Discourse practice gaps in work life balance : comparative case studies in the Australian construction industry

Perspectives on work-life balance (WLB) reflected in political, media and organisational discourse, would maintain that WLB is on the agenda because of broad social, economic and political factors (Fleetwood 2007). In contrast, critical scholarship which examines work-life balance (WLB) and its associated practices maintains that workplace flexibility is more than a quasi-functionalist response to contemporary problems faced by individuals, families or organisations. For example, the literature identifies where flexible work arrangements have not lived up to expectations of a panacea for work-home conflicts, being characterised as much by employer-driven working conditions that disadvantage workers and constrain balance, as they are by employee friendly practices that enable it (Charlesworth 1997). Further, even where generous organisational work-life balance policies exist, under-utilisation is an issue (Schaefer et al, 2007). Compounding these issues is that many employees perceive their paid work as becoming more intense, pressured and demanding (Townsend et al 2003).

Joint venture behaviour in construction industry : an Australia case study

Joint ventures can take many forms and can be formed for different reasons, from sharing resources to creating future business opportunities. At the same time, there is increasing interest and discussion of alternative procurement methods, moving away from traditional procurement systems to relational approaches. Business systems and strategies need to be redefined and move from a short-term project to project culture to a more strategic, long-term perspective. Joint ventures of construction organisations, global and local, have become increasingly popular to deliver large-scale infrastructure construction projects. However, successful strategic collaborations require project organisations to formulate a fit between contractual and operational arrangements for each situation. This study reviews the movement from traditional procurement methods towards relational contracting approaches in Queensland, Australia. The study examines the organisational factors that facilitates sustainable relationship between project organisations and hence, lead to long-term business success. This paper reports on initial findings captured from a survey undertaken with construction contracting organisations in Australia, focusing on the supply chain relationships. Contractors’ perceptions of the relationship management process and the engagement of the supply chain are also presented.

Alcohol and other drugs in the Australian construction industry : A national evaluation and the best way forward

Anecdotal evidence highlights issues of alcohol and other drugs (AODs) and its association with safety risk on construction sites. Information is limited however regarding the prevalence of AODs in the workplace and there is limited evidential guidance regarding how to effectively address it. This research aimed to scientifically evaluate the use of AODs within the Australian construction industry in order to reduce the potential resulting safety and performance impacts and engender a cultural change in the workforce. A national qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the use of AODs was conducted with approximately 500 employees. Results indicate that as in the general population, a proportion of those sampled in the construction sector may be at risk of hazardous alcohol consumption and support the need for evidence-based, tailored responses. This is the first known study to scientifically evaluate the use of AODs and potential workplace safety impacts in the construction sector.

Project culture in the Chinese construction industry : perceptions of contractors

In recent years culture has become one of the most studied topics in project management research. Some studies have investigated the influence of culture at different levels – such as national culture, industry culture, organisational culture and professional culture. As a project-based industry, the construction industry needs to have more insight concerning cultural issues at the project level and their influence on the performance of construction projects. Few studies, however, have focused on culture at the project level. This paper uses a questionnaire survey to determine the perceptions of Chinese contractors about the impact of project culture on the performance of local construction projects. This is augmented by a series of in-depth interviews with senior executive managers in the industry. The findings indicate that specific project culture does contribute significantly towards project outcomes. In particular, goal orientation and flexibility, as two dimensions of project culture, have a negative statistical correlation with perceived satisfaction of the process, commercial success, future business opportunities, lessons learnt from the project, satisfaction with the relationships, and overall performance. This paper also indicates that the affordability of developing an appropriate project culture is a major concern for industry practitioners.

Understanding Organisational Culture in the Construction Industry

Since the early 1980s, researchers and practitioners in the organisational and management fields have presumed a link between organisational, or corporate, culture and organisational performance. Whilst many believe this exists, other authors have been critical of the validity of such studies. Part of this doubt stems from a reliance on measures of organisational performance that are based purely on financial measures of business growth. Using the construction industry as the subject of his research, Vaughan Coffey traces the development of the literature on organisational culture and business effectiveness and investigates the culture–performance link using a new and highly objective measure of company performance and an evaluation of organisational culture, which is largely behaviourally-based. Providing a theoretical contribution to the field, this work shows that various cultural traits appear to be closely linked to objectively measured organisational effectiveness. This book will be valuable to professionals and researchers in the fields of management and public policy. It indicates directions for construction companies to develop and change, and in doing so strengthen their chances of remaining strong when opportunities for work might deplete and only the most successful companies will be able to survive.---- Selected Contents: 1. An Introduction to Organizations, Culture, Performance and Construction 2. Organizations, Culture and Climate 3. Organizational Culture Studies 4. Measuring Organizational Performance and Effectiveness 5. Organizational Culture and Effectiveness – The Link Between Them 6. Research on the Relationship between Organizational Culture and Performance in Hong Kong Construction Companies 7. The Hong Kong Experiment – Presentation of Demographic Data, Overall Results and some Descriptive and Qualitative Analysis 8. Detailed Statistical Analysis of the Docs and Pass Data in Relation to the Major Research Questions 9. Four Hong Kong Construction Mini-Case Studies 10. Conclusions and Future Research Directions

Study of ICT adoption for building project management in the Indian construction industry

Building project management requires effective coordination and collaboration between multiple project members. It can be achieved through real time communication flow between all. In present scenario, it can be achieved through adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Construction industry primarily comprises small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Also, ICT adoption has been slow in the industry.---------- Research is required to assess the factors that affect ICT adoption at the three levels of industry, organization and people, with focus on SMEs. This paper discusses a component of the research undertaken to study these factors and issues in the context of Indian construction industry. A questionnaire survey was conducted and through quantitative data analysis the extent of adoption of formal Project Management processes, ICT adoption for these processes and factors including perception based factors affecting ICT adoption were studied. Results of data analysis includes identification of issues that require action at the three study levels.---------- The results can be generalized for other countries with due considerations, specifically for countries where the construction industry is similar to Indian construction industry in terms of working methodologies or for large countries.

Safety impacts of alcohol and other drugs in the construction industry : a research methodology

Anecdotal evidence from the infrastructure and building sectors highlights issues of drugs and alcohol and its association with safety risk on construction sites. Operating machinery and mobile equipment, proximity to live traffic together with congested sites, electrical equipment and operating at heights conspire to accentuate the potential adverse impact of drugs and alcohol in the workplace. While most Australian jurisdictions have identified this as a critical safety issue, information is limited regarding the prevalence of alcohol and other drugs in the workplace and there is limited evidential guidance regarding how to effectively and efficiently address such an issue. No known study has scientifically evaluated the relationship between the use of drugs and alcohol and safety impacts in construction, and there has been only limited adoption of nationally coordinated strategies, supported by employers and employees to render it socially unacceptable to arrive at a construction workplace with impaired judgement from drugs and alcohol. A nationally consistent collaborative approach across the construction workforce - involving employers and employees; clients; unions; contractors and sub-contractors is required to engender a cultural change in the construction workforce – in a similar manner to the on-going initiative in securing a cultural change to drink-driving in our society where peer intervention and support is encouraged. This study has four key objectives. Firstly, using the standard World Health Organisation AUDIT, a national qualitative and quantitative assessment of the use of drugs and alcohol will be carried out. This will build upon similar studies carried out in the Australian energy and mining sectors. Secondly, the development of an appropriate industry policy will adopt a non-punitive and rehabilitative approach developed in consultation with employers and employees across the infrastructure and building sectors, with the aim it be adopted nationally for adoption at the construction workplace. Thirdly, an industry-specific cultural change management program will be developed through a nationally collaborative approach to reducing the risk of impaired performance on construction sites and increasing workers’ commitment to drugs and alcohol safety. Finally, an implementation plan will be developed from data gathered from both managers and construction employees. Such an approach stands to benefit not only occupational health and safety, through a greater understanding of the safety impacts of alcohol and other drugs at work, but also alcohol and drug use as a wider community health issue. This paper will provide an overview of the background and significance of the study as well as outlining the proposed methodology that will be used to evaluate the safety impacts of alcohol and other drugs in the construction industry.

Safety impacts of alcohol and other drugs in the construction industry : Preliminary findings

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Cultural determinants of stress in the construction industry

The need to better understand and deal with workplace stress has major implications for the construction industry, especially on a project level, because of its potential to directly impact on site productivity and safety, and ultimately, the achievement of project objectives. While there has been some understanding of the effect of workplace stress within the construction industry, the majority of these studies have explored individual determinants of workplace stress among construction professionals such as architects, engineers, quantity surveyors etc. To date, very little research has focused on workplace stress as encountered by construction site operatives. This is an important research deficiency as construction site operatives typically make up a significant percentage of on-site workforce and contribute most directly to project success. To address this imbalance in research, this paper proposes a theoretical framework to better understand site operatives’ experience of stress from a cultural perspective on three levels: individual, project and organizational which has been largely neglected in previous studies.

Australian construction industry KPIs

The Australian Construction Industry Forum (which is a peak industry association) and the Australian Procurement and Construction Council (which is a peak government organisation) have jointly agreed on a set of KPIs for the Australian Construction Industry. The goal of such a process is to work collaboratively in order to lift industry performance overall, and thereby bring about economic and social benefits to the industry and broader community. This paper seeks to underpin the process of KPI measurement by providing: an overview of international approaches to KPI measurement, summary of difficulties identified in performance measurement together with possible responses to these problems, and finally a discussion on the various methods for reporting KPIs. A number of findings throughout the paper, based on the review, made in order to advance the goal of performance measurement in the construction industry in Australia. Such findings would be relevant to other countries considering a KPI measurement process as well.

Ecological sustainable development: a study of the obstacles in Australia's construction industry

Ecological sustainable development (ESD), defined as that which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, has much to offer in enhancing the quality of life of people and maintaining the environment for future generations by reducing the pollution of water, air and land, minimizing the destruction of irreplaceable ecosystems and cutting down the amount of toxic materials released. However, there is still much to do to achieve full implementation world-wide. This paper reports on three factors-design, attitudes and financial constraints - that are likely barriers to the implementation of ESD within the built environment in Australian industry. A postal questionnaire survey is described aimed at soliciting views on detailed aspects of the factors. This shows that ESD in the Australian built environment has also not been successfully implemented. The main reason is found to be due to the perceived costs involved - the cost of using environmental materials being a predominant factor. The design of ESD, being more sophisticated, also is perceived as involving stakeholders in more expense. There also appears to be a lack of knowledge and a lack of specialised and interdisciplinary design teams available in the Australian context.

Towards a relational contracting framework in the Australian construction industry : an initial framework

The Australian construction industry is characterized as being a competitive and risky business environment due to lack of cooperation, insufficient trust, ineffective communication and adversarial relationships which are likely lead to poor project performance. Relational contracting (RC) is advocated by literature as an innovative approach to improve the procurement process in the construction industry. Various studies have collectively added to the current knowledge of known RC norms, but there seem to be little effort on investigating the determinants of RC and its impact on project outcomes. In such circumstances, there is lack of evidence and explanation on the manner on how these issues lead to different performance. Simultaneously, the New Engineering Contract (NEC) that embraced the concept of RC is seen as a modern way of contracting and also considered as one of the best approaches to the perennial problem of improving adversarial relationships within the industry. The reality of practice of RC in Australia is investigated through the lens of the NEC. A synthesis of literature views on the concept, processes and tools of RC is first conducted to develop the framework of RC. A case study approach is proposed for an in-depth analysis to explore the critical issues addressed by RC in relation to project performance. Understanding the realities of RC will assist stakeholders in the construction industry with their investment in RC.

Construction 2020 - A vision for Australia's Property and Construction Industry

Construction 2020 is a national initiative undertaken by CRC for Construction Innovation to focus its ongoing leadership of the Australian property and construction industry in applied research and best contribute to the industry's national and international growth and competitiveness. It is the first major report on the long-term outlook for the industry since the late 1990s. The report identifies nine key themes for the future of the property and construction industry. These visions describe the major concerns of the industry and the improved future working environment favoured by its stakeholders. The first and clearest vision, agreed across the industry, is that environmentally sustainable construction the creation of buildings and infrastructure that minimise their impact on the natural environment is an area of huge potential. Here technologies like Construction Innovation's LCADesign can make a big difference. This is a calculator that works out automatically from 3D computer-aided design the environmental costs of materials in a building all at the push of a button. By working with industry, we'd expect to have a comprehensive set of eco-design tools for all stages of the construction life cycle, to minimise energy use, greenhouse and other forms of waste or pollution. Other significant areas of focus in the report include the development of nationally uniform codes of practice, new tools to evaluate design and product performance, comparisons with overseas industries, and a worldwide research network to ensure that Australian technology is at the cutting edge.

Relational contracting and its efficacy of project performance in the Australian construction industry

The Australian construction industry is characterized as being a competitive and risky business environment due to lack of cooperation, insufficient trust, ineffective communication and adversarial relationships which are likely lead to poor project performance. Relational contracting (RC) is advocated by literature as an innovative approach to improve the procurement process in the construction industry. Various studies have collectively added to the current knowledge of known RC norms, but there seem to be little effort on investigating the determinants of RC and its efficacy on project outcomes. In such circumstances, there is lack of evidence and explanation on the manner on how these issues lead to different performance. Simultaneously, the New Engineering Contract (NEC) that embraced the concept of RC is seen as a modern way of contracting and also considered as one of the best approaches to the perennial problem of improving adversarial relationships within the industry. The reality of practice of RC in Australia is investigated through the lens of the NEC. A synthesis of literature views on the concept, processes and tools of RC is first conducted to develop the framework of RC. A case study approach is proposed for an in-depth analysis to explore the critical issues addressed by RC in relation to project performance. Understanding the realities of RC will assist stakeholders in the construction industry with their investment in RC.