Loosemore, M; Phua, F; Dunn, K and Ozguc, U (2010) Operatives' experiences of cultural diversity on Australian construction sites. Construction Management and Economics, 28(2), pp. 177-188. ISSN 1466433X
Abstract
Construction sites are among Australia's most culturally diverse workplaces. A survey of 1155 construction operatives on Australian construction sites investigated, for the first time, the extent of this diversity and how it is experienced by workers. Results show that while cultural diversity presents organizational challenges by segregating the workforce, operatives' cultural groups also perform positive functions such as maintaining positive bonds among group members and providing group support and safe havens. While there broadly appears to be equality of opportunity for all cultural groups, there is significant evidence of differential treatment for some groups, particularly in relation to accessing higher paying jobs, offensive graffiti and racist joke telling. Language barriers are one of the major challenges affecting work and social relations between different cultural groups and there is evidence that this has a detrimental impact upon safety.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | culture; discrimination; diversity; immigrants; racism; safety |
| Index terms: | operative, racism, immigrant, discrimination, Australia, construction operative, construction site, evidence, survey |
| Subjects: | Geography, evaluation and assessment methods, work location, demography, practitioner, professional ethics, data collection methods, sociology |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Urban Studies, Site Management, Legal Issues, Geographical Context, Ethics, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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