Shands, M (2014) Building relevant leaders: Identifying the development needs of the modern construction leader. EdD thesis, University of St. Thomas (Minnesota), USA.
Abstract
"Do senior level construction leaders possess a common set of leadership development needs that can be addressed to better prepare them to lead and retain the Millennial workforce?" As older generations begin to retire in-mass, many organizations are reevaluating their approach to employee recruitment, performance, and retention. This stems from the perception that Millennial workplace expectations are both unique and demanding. Effective leadership will play a central role in the effort to attract, influence and retain Millennial talent. The construction industry faces an imminent exodus of older skilled employees and the daunting task of attracting new talent to an industry often viewed as undesirable by younger employees. Thus, the purpose of this study was to first isolate prevailing Millennial workplace expectations and then identify common senior construction leader development needs as they relate to those expectations. Twenty geographically dispersed senior construction leaders participated in this research. This qualitative study utilized individual 90-minute face-to-face interviews, 360 degree performance assessments, and employee engagement surveys to collect pertinent research data. Social, leadership, and adult learning theories provided lenses for data analysis. Findings indicated the existence of a common set of participant perception and skill deficits that impinged upon these leaders' ability to effectively meet the Millennial workplace expectations of engaged and supportive leadership and formal employee development. Specifically, knowledge' and skill limitations were frequently noted in the areas of constructive performance feedback and coaching and employee individual development plans. Further, participants' closely held meanings and assumptions concerning leadership and Millennials often hindered their willingness to improve their performance in these areas. This study provides interested organizations and leadership development practitioners with actionable recommendations for facilitating the development of leaders who exhibit similar attitudinal and performance limitations; so that they remain relevant in their practice.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Fish, T L |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | workforce; employee engagement; feedback; leadership; learning; recruitment; employee; interview |
| Index terms: | retention, qualitative study, leadership development, performance assessment, recruitment, construction industry, data analysis, interview, survey, meaning, face, practitioner, employee engagement, learning theory |
| Subjects: | sociology, industry analysis, management, data analysis and analytics, research design and methodology, data collection methods, assessment methods, training, psychology, learning theory, practitioner |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Human Resources, Roles and Professions, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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