Hadavi, A and Krizek, R J (1993) Short-term goal setting for construction. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 119(3), pp. 622-630. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Goal setting is one of the motivational techniques used in manufacturing and service industries to improve the productivity of the workforce, and previous studies have shown that goal setting can result in up to 20% increase in productivity. However, this technique has not been applied to construction projects due to the inherent characteristics of the construction industry and difficulties in implementing the technique at construction sites. To study the applicability of goal setting in construction, three experiments were performed over a period of 14 months. In all three experiments, the groups with a goal outperformed the groups without a goal. This increased performance is shown by higher expected profits at each experimental site. Comparison of all three experiments allows conclusions to be advanced that: (1) Goal setting induced increased productivity of unionized groups with a goal; and (2) short-term goals resulted in higher productivity than long-term goals.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Index terms: | profit, experiment, construction site, construction project, experimental site, productivity, construction industry |
| Subjects: | management, production management, research management, industry analysis, data collection methods, work location, economic analysis |
| Topics: | Project Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Site Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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