural elements: organizational culture values and value attitudes; professional and personal qualities of subjects; correlation of interests and consistency of interaction between employees; institutional support for the process of improvement, development of the organization and the achieved level of development of relations. On the basis of structural and functional analysis, the elements and characteristics of the development of labor relations regarding the increase in the efficiency of the organization’s activities are substantiated. Substantiated and developed a scale for assessing the level of development of effective-oriented relations using observation methods, surveys of owners, managers, employees, as well as the study of management documentation. Calculations of performance indicators and performance efficiency were carried out, the results of questionnaires, observations, interviews of specialists, workers and heads of departments of industrial and construction organizations of the Sverdlovsk, Tyumen and Chelyabinsk regions (production company Iceberg Filter, production association Mayak, engineering company Wagner) were analyzed. Using the proposed approach, the empirical study was carried out, as a result of which the direct dependence of personnel performance indicators on the level of development of effective-oriented relations was theoretically substantiated and confirmed.

The Impact of Information Technology Competencies and Fleet Management Practices on Effective Service Delivery in the Construction Industry

The construction industry plays a critical role in delivering infrastructure and building projects that shape the modern world. With the increasing importance of effective service delivery in this sector, the role of information technology (IT) competencies and fleet management practices has become a crucial focus for improvement. This study investigates the impact of IT competencies and fleet management practices on effective service delivery within the construction industry. Through a mixed-method approach, data was collected from a sample of construction organizations, including surveys and interviews with key stakeholders. The analysis revealed that organizations with advanced IT competencies and optimized fleet management practices demonstrated higher levels of effective service delivery. IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, and data storage, significantly influenced fleet management capabilities. Furthermore, regular IT training and development programs contributed to improved service delivery outcomes. Proactive fleet maintenance and route optimization positively impacted service reliability and customer satisfaction. The theoretical findings emphasize the vital role of integrating IT competencies and fleet management practices in achieving superior service delivery in the construction industry. For construction companies seeking to excel in service provision, investing in technology and optimizing fleet management are imperative strategies to enhance performance and maintain a competitive.

Risk Interdependency Network Model for the Cost and Time of Pile Installation in Saudi Arabia, Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling

Pile construction projects cause significant time and expense overruns. The pile installation activity is the primary reason for project underperformance and uncertainties. Additionally, the risks associated with pile installation are mostly considered independent in the overall risk management process, leading to inadequate risk assessment and response. However, few studies have evaluated the risks associated with pile installation. Thus, this study aims to establish the risks of the time and cost of pile installation, using an interdependency network model with a particular emphasis on sand and rocky terrain conditions. In addition, this study introduces a new method for establishing a model that considers the interrelationships among risks via a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The research methodology involves assessing the probability and impact of 53 risk factors of pile installation time and cost. Twelve pile construction experts participated in this assessment. Then, a Monte Carlo Simulation was utilized before the data were integrated into the PLS-SEM. The research findings reveal that the site and economic risks indirectly affect the cost of installing pile in sand through construction risks. Also, the risk group comprising site and equipment risks indirectly affects the cost of installing pile in rock through design risks. This study’s findings will help construction organizations to improve time and cost risk assessments for pile installation projects.