Songer, A D and Walker, B (2004) General contractor emotional intelligence in the construction industry. In: Khosrowshahi, F (ed.) Proceedings of 20th Annual ARCOM Conference, 1-3 September 2004, Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract
In the construction industry, the major project participants include the owner, the architect, the contractor and the subcontractors. Traditionally, each participant's activity in the construction process has been isolated to its particular organization's goals. In recent years, one of the leading trends of project deliveries has been a movement toward a more collaborative, teaming environment. Successful collaboration requires effective interaction among project participants. A fundamental understanding of barriers and challenges to effective interaction among a diverse project team is necessary towards creating truly collaborative project teams in construction. Emotional intelligence reflects an individual's emotional awareness and emotional regulation, both important factors of social interaction. An initial understanding of project participant emotional intelligence will provide meaningful direction for developing collaborative construction environments. This research study investigates the 21 components of the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) and establishes initial emotional intelligence benchmarks within the construction industry. This study explores trends and relationships relative to demographics and General Contractor characteristics. This study adds to the growing body of knowledge focusing on the impact of social factors on the A/E/C industry. The results of this study provide an initial understanding of the emotional intelligence levels of the General Contracting sector and directions for future research.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | collaboration; communication; emotional intelligence; social intelligence; sociology |
| Index terms: | construction industry, interaction, body of knowledge, demographics, project delivery, social interaction, subcontractor, project team, construction process, collaboration, collaborative project, regulation, emotional intelligence, architect, general contractor, sociology, owner, major project, social factor, inventory, movement |
| Subjects: | profession, practitioner, health behaviours and lifestyles, psychology, knowledge management, contractual arrangements, strategic project management, project delivery, management, social theory, inventory management, demography, building construction, sociology, industry analysis, behavioral psychology, political science |
| Topics: | Information Management, Research Practice, Project Management, Governance, Procurement, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Supply Chain Management, Human Resources, Urban Studies, Site Management, 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