Performance trends in the construction industry worldwide:an overview of the turn of the century

This paper presents an exploratory study to assess the efficiency level of construction companies worldwide, exploring in particular the effect of location and activity in the efficiency levels. This paper also provides insights concerning the convergence in efficiency across regions. The companies are divided in three regions (Europe, Asia and North America), and in the three main construction activities (Buildings, Heavy Civil and Specialty Trade). We analyze a sample of 118 companies worldwide between 1995 and 2003. Data envelopment analysis is used to estimate efficiency, and the Malmquist index is applied for the evaluation of productivity change. Both methods were complemented by bootstrapping to refine the estimates obtained. A panel data truncated regression with categorical regressors is used to explore the impact of location and activity in the efficiency levels. The results reveal that the efficiency of North American companies is higher than the European and Asian counterparts. Other important conclusion points to a convergence in efficiency levels across regions as in North America productivity remains stable, whereas in Asia and Europe productivity improves

The effects of motivational factors on construction professionals productivity in Jordan

In the current economic conditions, improving worker productivity in construction sites is becoming increasingly vital to ensure the success of projects. Multiple factors impact the productivity of workers; however, motivation is considered to be the most important factor. Past studies indicated that low productivity is one of the main challenges facing the construction industry in Jordan. This study is an attempt to explore and rank the motivational factors affecting workers productivity in the Jordanian construction sites. To achieve this objective, a mixed research strategy was adopted involving a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire was distributed to key players within the industry and included 16 motivational factors which were derived from past research on motivation. Using the importance index technique, the top 10 factors were identified which included: (1) personal growth/career improvement; (2) pay on time; (3) decision making ability; (4) decent and respectful job; (5) rewards; (6) pay amount; (7) high responsibility job; (8) challenging tasks; (9) work appreciation; and (10) team cooperation. Semi-structured interviews were used to validate the results from the questionnaire and to further understand the importance of worker motivation. The study concluded that if organizations paid attention to these motivational factors, then worker productivity, staff retention, organizational standards and the probability of successful project delivery should all be improved