Buli, L G (2017) Strategies for improving labor productivity in construction companies. PhD thesis, Walden University, USA.
Abstract
Even with advanced technology and new project management methodologies, construction company leaders continue to face challenges to improve labor productivity. This multiple case study was an exploration of the strategies that construction company leaders use to improve labor productivity in Doha, Qatar. The case population consisted of 6 construction company leaders operating in Doha, Qatar, who successfully identified and implemented strategies to improve labor productivity. The conceptual framework for this study was the expectancy theory. The data collection process included semistructured interviews and company documentation. Data were compiled and organized, disassembled into fragments, reassembled into a sequence of groups, and interpreted for meaning. Methodological triangulation and member checking bolstered the trustworthiness of those interpretations. Five themes emerged from these 6 construction company leaders: exploring, identifying, and evaluating issues affecting labor productivity; applying an appropriate leadership style; motivating the workforce; providing training and development; and implementing effective project management processes. By improving labor productivity, similar construction companies can complete construction projects faster and with lower construction costs. The implications for positive social change include the potential to lower construction costs and enable individuals with lower incomes in Doha, Qatar, to afford houses that they could not previously afford.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Hammoud, M |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | population; trust; workforce; construction cost; construction project; documentation; leadership; productivity; training; Qatar; case study; interview |
| Index terms: | construction cost, productivity, case study, Qatar, project management, income, project management process, labour productivity, Doha, strategy, face, meaning, documentation, leadership style, construction company, interview, conceptual framework, triangulation, construction project, population, methodology, exploration |
| Subjects: | organization, psychology, environmental resource management, economic analysis, theoretical framing, research methods, Geography, production management, demography, leadership, data collection methods, research design and methodology, financial and cost management, management, project management theory and practice, professional development, sociology |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Site Management, Urban Studies, Information Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Sustainability, Project Management, Geographical Context |
| 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