Tonetto, M S; Formoso, C T; Saurin, T A; Bonesi De Luca, F; Lora, F P and Lantelme, E (2024) Resilient performance on construction projects in the post-pandemic era: An organizational perspective. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 31(12), pp. 5007-5028. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique glimpse into the resilience of construction projects, shedding light on several learning opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to develop propositions for the improvement of resilient performance in construction in the post-pandemic era. Design/methodology/approach: The propositions were developed based on an empirical study in Brazil. Data collection involved the analysis of regulations, interviews with health experts, managers, and workers, in addition to non-participant observations of the use of 37 control practices in 39 construction sites comparing the work-as-imagined and the work-as-done. The practices were classified in a hierarchy of controls. Findings: Seven propositions for the improvement of resilient performance were developed, addressing collaboration between construction companies, slack resources, new health and safety practices, production planning and control, digital technologies, visual management, and organizational culture. These propositions emphasize organizational support for resilience. This is in contrast to the nature of most observed practices (57%) that relied on administrative controls and personal protective equipment, which are measures dependent on behaviors that resemble resilience at the individual level. Originality/value: Although much has been studied on COVID-19 implications for construction projects, previous empirical studies have not adopted the organizational resilience perspective as the main theoretical background.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | complexity; construction; COVID-19; health and safety; resilience |
| Index terms: | slack, Brazil, construction site, production planning, construction company, interview, organizational resilience, manager, observation, COVID-19, health and safety, digital technology, organizational culture, complexity, health and safety practices, construction project, collaboration, methodology, regulation, pandemic, visual management, personal protective equipment, empirical study |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, business, computing systems, work location, project delivery, management, health risk and incident analysis, occupational health and safety management, sociology, political science, systems engineering, organization, practitioner, operations research, research methods, health safety and environment, Geography, production management |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Project Management, Geographical Context, Health and Safety, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Governance, Roles and Professions, Digital Applications, Time Control, Site Management, Organizational Design |
| 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