Motivational Profiles For Construction Project Managers

Tez (Yüksek Lisans) -- İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, 1997Thesis (M.Sc.) -- İstanbul Technical University, Institute of Science and Technology, 1997Bu çalışma günümüze değin ortaya konmuş motivasyonel yaklaşımlar, klasik ve modern motivasyon teorileri: ve yeni motivasyonel yakaşımların derinlemesine incelenmesi ye inşaat sektörünün motivasyonel yapısının irdelenmesinin yanısıra Proje Yönetimi olgusunun vazgeçilmez parçası Proje Yöneticisinin motivasyonel özelliklerinin saptan masına yöneliktir. Bu kapsamda başlıca motivasyon teorilerinin günümüzde geçerliliği de denenmektedir. Giriş bölümünde, konunun imlenmesinde etkili faktörler, çalışmanın kapsamı ve amacı hakkında bilgi: verildikten sonra literatür incelenmesi bölümüne giriş temel kavramların açıklanmasıyla başlamaktadır. Motivasyon kavramı ile ilgili genel yaklaşımlar, motivasyon teorileri, motivasyon için iş tasarımı ve yeni motivasyonel: programlar ana başlıkları atanda günümüze değin motivasyon kavramı ile ilgili yapılan çalışmalar incelenmektedir. Üçüncü bölümde inşaat sektöründe Proje Yönetimi kavramı, Proje Yönetim Süreci, Proje-katılımcıları vePreje Organizasyonu'na değinilirken ay nı zamanda bu takımın vazgeçilmez parçası olan Proje Yöneticisinin, Proje Yönetim sürecine katkısı, görev ve sorumlulukları yetki sınırları irdelenmektedir. Dördüncü bölümde incelenen inşaat sektörünün motivasyonel yapısı rektörde diğer çalışanların motivasyonel özelliklerini de kapsamakta olup "Proje Yöneticisi ve Motivasyon" bölümüne geçiş için hazırlık niteliğindedir. Dünyada günümüze değin motivasyon alanında yapılmış çalışmalar da bu bölümde ele alınmaktadır. Araştırma bölümünden önce son irdelenen beşinci bölüm Proje Yöneticisinin "beklenti ve ihtiyaçları ve motivasyonun Proje Yöneticisi açısından önemidir. Araştırma bölümünde ise inşaat firmalarında "Proje Yöneticileri" ile yapılan bir anket çalışması ve elde edinilen sonuçların analiz edilmesi Hep birlikte Proje Yöneticilerinin motivasyonel özellikleri üzerine bir değerlendirme yer almaktadır. Değerlendirme sonuçları aynı zamanda insanı psikolojik bir varlık olarak ele alıp içsel özelliklerini araştıran kapsam teorileri doğru ltusunda araştırılmış ve bu teorilerin günümüz inşaat sektöründe geçerliliğini koruyamadığı tespit edilmiştir. Araştırma sonuçlan hem günümüz inşaat sektörünün Proje Yöneticileri için motivasyonel yapısı hem de Proje Yöneticilerinin sahip oldukları kişisel: ve mesleki özelliklerin iş ortamında ulaştıkları tatmin düzeyi üzerindeki etkisini ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışmadan çıkarılabilecek en önem li sonuç, Proje Yöneticilerinin kendilerine özgü birtakım kişisel -ve mesleki özellikerinin onların iş ortamlarında gerek tatmin olma düzeylerini, gerekse motivasyonel özelliklerini farklılaştırdığıdır.Most of us get up m the morning, go to ivork, and behave in ways mat arepredictably our own. Werespondto our environment and thepeople in it with little thought as to why we work hard, enjoy certain classes, oritnd some reactional activities tso much fun. Yet all of these behaviors are motivated by something. Motivation is generally defined as the arousal, direction, and persistence of behavior. The study t)f motivation concerns what prompts people te- initiate action, what influences their choice of action, and why they persist in doing it over time. People have basic needs, suchasfbod, achievement, or monetary gain, that translate into an internal tension mat motivate specific belravioTs-wnhhwWchtorfalffl the need. To the extenrthat thebehavior is successful, the person is rewarded at thesense that the need is satisfied. The reward also informs the person that the behavior ivas appropriate and can be used again in the future. Rewards are of twoiypes: intrinsic and extrinsic. mtrmsiciewardsarereceivedasa direct consequence of & person5 s actions. The completion of a complex task may bestow a pleasant feeling of accomplishment. Extrinsic rewards are given by another person, typically a manager, and include promotions and pay increases. The importance of motivationis that it can teadi» behaviors that reflect bigh performance within organizations. Managers can use motivation tiieories tahelp satisfy employees' needs and simultaneously encourage high work performance. This thesis represents an overview of classical and modern theories of motivation, the approaches and perspectives xm motivation, job designrfbrmotivationandiiew motivational programs. It investigates the validity of these theories when dealing with Construction Industry and Construction Project Managers. The effects cf age, experience, project size, qtrahfications and salary orr motivation^ characteristics were also explored. It was discoveredihat the estabHshediheories, although generally reinforced, needed to be looked at in a different light when dealing with Construction Project Managers. Construction productivity bas been steadily tmibe decline over the last decade and construction labor efficiency has been often cited as poor. Work sampling surveys, for instance, have found direct work to be as low as 32-46.5 %. Since laborcost comprise between 25-46 % of thetotal project cost, reduced labor costs present a great potential of increased productivity. WMe amm'sproductivityis influenced by production factors such as equipment, materials, methods of construction, and xiii management, these resources are inanimate unless they are transformed into productive uses by the human element. The qualfty of human performance depends, in large part, on human motivation* which is one^of the focuses oftbis paper. So fer, little has been done to raise construction labor motivation. This is reflected m the negligible number of studies focusing on this subject as well as in the meager number of construction companies employing any kind of motivational program. Those studies that have been conducted on construction labor motivation were based on motivation theories mat are not well accepted by most contemporary industrial and organizational psychologists. The recent attempts of several construction companies to inteoduee motivational programs based on the recommendations of these studies are bound, tiierefore,to-hav&onfy united success^ This recent interest in programs for motivating construction workers indicates that the industry has finally recognized the potential of labor motivation for increasing productivity. While this will lead the industry to initiate and sponsor studies in this area, the present situation of low productivity and high inflation, renders a wait for the completion of these studies a: luxury the industry and the nation's economy cannot afford. This paper attempts to fill this gap. The objectives of the paper are: a) To address weakness of previous construction motivation research b) To discuss the content theories of motivation comparing with the data reached at the end of the questionnaire survey and see whether these theories-are adaptable to be used by the consteuetion industey today c) To determine the motivational level for construction Project Managers in Turkey and the factors thataflecttheir motivation andproduetivity at work- It is important to note however, that some of the important features of the approach are in agreement with findings of a recent study oaeonstruction settings. The dynamic nature of the construction industry makes the role played by the Project Managers important to the construction process* The success ofa project is maimy determined by the abiüfcy of the Project Manager^ The project manager is the glue hoMmgvthe project together.- A great deal of attention has been directed towards the issue of how construction performance may be improved, however few studies have focused upon a efeeefc investigation of the role of Project Managers and the factors affecting their responsibilities. This thesis consider the Project Managers as leaders of their team. Their responsibilities can collectively be grouped under five management functions; namely, planning, organizing, coordinating, controlling and motivating. Traditional organization has been structured as a pyramidal hierarchy with vertical superior-subordinate relationshipsand departmentation along functional product, or geographic boundariesi Authority flows down from the highest level to lowest level, and formal communication is similarly directed downward along the chain-of- command. The functional units are highly specialized and tend to operate XIV independently. Although 'these traditional, functional organizations become very efficient instable environment they tend to be rigid and unsuitable for the unstable and dynamic environments that eharacterize project situations. The Chartered Institute of Building defines project management as tfthe overall planning, control and coordination of a project from inception to completion aimed at meeting a client's requirements and ensuring: completion on time, within cost and to required quality standards''. Unfortunately there is no one definition of a project manager in construction and in fact their roles can be quite different. In the strict sense of the term a project manager works on behalf of the client and ensures mat a building project is coordinated and managed correctly in order that the time, cost and quality objectives of the client are met. However, where tile complication arises is that many construction companies have their own project managers who are in essence, construction managers. These project managers coordinate and manage the project on behalf of the construction company they represent. In fact they could easily as well be under the jurisdiction of the client' s project manager. There is quite a difference in terms of job content between those two project managers with the major factor being that the client type project manager would be involved with the client right from inception, through feasibility stage, design stages, etc. to completion of the project The construction project managers would only come on to the scene after their companies win the contract For the purpose of this paper, the definition for the client's project manager is used, ie. the project manager works on behalf of the client and would be involved with the client right through the project life cycle. The project manager's role is so central that without it there would not even be project management. To be a project manager, a person has to wear a lot of hats, many at the same time; they include the hats of an integrator, communicator, decision maker, motivator, evangelist, en&epreneur, and change agent Following an initiative by the President of the Chartered Institute of Building early in 1991, a Project Management Group was set up with representatives of a! the main construction institutions wfth the aim of developing the disciplhe of project management in construction and producing a Code of Practice which could be used equally by construction clients and the industry itself. The Code definesthe project manager's role as "representing the client and providing on their behalf a cost effective and independent service, correlating, integrating and managing different discipline to satisfy the objectives and provisions of the project brief from inception to complete. The service provided wol ensure the client's satisfaction and safeguard their interests at all times, as well as giving consideration to the eventual user's needs, should these be known". The project manager's principal responsibility is to deliver the project end-item within budget and time limitations, in accordance with technical specifications, and, when specified, in fulfillment of profit objectives. Roman (1986) suggests that the project manager's responsibilities include: XV a) Planning project activities, tasks, and end results, mcluding work breakdown, scheduling, and budgeting. b) Organizing, selecting, and placing the project team. Coordinating tasks and allocating resources. c) Interfacing with constituencies: negotiating with and integrating functional managers, contractors, consultants, users, and top management d) Effectively using project teamand user personnel e) Monitoring project status. f) Identifying technical and afunctional problems. g) Solving problems directly or knowing whereto find help, h) Dealing with crises and resolving conflicts. i) Recommending teim&Htion or redirecting efforts when objectives cannot be achieved. Great number of theories have been put forward however most of them do not relate to the construction industry, hence the aim of the thesis-is to understand the factors which motivate Qrastactioa-ProjectMaaagers. This paper begins with a review of past construction-related motivational studies, their theoretical basis and drawbacks. The paper then presents new motivational programs being developed recently. It is followed by the construction project management and the role played by the construction projectmanagers in this process. Later motivational factors for construction industry are examines and the theoretical part of the thesis is finalized by the expectations and needs of project managers. A questionnaire is designed to measure the Project Managers' perception on the factors which motivate them. The questions are developed after a literatufe review andJnterviews with Construction ProjectManagers. The questionnaire is designed and evaluated under the light of content theories of motivation. Because content theories emphasize the needs that motivate people. At any point in time, people have basic needs such as those for food, achievement, or monetary reward. These needs translate into an internal drive that motivates specific behaviors in an attempt to fulfil the needs. An individual's needs are Ike a hidden catalog of the things he or she wants and will work to get To the extent that managers understand worker needs, the organization's reward system can be designed to meet them and reinforce employees for directing energies and priorities toward attainment of organizational goals. Hierarchy of Needs theory by Maslow, ERG Theory by Alderfer, Two-Factor Theory by Herzberg and Acquired Needs Theory by McClelland are also discussed after the research study is completed. The questionnaire is composed of three sections. Section 1 consists of the general questions such as age, education and experience while the section 2 consists of questions about the organizational structure of the company recently they are working at the salary and their position in the organization hierarchy. These sections are targeted to divide the participants into various categories for further analysis. The subject of Section 3 is the expectations of Project Managers about their professions. It consists of 30 statements. Each statement deals with one or several XVI aspects of Herzberg's motivational and hygiene factors. The participants are asked to evaluate how much they agree or disagree with the statements by scoring: from one up to seven; one being totafty disagree and seven being totaBy agree. Each statement consists of two sub-categories. These are wants and gets, how muck of a statement d& respondents want aadhow much they 4o get. The responses are scored within the categories determined according to the first and second sections. The analysis of the data is aimed to bigbBght the motivational profile for Consteuction Project Managers* The most significant factor determined at the end of the research study is that Project Managers' motivational level and their motivation and productivity at work k mghly depended upon some factors such as age, annual mcome, educational level, sex, title, professional experience, nature of the project, working on site, marital status and etc. In further detail a literature review about motivation may be found. Some topics about the subjects are: "The Concept of Motivation and The Recentiy Approaches'', "Classical and Modem Motivational Theories", "Researches on Motivation", "New Motivational Programs", "The Construction Industry", "Project Management for Construction Industry", "The Role Played by The Project Manager in Construction Industry", "Motivational Profiles for Construction Professionals", "The Factors that Affect the Motivation of the Construction Project Managers" and finally "The Results of the Questionnaire Survey". The thesis has highly reached its aim to determine a motivational profile for construction Project Managers. It will be a useful source for the studies going on about motivation. The most essential factor to emphasize is the unconscious employers in the construction industry that fail to motivate his employees. Their attention must be directed toward»4he need for individual motivation that leads to productivity.Yüksek LisansM.Sc