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Article
Publication date: 6 August 2020

Khaled Medath Aldossari, Brian C. Lines, Jake B. Smithwick, Kristen C. Hurtado and Kenneth T. Sullivan

Although numerous studies have examined alternative project delivery methods (APDMs), most of these studies have focused on the relationship between these methods and improved…

1660

Abstract

Purpose

Although numerous studies have examined alternative project delivery methods (APDMs), most of these studies have focused on the relationship between these methods and improved project performance. Limited research identifies how to successfully add these methods within architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) organizations. The purpose of this paper is to identifying organizational change management (OCM) practices that, when effectively executed, lead to increased success rates of adopting APDMs in owner AEC organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Seven OCM practices were identified through a comprehensive literature review. Then, through a survey of 140 individuals at 98 AEC organizations, the relationships between OCM practices and organizational adoption of APDMs were established.

Findings

The findings indicate that OCM practices with the strongest relationship to successful APDM adoption are realistic timeframe, effective change agents, workloads adjustments, senior-leadership commitment and sufficient change-related training.

Practical implications

Adopting APDMs can be extremely difficult and requires significant organizational change efforts to ensure the change is a success. Organizations that are implementing APDMs for the first time should consider applying the OCM practices that this study identifies as most related to successful APDM adoption.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by identifying the OCM practices that are most significantly associated with successfully adopting APDMs.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 28 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 November 2023

Rebecca Kassa, Ibilola Ogundare, Brian Lines, Jake B. Smithwick, Nancy J. Kepple and Kenneth T. Sullivan

Construction organizations' investment in effective talent-development programs is a key strategy in attracting, developing and retaining staff. Such programs are especially…

Abstract

Purpose

Construction organizations' investment in effective talent-development programs is a key strategy in attracting, developing and retaining staff. Such programs are especially important given the current challenges in the construction workforce, including labor shortages, an aging workforce, generational differences in the workforce, supply chain disruptions and the need to effectively train staff in the skills that are essential in a constrained labor environment. To address these challenges, this study proposes a performance measurement strategy that construction companies can use as input to design their talent development programs.

Design/methodology/approach

The strategy intends to assess the performance of project managers and develop criteria that define categories of their performance, including the top performers' category. This enables construction organizations to provide each project manager with individualized training that addresses areas of weakness and in turn, develops the skills that correspond with being top performers. The proposed strategy was developed and tested by surveying the immediate supervisors of 187 project managers working for general and specialty contractors in the United States. Principal component analysis was used to develop a single performance construct from seven performance criteria.

Findings

This construct was used to organize the project managers into the categories of top, above-average and below-average performers. According to the findings, top-performing project managers have well-rounded skills in the areas of leadership, communication, technical proficiency and overall job knowledge.

Practical implications

The outcomes of this study can help construction organizations focus their talent-development programs on the skills most associated with PMs being top performers.

Originality/value

This study provides construction organizations with a comprehensive performance-measuring construct to focus their talent-development programs on the skills most associated with top-performing project managers. Researchers can use this study as a foundation for further understanding how performance is related to various construction professions.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 March 2021

Amirali Shalwani and Brian Lines

The Project Management Body of Knowledge recommends the use of issue logs as a best practice to minimize the potential project cost and schedule growth. Although the broader topic…

Abstract

Purpose

The Project Management Body of Knowledge recommends the use of issue logs as a best practice to minimize the potential project cost and schedule growth. Although the broader topic of project control has been widely studied in the construction literature, the specific application of issue logs has remained relatively understudied. This study aims to analyze the extent and consistency with which construction teams utilize issue logs and the corresponding project performance outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

A dataset of 5,635 individual issues was gathered from the final issue logs of 881 small building projects delivered via the design–bid–build method. Differences between groups were determined using the Kruskal–Wallis H test with post hoc testing via the Mann–Whitney U test with pairwise comparison.

Findings

The results showed that, on average, project teams who used issue logs to a greater extent achieved a 3.1 to 4.3% reduction in cost growth and a 5.3 to 12.3% reduction in schedule growth. This result shows that issue logs can be used to improve construction project performance in the areas of cost and schedule.

Originality/value

This result provides a contribution to practitioners, wherein project teams should be encouraged to establish their issue management practices early in the project schedule to encourage greater issue log usage for the remainder of the project.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 29 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 28 March 2012

Emily Rodgers

Purpose – This chapter describes an assessment tool that not only contains all of the good qualities of formative assessments, in that it informs teaching and is based on…

Abstract

Purpose – This chapter describes an assessment tool that not only contains all of the good qualities of formative assessments, in that it informs teaching and is based on systematic observation of the learner engaged in reading and writing, but also possesses the same good qualities as standardized assessments, in that a student's performance can be compared to other students over time.

Methodology/approach – The chapter begins with an overview of Clay's interactive literacy processing theory. The value of using observation is discussed and a case is made that when observations are conducted in a systematic way, the assessment can possess all the same qualities of a good standardized instrument. Two first-grade students' assessment data from the Observation Survey (OS), one a struggling reader and the other working at low-average level, are shared in order to demonstrate how to interpret the assessment data using Clay's literacy processing theory and how to use those interpretations to inform teaching.

Practical implications – Systematic observation of children engaged in reading, and writing continuous text, allows the teacher to observe behaviors that can be used to infer what a reader is using and doing while reading.

Value – This assessment information can be used to effectively scaffold literacy instruction and a child's reading performance.

Details

Using Informative Assessments towards Effective Literacy Instruction
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-630-0

Keywords

Case study
Publication date: 5 January 2015

Jay Ebben and Alec Johnson

This case is intended to introduce undergraduate entrepreneurship students to business models via an entrepreneur who has two businesses: a used-car dealership, which he owns with…

Abstract

Synopsis

This case is intended to introduce undergraduate entrepreneurship students to business models via an entrepreneur who has two businesses: a used-car dealership, which he owns with his father, and a used-sport-bike dealership, which he solely owns. Although these businesses seem similar, there are subtle differences in business model that make the sport-bike business much more attractive. Case analysis involves a step-by-step comparison of the two firms' revenue models, cost structures, and investment needs and leaves students with two decision: first, how to best grow the sport-bike business, and second, whether to continue operating the used-car business once his father retires.

Research methodology

Primary interviews, company document review, secondary market research.

Relevant courses and levels

Undergraduate introduction to entrepreneurship.

Details

The CASE Journal, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Case Study
ISSN: 1544-9106

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 1983

Brian Goff, GradPRI and MICorrT

The Union Oil Company of the Netherlands have employed Scotchkote fusion bonded epoxy powder to protect the external surface of their 10.75 inch diameter flow line in the North…

Abstract

The Union Oil Company of the Netherlands have employed Scotchkote fusion bonded epoxy powder to protect the external surface of their 10.75 inch diameter flow line in the North Sea.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 30 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

Article
Publication date: 27 May 2014

Ingo Stolz

This study aims to analyze how organization development (OD) practitioners develop corporate citizenship for the purpose of increasing their organization’s capacity to practice…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to analyze how organization development (OD) practitioners develop corporate citizenship for the purpose of increasing their organization’s capacity to practice corporate citizenship. Research shows that very few corporations have the organizational capacity to practice corporate citizenship. Evidence exists that ever more corporations adopt programs of corporate citizenship development to increase this capacity. However, there still is a general lack of a strategic understanding of how corporate citizenship development occurs. The potential of OD frameworks and tools for developing corporate citizenship have been highlighted. Nevertheless, how OD practitioners develop corporate citizenship has not been studied empirically so far.

Design/methodology/approach

A sociomaterial case study design was used. The work of six OD practitioners when developing corporate citizenship in one of the largest pharmaceutical corporations was studied over several months, based on interviews, observations and document analyses.

Findings

The findings presented offer model practices of corporate citizenship development, in the form of five core strategies and five core behaviors that increase an organization’s capacity to practice corporate citizenship.

Research limitations/implications

With this study, the notion of corporate citizenship development has become established as a distinct research area. The study might encourage further research in this important niche area.

Practical implications

The findings have direct practical implications for at least seven different stakeholder groups.

Originality/value

The findings shed new light on both the epistemological and practical foundations of the concept of corporate citizenship, and hint to a new role of the fields of OD and human resource development in the twenty-first century.

Details

European Journal of Training and Development, vol. 38 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-9012

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 May 2010

Kenneth Sullivan, Stephen W. Georgoulis and Brian Lines

The purpose of this paper is to verify pre‐existing perceptions of the facilities management (FM) industry through the collection of empirical evidence that establishes the…

1163

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to verify pre‐existing perceptions of the facilities management (FM) industry through the collection of empirical evidence that establishes the current state of the profession. Data collected will identify the major challenges facing the FM industry, and will be used in the development of proposed academic programs to address these challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

Two online surveys of facilities managers on the national and local scale were used to produce a quantifiable description of the profession and its deficiencies. These surveys also focused on obtaining data to aid in the development of formal academic programs to train future facilities managers and measured the willingness of industry representatives to support the proposed academic programs.

Findings

Results indicate that there is an insufficient number of facilities managers entering the field to account for the high rate of attrition that will occur in the next ten to 15 years. The main reason for the lack in new facilities managers is the severely limited number of formal academic programs that specifically educate students in FM.

Originality/value

Results of this paper are valuable in that they quantified the main challenges facing the profession as well as the willingness of the US FM industry to support and recruit from proposed undergraduate programs. Collected data are also used to develop a specific undergraduate curriculum to educate students in the core skills needed to become successful facilities managers.

Details

Journal of Facilities Management, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 April 2000

Brian Ellis

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Abstract

Details

Soldering & Surface Mount Technology, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0954-0911

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 April 2014

Anthony J. Perrenoud, Brian C. Lines and Kenneth T. Sullivan

The purpose of this study is to describe how the University of Minnesota's capital program implemented risk management metrics on 266 construction projects and to present the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to describe how the University of Minnesota's capital program implemented risk management metrics on 266 construction projects and to present the results of the risk metrics.

Design/methodology/approach

The implementation of Weekly Risk Reports (WRR) on the university construction projects captured information on the internal and external efforts related to minimizing project risks. The report implemented captured project risks, management plans, cost changes and schedule delays.

Findings

Findings reveal that the university was able to effectively capture project risk metrics through the WRR. The risk metrics identified the risks categories that impacted the 266 project costs and schedules. Through these findings, the university has a better understanding of how their internal stakeholders create the greatest risk to impacting the project cost and schedule. This paper presents the risk impacts collected from the 266 projects.

Research limitations/implications

A complete analysis of the risk metrics was limited in this research due to the extensive measurements collected. Future analysis will provide additional findings from the risk information.

Originality/value

The paper presents both the implementation and the risk management measurements used within a capital program of a major university to provide understanding of the common risks that are involved with capital projects.

Details

Journal of Facilities Management, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

Keywords

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