MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS: A REVIEW OF EMPIRICAL MOTIVATION STUDIES FROM THE US CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS

Recent moves in the construction industry have shown that increasing importance is being given to the behavioural side of management. Published material which has been directly applied to construction in this area within the UK is limited. This paper reviews the substantial findings of some motivational studies which were carried out in the US construction industry in the 1970s and early 1980s. These have been reported at length elsewhere but it would appear that no single article has brought them together in one short text. The paper is divided into six central sections. It provides insight into the principles of management applied at the site level. The first section is based on large project studies and deals with the morale of the first level supervisors and tradesmen as well as negative factors affecting workers' productivity. Based on the motivational theories of herzberg, job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction are then discussed and specifically applied to a construction context. The next section describes communication in terms of various motivators and demotivators. The remainder covers further studies carried out on social interaction, participation in decision making and financial incentives as related to site productivity in the industry. The authors conlude with some recommendations for future action, arising from the empirical work reviewed in the paper.(a)

• Corporate Authors:

  Thomas Telford Limited

  London,   United Kingdom 
• Authors:
  • Mansfield, N R
  • Odeh, N S
• Publication Date: 1989-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 461-470
• Serial:
  • Publication of: Telford (Thomas) Limited
  • Volume: 86
  • Publisher: Thomas Telford Limited

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Administration; Attitudes; Construction; Economic efficiency; Industries; Motivation; Personnel; Traffic delays
• Uncontrolled Terms: Efficiency
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Construction; Economics; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00498607
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 30 1990 12:00AM