Construction Management and Economics

Hickey, Paul J.; Cui, Qingbin

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2260907pmid: N/A

Abstract This study delves into the professional trajectories of 20 women leaders Vice President (VP) and above in the U.S. Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector. These accomplished women, carefully selected from Engineering News Record’s (ENR's) Top 400 firms, shared their personal stories, discussing both triumphs and challenges influencing their journey to senior corporate positions. This collection of experiences provides valuable insights to identify the root causes of women’s underrepresentation in the industry. Moreover, this investigation aims to create a career roadmap that supports early and mid-career women in their pursuit of success within AEC. Success factors contributing to these women’s rise include a supportive partner, receiving early mentoring and possessing a genuine passion for their projects. Companies seeking to stand out and benefit from innovative outcomes that diversity offers should consider implementing diversity programs and fostering the growth of women throughout their careers. This may involve actively recruiting young women and providing funding for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs and scholarships for pre-college girls. Identified initiatives hold the potential to increase the number of women entering the industry and reduce the rate of early departures, thus helping to close the workforce shortage gap in the construction sector.

Morland, Kate V; Breslin, Dermot

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2260909pmid: N/A

Abstract The build quality of new UK homes is negatively affected by poor quality management practices during the construction process. By implementing stringent quality management (QM) standards, housebuilders can improve build quality but implementing these organization-wide changes relies on housebuilder staff, designers and sub-contractors learning new working practices. This paper explores the tensions which emerge within housebuilders, as they implement new QM procedures. A longitudinal qualitative case study was conducted, where time was spent with housebuilder staff in three regional offices, two years apart. Methods include participant observation, semi-structured interviews and a review of organizational documentation. The findings highlight several learning paradoxes which arise at different stages of the housebuilding process and show how actors manage (or cope with) these paradoxes through their daily practices. This includes processes of simplifying and applying, improvising and problem-solving and aggregating and analyzing. Whilst these either-or approaches enable staff to resolve the immediate tensions that arise from different organizational processes, they often fail to meet longer-term learning objectives, detrimentally affecting build quality over time. Without structural changes to the way volume housebuilders annually report to both the UK Government and their shareholders, organizations in the UK housebuilding sector face challenges in reconciling different learning processes.

Hamerski, Douglas Comassetto; Saurin, Tarcisio Abreu; Formoso, Carlos Torres; Isatto, Eduardo Luis

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2262622pmid: N/A

Abstract Although the Last Planner System (LPS) has been successfully used in complex construction projects, previous studies have not investigated how it supports resilient performance (RP), which is crucial for the construction industry. To address this gap, a case study of using the LPS in refurbishment building projects was conducted. The implementation of LPS was analysed in light of seven principles for the design of resilient systems. Sources of data for this analysis involved documents, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and secondary data. The results pointed out 25 production planning and control practices that contributed to RP, including well-established LPS practices, formalised in the planning standards of the company (32% of the total); formal practices not usually considered as elements of LPS (20%); and informal practices not anticipated by company standards (48%). These findings indicate that although LPS contributes to RP, it must be complemented by other practices, either formal or informal. A set of well-established practices (e.g. hierarchical planning, identification and removal of constraints, collaborative meetings, and use of lagging and leading indicators) are those most logically connected to the principles of design for RP. This study also offers insights into some LPS limitations (e.g. low control frequency and overemphasis on production in relation to other functional dimensions), which indicate opportunities for the development of new production planning and control approaches supportive of RP.

Nyqvist, Roope; Peltokorpi, Antti; Seppänen, Olli

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2266760pmid: N/A

Abstract In recent decades, uncertainty management has increasingly elicited attention in construction management research due to increasing project complexity. However, existing management methods have not been able to solve the issues around risk and uncertainty, and regardless of the proposed network-based risk modeling approaches, there are insufficiencies in contemporary methods, such as their practical applicability. This study examined the current state and issues of uncertainty and risk management and proposed a novel uncertainty network model (UNM) as a solution. The uncertainty network model was designed and validated using design science methodology (DSM), drawing on literature and empirical data from interviews, questionnaires, case observations, and case testing. The UNM visually presents project risks, uncertainties, and their interconnections and criticality transforming project stakeholders’ tacit knowledge into an explicit, systematic representation of a project’s uncertainty and risk architecture. Applied to a real-world construction project, the model received positive feedback, demonstrating its effectiveness in enhancing practitioners’ understanding of networked risks and the potential to guide cost-effective risk-control activities by applying a systemic lens to project management. This practical validation showcases the model’s potential in addressing the shortcomings of existing methods and improving construction project risk management.

Frimpong, Samuel; Sunindijo, Riza Yosia; Wang, Cynthia Changxin; Boadu, Elijah Frimpong; Dansoh, Ayirebi; Hon, Carol K. H.; Yiu, Tak Wing

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2267137pmid: N/A

Abstract The post-modern approach to improving young peoples’ mental health emphasizes the need to promote positive mental health. However, research on young construction workers’ mental health has focused mainly on negative mental health, e.g. depression, suicidal ideation, and anxiety, and given far less attention to positive mental health. The aim of this research was to identify the reason for this trend and to propose an agenda for change. Based on the initial assumption that theory-use has contributed to this trend, we utilized the PICO and PRISMA-ScR frameworks to critically review the theoretical and conceptual models in published research on young construction workers’ mental health. Out of 367 articles retrieved, fourteen studies published between 2010 and 2023 qualified for inclusion. Eighteen different theories and frameworks were identified. Generally, studies focused on measuring the prevalence of symptoms of negative mental health. Theories and conceptual frameworks were mostly used to guide the identification of variables associated with negative mental health (e.g. age, workplace stressors, autonomy, etc.) and to explain the relationships among them. The identified theories and conceptual frameworks did not offer a positive conceptualisation of mental health, and as a result, no study theorized positive mental health. We offer a matrix for evaluating theory-use in research. We also identify and discuss the strengths and limitations of the current use of theory in published studies and provide recommendations on how theory-use can be improved to reorient construction research towards the promotion of positive mental health.