Occupational stress and job demand,control and support factors among construction project consultants

Occupational stress affects the health and wellbeing of people who work, and the construction industry is recognized as a high-stress working environment. The relationship between job demands, job control, workplace support, and experiences of stress in the South African construction context is investigated, using hierarchical regression, factor analysis and structural equation modeling to explore the strength of thirteen factor relationships with perceived stress. Data were gathered from an on-line questionnaire survey response sample of 676 architects, civil engineers, quantity surveyors, and project and construction managers. Predictors displaying a significant relationship with occupational stress are the presence of work–life imbalance, the need to ‘prove’ oneself, hours worked per week, working to tight deadlines, and support from line managers in difficult situations at work. Existing theories of occupational stress are confirmed but not completely supported. The construction industry should give attention to how the need to work long hours is justified. Organizations should look to improving managerial and collegial support for construction professionals, but be careful in engaging in socializing and project team-building activities. Further research will need to focus more deeply on construction-specific job demand factors; explore why women professionals appear to experience more stress than men; and aim to develop reliable early-warning detection techniques for construction professionals.     

Critical stressors influencing construction estimators in Hong Kong

The main task of contractors' estimators is to predict the likely costs involved in executing a future project. This is an onerous job as any errors made can undermine project success and ultimately reduce the contractors' profit margins. The inherent uncertainty of most construction work, however, together with the often very short time periods involved, make errors unavoidable. Unsurprisingly, therefore, estimation is considered to be a very stressful business. To identify the nature of the stress involved, a survey of construction estimators in Hong Kong was conducted. Using correlation analysis, regression analysis and structural equation modelling, the relationships amongst the causes (stressors or stress factors) and effects (stress) were examined and a causal structural model developed. The results indicate work overload, role conflict, job ambiguity, and working environment to be the most critical stressors, with work underload and distrust being the main indirectly influencing factors. These results are similar to those of a previous study with site managers, suggesting that job ambiguity and work overload are the common problem in the construction industry. The study of the manageability of stress is expected to inspire other similar research involving other professionals in the construction industry. This is expected to be of particular significance in the long‐term development of stress management in the industry in general.     

Professor Rodney Howes, 1943–2005

Strategic IT implementation decisions for major construction projects in Hong Kong are subject to various forces or factors identified in previous research—such as external forces, technological factors and organizational factors. The aim of this research was to examine the relationship (if any) between these families of forces and evaluate their impact, individually and collectively. A complex combination of several families of forces/factors that affect decision making was found to be ‘temporal’ with respect to project teams on major projects in Hong Kong. The research was underpinned by a broad questionnaire survey to establish ‘current practice’ before in‐depth analysis of the forces by means of a case study followed by interviews with industry leaders to confirm the results. It was found that respondents (n = 33) ordered cost, security and confidentiality as the most influential factors affecting IT implementation. A difference was found in the perceptions of ‘hired‐in’ project‐based staff in joint ventures and ‘permanent staff’ of single companies, the former evaluating IT performance more highly but evaluating the strategic use of, and user satisfaction with, IT significantly lower. The major constraint on IT implementation was found to be lack of budget, not cost per se. It is concluded that the temporal factors that apply to implementing innovative IT technology in project teams are relevant to different team members at different stages in the project life cycle and these factors are conditioned by a set of business conditions applying to project‐specific coalition organizations that are different from those that apply to single‐entity organizations.     

Self‐reported health and comfort in ‘modern’ office buildings: first results from the European OFFICAIR study

In the European research project OFFICAIR, a procedure was developed to determine associations between characteristics of European offices and health and comfort of office workers, through a checklist and a self‐administered questionnaire including environmental, physiological, psychological, and social aspects. This procedure was applied in 167 office buildings in eight European countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Finland) during the winter of 2011–2012. About 26 735 survey invitation e‐mails were sent, and 7441 office workers were included in the survey. Among respondents who rated an overall comfort less than 4 (23%), ‘noise (other than from building systems)’, air ‘too dry’, and temperature ‘too variable’ were the main complaints selected. An increase of perceived control over indoor climate was positively associated with the perceived indoor environment quality. Almost one‐third of office workers suffered from dry eyes and headache in the last 4 weeks. Physical building characteristics were associated with occupants’ overall satisfaction (acoustical solutions, mold growth, complaints procedure, cleaning activities) and health (number of occupants, lack of operable windows, presence of carpet and cleaning activities). OFFICAIR project provides a useful database to identify stressors related to indoor environmental quality and office worker's health.     

A Comparison between Industry’s and Academia’s Perceptions of a Career in Construction Education

It is well documented that real-world experience is essential in teaching the applied sciences. However, it has also been shown that faculty positions are being filled with candidates with strong research agendas but less industry experience. The aim of this study is to understand what industry’s perception of a career in academia is like and compare it to the perceptions of those actually in the profession. This is viewed as a needed first step in attracting more industry practitioners into construction education. The study surveys practitioners and faculty on how satisfying a career in CM academia is at meeting 16 factors identified as important to overall job satisfaction. The responses of both groups were compared to evaluate where industry’s perceptions did not align with those of faculty. The study also compared the workplace attributes that industry indicated they valued most and what faculty indicated a career in education provided. The study found that a terminal degree, interest in research and publishing, interest in teaching, and salary were the greatest barriers for industry practitioners to enter CM academia. The comparison of work place priority and barriers to entry was used to provide potential strategies to encourage more industry practitioners into CM education.     

工程项目安全管理人员的压力—倦怠—绩效研究

为研究工程项目安全管理人员压力—倦怠—绩效间关系,探索缓解压力倦怠、提升绩效的方法,采用问卷调研收集大量样本数据,运用单因素方差分析研究变量的统计分布规律及差异显著性,并通过相关性分析探索变量间的相关关系.结果表明:从压力水平看,中年管理人员工作家庭冲突压力较大,本科学历管理人员职业发展压力较大;从压力—倦怠—绩效的相...     

A theory of waste behaviour in the construction industry

Levels of waste within the construction industry need to be reduced for environmental and economic reasons. Changing people's wasteful behaviour can make a significant contribution. This paper describes a research project that used Ajzen's ‘theory of planned behaviour’ to investigate the attitudinal forces that shape behaviour at the operative level. It concludes that operatives see waste as an inevitable by-product of construction activity. Attitudes towards waste management are not negative, although they are pragmatic and impeded by perceptions of a lack of managerial commitment. Waste management is perceived as a low project priority, and there is an absence of appropriate resources and incentives to support it. A theory of waste behaviour is proposed for the construction industry, and recommendations are made to help managers improve operatives' attitudes towards waste.     

Correlates of job satisfaction and performance among project engineers

The extent to which job characteristics, role perceptions and social support are related to job satisfaction and performance was examined in a sample of project engineers. The method used to carry out the survey is explained, and the results obtained are outlined and discussed.     

The impact of a challenging work environment: Do job stressors benefit citizenship behavior of project managers?

Construction project managers are subjected to high levels of job stressors, while extra-role behavior (e.g., citizenship behavior) is simultaneously required of them. We propose the intervening processes of work-related psychological well-being in the path from job stressors to project citizenship behavior and investigate the moderating effect of leader-member exchange on the link between job stressors and well-being (i.e., work engagement and psychological strain). Consistent and competing hypotheses are proposed by integrating the challenge-hindrance stressor framework and the job demands-resources theory. The conceptual model was examined with time-lagged data collected from 236 construction project managers of owners and contractors. Results confirm that hindrance stressors are “bad” stressors because they positively influence psychological strain, whereas challenge stressors are not “good” stressors as expected because they negatively influence work engagement. Further, both challenge and hindrance stressors have a negative indirect relationship with project citizenship behavior via work engagement and psychological strain, highlighting the value of considering project managers’ well-being. Contrary to expectations, the moderating effect of leader-member exchange is not supported. These findings contribute to the research on occupational stressors and project citizenship behavior, as well as the link between them.     

Project management and burnout: Implications of the Demand–Control–Support model on project-based work

Project-based work has long been characterized as frenetic, fast-paced, and dynamic. The often competing constraints imposed by schedules, stakeholders, and budgetary restrictions make project activities conflict-laden and highly conducive to work-related stress. Stress is not an end unto itself but instead, is often a precursor for burnout. Burnout is a psychological syndrome of emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced personal accomplishment. This paper reports on the results of a study of burnout among project management personnel. Using the Demand–Control–Support model as our conceptual framework, we analyzed a sample of respondents from four project-intensive organizations. Our findings demonstrated that women tend to experience emotional exhaustion to a greater extent than their male counterparts. Further, control and social support do serve as moderators for the burnout dimensions of emotional exhaustion and cynicism, suggesting limited support for the Demand–Control–Support model. Implications of this study for project management and workplace burnout are discussed.     

作业安全分析在燃气管道施工管理的应用

作业安全分析是一种安全管理手段,介绍了作业安全分析的主要内容,阐述了燃气管道工程施工中作业安全分析的应用。     

The role of multi-firm satisfaction in construction project success

Construction project success depends on the multi-firm project organizations involved working together satisfactorily. Yet, satisfaction within multi-firm relationships has rarely been examined as a determinant of construction project success. A pioneering study is carried out to evaluate the extent to which construction project participants’ perception of each other’s performance reflects on the owner’s perception of project success. The data represent 580 performance evaluations carried out among the project owners, project consultants, main contractors and designers. The owner-evaluated performance factors related to the project goals form a dependent variable called Project Success. Dependencies between Project Success and the various performance factors are identified based on Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Dependencies were discovered between Project Success and all owner-related relationships and all but one of the non-owner-related relationships. Preliminary sets of discipline-specific and evaluator-specific success factors are identified. The results support the proposition that satisfaction within both owner-related and non-owner-related relationships is reflected on success. Therefore, researchers and practitioners are encouraged to consider project success in terms of multi-firm satisfaction and to engage with multi-firm performance measurement to better understand the heterogeneous performance factors contributing to multi-firm project success.     

In search of 'project chemistry'

The paper aims to provide a language and a conceptual toolkit to deepen our understanding of the impact of relational and social issues on the success of construction projects. Building on several streams of literature, as well as on individual and group interviews with construction practitioners, the paper develops the notion of ‘project chemistry’ as a way of capturing some of the relational and behavioural dimensions and factors that may affect project success and effectiveness in construction. The paper introduces a provisional theoretical framework that (a) identifies a number of external and project level determinants of ‘project chemistry’, (b) suggests ways of measuring how and how well people interact, perceive, and work together in a project, and (c) relates these issues to broader economic and technical factors. The paper concludes with some reflections on the implications and challenges for future research and management practices raised by the notion of ‘project chemistry’.     

大型房地产公司项目经理的薪酬满意度影响因素研究

分析了大型房地产公司项目经理薪酬满意度影响因素,得出薪酬福利、人际关系、发展前景、激励机制、企业认同感是五个关键因素,分析得出:项目经理的薪酬满意度总体并不太高,且受到多方面因素的影响,除了传统认识上的薪酬水平高低,还有薪酬发放时间、福利制度,以及薪酬以外的其他环境因素的影响;项目经理的学历、工龄、年龄等基本背景不同,对薪酬的满意度会有所不同;较为知名的大型房地产公司项目经理的年薪远高于其他行业的薪资水平,但其薪酬满意度均不太高,其原因是项目经理工作压力过大,最后提出激励和约束两方面的改善建议。     

基于大数据分析的工程造价专业人才需求及目标薪酬实证研究

伴随着我国城镇化进程的加快和"一带一路"的有序推进,建筑行业发展前景巨大,市场对工程类人才需求持续增长。借助聚焦爬虫定向抓取前程无忧互联网招聘平台中涉及工程造价专业的9 443条招聘信息,分析工程造价专业人才需求特征,延伸构建了有序选择模型定量探究工程造价专业人才目标薪酬影响因素。研究显示,工程造价专业人才需求呈现区域非均衡性、学历普遍化、工作经验具体化、岗位需求及业务能力综合化等特征,六类能力需求差异度大。目标薪酬对专业资格认证需求正效应显著;薪酬越高工作经验要求较长、学历要求较高;薪酬等级与城市等级有一定联系,超一线城市与其他级别城市薪酬差异明显。大数据分析为各类高校建立适应市场需求的工程造价专业人才培养模式提供一定的数据支持。     

建设单位安全经理工作压力研究

近年来,安全管理在建设工程管理中越来越受到重视,建设单位新设立“安全经理”岗位进行安全管理工作。由于安全管理作为贯穿施工全过程的管理工作、涉及内容多、工作责任大,并且新设立岗位缺乏相关经验,安全经理目前面临较大的工作压力。采用问卷调研的方法对建设单位安全经理工作压力大小及压力源进行调研,通过均值分析和配对样本t 检验,分别对岗位工作任务压力现状和不同生产阶段的工作压力来源进行了分析。结果表明:安全经理的工作压力主要来源于需要专业技能的日常安全管理工作,即重大危险源管理和安全检查;兼职安全经理的工作压力同时来源于安全管理工作和非安全管理工作,且二者压力值均处于较高水平;开工阶段、基坑阶段和主体施工阶段安全管理工作压力较大,其中钢管脚手架、起重机械、吊篮、危大工程的安全管理工作压力尤为突出。并为缓解建设单位安全经理工作压力提出了针对性建议。     

To instruct or not? The engineer's dilemma

A recent research project explored the sources of relatively higher value and/or more frequent construction claims in civil engineering projects in Hong Kong. Fourteen common sources of claims were cited to seek views from the industry as to the perceived frequencies, magnitudes and avoidabilities of claims from such sources. One of the significant sources was identified as ‘instructions not being issued’, with reference to the provision in most standard civil engineering contracts that ‘the engineer’ shall issue necessary instructions for the purposes of completion of the Works. The study reported here focuses on the possible responses of ‘the engineer’ when the contractor requests instructions/information. Also the study examines the possible generation of construction claims therefrom. Eleven practitioners who were familiar with such matters were issued a questionnaire which described ten typical construction problem scenarios (cases) where contractors may request instructions. The responses are summarized and the basis for reaching each of these decisions is analysed. An example of the eleven detailed responses to one of the cases is presented to demonstrate the divergence of perceptions on each issue and the consequent different recommendations. Strategies to minimize the claims and disputes arising from such scenarios are developed, based on resolving the evident conflicts between the reasons for such divergences.     

User perceptions of ICT impacts in Swedish construction companies: ‘it’s fine,just as it is’

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in construction companies has been growing steadily during the last decade. However, few studies inquire into either perceptions of the impact of actual ICT use or perceptions among different occupational groups in construction companies. The aim of the paper is to explore users’ general perceptions of ICT impacts in the post-adoption stage and analyse the implications for construction management practice. A mixed methods approach was used. Quantitative data were collected using a web-based survey both in a major construction company and among medium-sized companies in Sweden. Data from 294 returned completed questionnaires were analysed with t-tests and multiple regression analysis. In addition, participant observations and semi-structured interviews were conducted within the major construction company in order to strengthen the analysis. It can be concluded that respondents are generally fairly satisfied with the ICT. Differences in perceptions among occupational groups can be explained by the nature of work tasks and the original intentions for using ICT as a means of control and calculation. Even if respondents perceive that a further development of ICT could improve competitiveness, they do not want to increase their use of it in their workplaces. They basically think that ‘it is fine, just as it is’. This indicates that a challenge in construction management is to investigate how prevailing and new ICT applications can be used to develop the industry.     

An empirical study of the benefits of construction partnering in Hong Kong

Many construction companies have adopted partnering in their construction projects over the past 10–15 years due to favourable project outcomes achieved. Its use in construction projects has been increasing rapidly as its benefits become more apparent and pervasive. This paper reviews the partnering literature within the construction field and tries to portray the comprehensive picture of benefits for the partnering practice. Through partnering and the active involvement of all key project parties, the project is more likely to be completed within budget, on time, and with the least number of conflicts, claims and work defects. Also, this paper reports upon the findings of a questionnaire survey of partnering benefits in Hong Kong. Seventy‐eight project participants completed a questionnaire to indicate the relative importance of partnering benefits. The perceived benefits were measured and ranked from the perspectives of the client, contractor and consultant for cross‐comparison. The results revealed that ‘Improved relationship amongst project participants’, ‘Improved communication amongst project participants’ and ‘More responsive to the short‐term emergency, changing project or business needs’ were the most significant benefits derived from the use of partnering. More partnering arrangements should be actively introduced into the construction procurement process so that every party can enjoy the full benefits of partnering.     

Relating risk to project performance in Indonesian building contracts

A construction project is unique, specific and dynamic, and therefore projects have different levels and combinations of risks, different responses are taken to minimise those risks and different consequences affect project performance. The primary aim of this study was to analyse the impacts of perceived project risk on project performance. A path model was developed and path analysis was used to determine the relationships between risk and performance. The main survey was predominantly based on a series of interviews with project managers. A total of 22 building projects under construction were surveyed; however, only 13 projects used an ‘S’ curve to monitor their project performance. The study focused on these 13 projects and found that perceived project risk had a direct negative effect on monthly progress achievement, while monthly progress had a direct positive impact on schedule performance. Although project risk had no direct effect on schedule performance, this was influenced indirectly with monthly progress as the mediator between them. These findings indicate that the higher the project risk in a project, the greater the negative impact on monthly progress, and consequently the worse the schedule performance will be.