Nigaglioni, R (2016) The relationship between the emotional intelligence of managers and the success of construction projects. DBA thesis, Northcentral University, USA.
Abstract
Emotional intelligence (EI) has been found to be positively related to occupational success and satisfaction, in the construction industry and elsewhere. Furthermore, research indicated that EI is the most important predictor of performance, predicting 58% of performance in the workplace. However, EI remains largely unexplored in construction project management, specifically in the improvement of project performance. The research problem addressed in this study was whether EI affects construction project success. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to examine the relationship between the self-reported EI of project managers and the perceived success of construction projects in Florida. Seventy-four construction project managers from the state of Florida participated in this study and completed the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test and the Construction Project Success Survey. A regression analysis was conducted to determine if a significant relationship existed between participants’ self-reported emotional intelligence of construction project managers and overall construction project success. Results revealed a significant relationship between the criterion variables (overall project success, cost, schedule, performance, safety, quality, and the operating environment) and the predictor variable (EI). For instance, for the overall project success variable, R = . 536, R2 = . 287, F (1,72) = 28. 999, p < . 001. That is, 28. 7% (R2 = . 287) of the variance observed in the criterion variable (overall project success) was due to participants’ emotional intelligence scores. Similarly, the results of the regression analysis indicated that there was a significant relationship between the predictive variable EI and all the other criterion variables (cost, schedule, performance, safety, quality, and the operating environment). The final model from the seven analyses revealed a strong fit between EI and construction project success. Emotional Intelligence was found to have the greatest effect on project safety while operating environment and project performance was a close second and third, respectively. For executives leading construction organizations, the results showed that the emotional intelligence level of construction project managers could predict construction project success. Lastly, findings of this study will be practical for organizations when designing training programs for current employees and when developing hiring practices for new project managers.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | George, R F |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | project performance; project success; regression analysis; safety; training |
| Index terms: | construction industry, regression analysis, executive, emotional intelligence, construction project management, project performance, variance, construction organization, project success, project manager, satisfaction, predictive variable, construction project, program, survey, experiment, manager, hiring practice |
| Subjects: | psychology, organization, practitioner, production management, project delivery, data collection methods, profession, measurement and scaling, industry analysis, statistical analysis, management, software systems, project management theory and practice |
| Topics: | Project Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Roles and Professions, Human Resources, Digital Applications, 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