Dainty, A R J; Bagilhole, B M and Neale, R H (1998) Improving the retention of construction professionals: A soft HRM approach. In: Hughes, W (ed.) Proceedings of 14th Annual ARCOM Conference, 9-11 September 1998, Reading, UK.
Abstract
Understanding the career development of construction professionals is fundamental to developing HR policies to secure their retention. The objective of this research was to determine the factors and inter-related decisions that had influenced the career dynamics of construction managers and professionals, and to develop a framework of soft HRM practices aimed at improving their retention through enhanced career development opportunities. The research employed a primarily qualitative methodology to collect detailed career history profiles of the informants. These data were used to establish the factors leading to high staff turnover. The research provided insights into: the decision-making processes made by construction professionals in developing their careers; the resultant effects that these strategies had on their career dynamics; the compatibility and conflicts between personal action and resolutions; and the HR policy of large construction companies. The paper concludes by offering a soft HRM framework for improving the retention of construction professionals, which takes account of the factors causing staff turnover which emerged from the analysis.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | career development; organizational culture; performance appraisal; soft HRM; staff retention |
| Index terms: | construction manager, dynamics, career, construction professional, methodology, organizational culture, history, resolution, appraisal, retention, turnover, construction company, strategy, decision-making process |
| Subjects: | sociology, decision analysis, conflict resolution, systems engineering, research methods, management, factor and component analysis, professional development, architectural and construction history, business management, organization, profession |
| Topics: | Information Management, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Risk Management, Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Human Resources, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here