246 research outputs found
Culture of Architectural Firms in Nigeria: An Exploratory Study
What is the culture of architectural firms and which organizational characteristics influence their culture? These questions are addressed in this paper in a survey of 92 architectural firms in Nigeria. The study investigated the types of culture which are applicable to the architectural firms using the responses of the principals to the value statements questionnaire constructed from the innovation, stability, people orientation, outcome orientation, team orientation, and aggressiveness dimensions of culture. The data were analyzed using two-step cluster analysis to determine the culture types. Categorical regression was also carried out to determine the factors which influenced culture.The study reveals that the architectural firms did not adopt the market and hierarchical cultures. The findings also question the idea that larger firms tend to be impersonal in character. It however confirms the notion that the service sector organizations are more people-oriented than outcome oriented because there was a predominance of the responsive and staff-oriented cultures. The leadership style of the principals was the best predictor of the culture of the firms
Architectural Firms:Workforce,Business Strategy and Performance
The intent of this research was to investigate the relationship between the workforce, business strategy and performance of architectural firms. Data was collected from 92 firms randomly selected from the cities where architectural firms were most concentrated in Nigeria using questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analysis was carried out to investigate the direct and indirect impacts of the workforce of architectural firms on their performance. The findings confirm the significant positive impact. With business strategy controlled, the specific characteristics of the workforce and its management which influenced performance were the number of architects, the work structure, and the age and experience of the principal partners. The impact of the number of non- architecture professionals and staff participation in decision-making on performance was moderated by the business strategy adopted by the firms. The results suggest that workforce characteristics are more important than the management of the workforce in determining performance of architectural firms. This is contrary to the results of previous studies which suggest higher importance of the management. This probably indicates the peculiarity of architectural firm as a professional service firm in the construction industr
Ownership,Structure,and Performance of Architectural Firms
With architectural firms, owners are often managers whose characteristics may influence the
firm structure. This study investigated the relationships between ownership characteristics,
organizational structure, and performance of architectural firms. Utilizing a sample of
architectural firms from Nigeria, a questionnaire survey of 92 architectural firms was carried
out. Data were analyzed using multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) and regression analyses. A
generally low level of specialization of duties was observed even though professional service
firms were defined as highly specialized firms. For most of the firms, level of formalization was
moderate or high, while level of centralization was mostly low. Results revealed a direct
significant relationship between legal ownership form and formalization dimension of structure.
In addition, the centralization dimension of structure influenced firm performance. However, no
direct relationship between ownership characteristics and performance was noted, although
different fits of ownership characteristics and structural variables were observed. The results
suggest that principals of architectural firms should match their characteristics with the firm
structure to enhance performance in relation to profit.
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Culture of Architectural Firms in Nigeria: An Exploratory Study
What is the culture of an architectural firm, and what are the organisational characteristics that shape this culture? These are the questions addressed by this paper that surveys 92 Nigerian architectural firms. The study investigated the culture of these architectural firms using the response of the firms' principals to a questionnaire of value statements regarding innovation, stability, people orientation, outcome orientation, team orientation and aggressiveness. The culture types were determined using a two-step cluster analysis of the data. Categorical regression was also used to determine the factors that shaped a firm's culture. The study revealed that the architectural firms did not have either market or hierarchical cultures. The findings also challenged the notion that larger firms tend to be more impersonal. However, the predominance of responsive and staff-oriented cultures confirmed the notion that service sector organisations are more people-oriented than outcome-oriented confirms. The leadership style of the principals best predicted a firm's culture
Characteristics of Global Architectural Firms
Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the factors which discriminate
between local and global architectural firms in Nigeria. The rationale was to
examine how the globalization process differs in Nigeria and contribute to the
discourse on globalization.
Design/methodology/approach – The research is quantitative, using discriminant
analysis to differentiate the global architectural firms from the local ones. The
study used a random sample of 92 architectural firms in Nigeria, examining
various characteristics of the firms through a questionnaire.
Findings – There was a strong distinction between global and local firms.
Compared to the local architectural firms, the global firms were larger, and
mostly run by sole principals who were more experienced. The internet was
used more to communicate with other professionals, but less to communicate
with clients and in designing and drafting. The global firms also placed higher
value on developing expertise in specific building types.
Research limitations/implications – Data are obtained from architectural firms in
Nigeria only. The results suggest that global architectural firms are peculiar and
exhibit certain characteristics which further differentiate them from local ones.
Practical implications – The implications for architectural firms seeking to
operate globally include building size advantage, building expertise in specific
specializations, having principals with high level experience and employing
alliances with other professionals in operating internationally.
Originality/value – This paper adds to the body of knowledge on architectural
firms which are under-researched. The importance of this paper lies in its
empirical nature in investigating the characteristics of global architectural firms
using a sample of architectural firms in Nigeria
Organizational Structure of Architectural Firms and Their Performances
The focus of this study is the organizational structure of architectural firms where the mode of coordination had been unclear. The types of organizational structure in architectural firms were identified using data obtained from 92 architectural firms in Nigeria. The findings show that sizes of the firms influenced the organizational structures adopted by the architectural firms. Although, sizes of the firms also had direct influence on the performance, no interaction of this variable or any internal firm characteristic with organizational structure led to any significant change in performance. Although the environment did not directly influence organizational structure, it appeared that particular organizational structures worked best when some external influences are high and resulted in higher profit. The results show that while adhoc structure leads to better performance in firms where the influence of other professionals is considered high, the administered structure is more effective highly influenced by government privatization programmes. Only the adhoc structure was however not suitable for firms strongly influenced by increasing concerns for sustainable environment. The results of the study suggest that while larger architectural firms may record higher profit, architectural firms that adapt their organizational structures to environmental conditions to reap improved profi
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