Odiba, E (2018) A model for effective quality management practices in construction organisations: The case of Nigeria. PhD thesis, Loughborough University, UK.
Abstract
It has been widely acknowledged that the construction industry is a very strong and viable contributor to the economic growth of any nation. To this end, the Nigerian construction industry plays an important role in meeting the needs of the nation's infrastructural and economic development; thus, making it one of the main economic indicators that determine the growth of the Nigerian economy. However, previous studies have observed a general decline in quality performance of construction projects in the Nigerian construction industry due to its poor quality cultural practices; thus, leading to the prevalence of abandoned projects, high maintenance cost, loss of lives due to building collapse, clients' dissatisfaction, and low competitiveness. The low quality of construction projects has also resulted in the dominance of foreign-based companies over the local contractors in Nigeria in terms of contract procurement and quality delivery. A thorough review of the literature reveals that effective quality management practices are deep-rooted in culture. It therefore means that for construction clients and end-users of completed projects to realise best value, the concept of quality culture must be addressed in the industry to improve the quality of projects and services. This therefore reflects that there is a correlation between culture (organisational culture especially) and the effectiveness of quality management practices. On this note, this research sets out to develop a model that is intended to build a culture of quality that can facilitate effective quality management practices in construction organisations in Nigeria to enable them to satisfy their clients, and improve their competitiveness at local, national, regional, and international construction market. A Questionnaire survey was distributed to construction companies in Nigeria including the foreign-based companies to examine the effectiveness of their quality management systems implementation. The survey was also aimed at identifying current problems within the systems and comparing the quality management system performance between the foreign-based construction companies and the local ones as well as probing the implementation of ISO 9001 which is regarded as the most effective quality management system standard and the world's most widely used quality management system with its core aim of customer (client) satisfaction. But, it is worth noting that the effectiveness of any management system depends largely on the cultural practices in its location and region. Furthermore, this research examined the cultural practices in relation to quality in the construction industry in Nigeria. The collected data were analysed with the aid of a statistical software (SPSS), and the results from the data analysis and reviewed literature supported the development of a conceptual quality management model in construction as the outcome of this research. The model is designed to assist Nigerian construction companies to identify some typical barriers affecting effective QMSs implementation; to assist them to develop cultural values that can drive effective QMSs implementation; to undertake effective QMSs practices as it relates to construction; and to recognise the potential results and longer-term benefits obtainable from implementing effective QMSs. A Focus Group Discussion was conducted with the assistance of a panel of professional construction practitioners, academic experts, and policy makers which evaluated and validated the usefulness and applicability of the model. Based on the outcome from this discussion and on the results of the earlier data analysis, a final version of the model was developed to assist Nigerian construction companies in improving their capability of construction project delivery, and thereby contribute to providing or improving the competitive advantage of Nigerian construction companies in the local, national and global construction markets.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | competitive advantage; competitiveness; culture; economic development; economic growth; economic indicator; effectiveness; market; organisational culture; construction project; markets; policy; project delivery; quality management; client; professional; Nigeria; focus group; questionnaire survey |
| Index terms: | construction practitioner, survey, construction company, construction project delivery, economic development, ISO, focus group, management system, data analysis, local contractor, quality management practice, organizational culture, construction project, questionnaire, Nigeria, construction client, competitive advantage, construction organization, satisfaction, economic indicator, economic growth, markets, implementation, construction industry, quality management, maintenance cost, project delivery, best value, quality performance, quality management system, global construction, abandoned project, international construction, competitiveness, effectiveness |
| Subjects: | quality assurance, completion, market analysis, production management, Geography, economic development, economic analysis, bidding, contractual arrangements, practitioner, organization, strategic management, industry analysis, sociology, project controls, professional development, performance management, financial management, management, project delivery, data analysis and analytics, standards development, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Procurement, Sustainability, Project Management, Geographical Context, Time Control, Organizational Design, International Construction, Roles and Professions, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Information Management |
| 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