Parkin, A B; Tutesigensi, A and Büyükalp, A I (2009) Motivation among construction workers in Turkey. In: Dainty, A R J (ed.) Proceedings of 25th Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2009, Nottingham, UK.
Abstract
The role of management is to apply organisational resources to achieve organisational objectives. The nature of commercial enterprise necessitates the desire for increased productivity and efficiency, and workforce motivation is acknowledged to be an influencing factor in these areas. Theory suggests that motivational factors follow a hierarchical format where higher level needs become dominant when lower level needs have been fulfilled, and improvements in motivation are facilitated more effectively through the higher level needs. This study looks at factors affecting the motivation of workers on Turkish construction sites. 370 construction workers were asked in a questionnaire to give examples of positive and negative factors which affect their motivation at work. It was found that money earned is the foremost motivating and de-motivating factor in the eyes of the construction workers. As a result it is suggested that workers on Turkish construction sites are managed in a way which limits their opportunities to fulfil higher level needs, and in order to increase worker motivation, and therefore productivity, the management of such workers should move away from control through external means and towards control through internal and cultural forces.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | operative; human resource management; motivation; organizational culture; Turkey |
| Index terms: | questionnaire, organizational culture, operative, construction worker, Turkey, influencing factor, efficiency, motivation, construction site, productivity, human resource management |
| Subjects: | Geography, performance management, management, sociology, practitioner, risk assessment, data collection methods, work location, psychology |
| Topics: | Human Resources, Quality Management, Site Management, Organizational Design, Business Strategy, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Risk Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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