Rivas, R A; Borcherding, J D; Gonzlez, V and Alarcn, L F (2011) Analysis of factors influencing productivity using craftsmen questionnaires: Case study in a Chilean construction company. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 137(4), pp. 312-320. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Improvement of productivity in construction has been a major industry challenge, given its high impact on project results. It has received increased attention from construction researchers promoting different enhancement actions, since analyzing factors affecting labor productivity is an instrumental part in this process. This paper focuses on identifying and understanding the productivity factors affecting projects in a Chilean construction company on the basis of questionnaires administered to both direct workers and midlevel employees. Analysis of the questionnaire results helped to determine organizational and managerial weaknesses and facilitated comparison of the findings with previous productivity studies. The results proved to be useful in developing recommendations for productivity improvements. The main findings indicate that the critical areas affecting construction productivity were related to materials, tools, rework, equipment, truck availability, and the workers' motivational dynamics. These results are similar to those obtained in previous studies in the United States and in Chile. Salary expectations were found to be the main reason for turnover in the studied company, which was an aspect not mentioned in previous studies. Finally, additional analyses seem to show that some factors affecting productivity are common to construction projects across boundaries, therefore validating data aggregation and the possibility of learning from experiences in different locations and even separated in time of occurrence.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | case studies; case study; Chile; construction productivity; craftsmen questionnaires; productivity |
| Index terms: | labour productivity, dynamics, construction productivity, craft worker, Chile, case study, productivity, questionnaire, construction project, boundaries, United States, turnover, construction company, rework |
| Subjects: | Geography, production management, management, systems engineering, practitioner, data collection methods, organization, property law, business management, operations management |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Business Strategy, Site Management, Legal Issues |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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