Loosemore, M; Phua, F T T; Dunn, K and Ozguc, U (2011) The politics of sameness in the Australian construction industry: Comparing operative and manager attitudes towards cultural diversity. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 18(4), pp. 363-380. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose - Australian construction sites are culturally diverse workplaces. This paper aims to compare operative and manager attitudes towards cultural diversity on Australian construction sites, and to examine the strategies that are used to manage it. Design/methodology/approach - A face-to-face questionnaire survey was undertaken of 1,155 construction operatives and 180 supervisors on Australian construction sites. Findings - The vast majority of operatives and managers are comfortable with cultural diversity. However, there is some anxiety about cultural diversity, especially around safety risks, and there is evidence of racism. Those concerns are more keenly perceived by operatives than by managers. Both operatives and managers see some of the negative issues (discrimination, racist joke telling) as inevitable daily outcomes of cultural diversity on sites. The normalisation of these negative forms of cross-cultural interaction reveals a pessimistic disposition towards cultural diversity. Cultural diversity policy, and programs, are not seen as a priority by managers, and some see such strategies (e.g. affirmative action plans) as discriminatory, and unfair, since they may favour some groups over others. Originality/value - No research has compared operative and management attitudes towards cultural diversity in the Australian construction sector. This paper provides a first glimpse into the value attributed to cultural diversity programs by managers within construction sites. These insights will be of value to managers and supervisors who have to manage multicultural workforces in the construction industry. Conceptually, the paper reveals how the "politics of sameness" are hegemonic within the construction industry, presenting as an a priori anxiety towards difference, the normalising of poor cross-cultural relations, the non-prioritising of policies to better manage cultural diversity or their ITad hoc/IT adoption.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Australia; construction; cultural diversity; discrimination; management; racism; safety |
| Index terms: | face, construction site, strategy, racism, survey, manager, discrimination, construction sector, methodology, program, anxiety, questionnaire, evidence, politics, Australia, prioritizing, construction industry, interaction, supervisor, construction operative, operative |
| Subjects: | psychology, work location, evaluation and assessment methods, data collection methods, mental health and wellbeing, practitioner, decision analysis, sociology, professional ethics, industry analysis, behavioral psychology, political science, management, research methods, software systems, Geography |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Geographical Context, Business Strategy, Health and Safety, Governance, Risk Management, Roles and Professions, Ethics, Legal Issues, Digital Applications, 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