Improving the Mental Health Status of Project Management Practitioners in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Sectors during COVID-19 Pandemic

The consequences of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have given rise to unforeseen psychosocial risks in project management (PM) practices in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) project organizations, resulting in a decline in mental health among PM-practitioners. This decline in mental health among PM-practitioners is considered to be a significant problem with substantial economic and social effects. Given the negative effects of poor mental health in projects, identification of causes and possible interventions to tackle this problem becomes vital. Several studies have been conducted to explore these risks and organizational interventions for poor mental health. However, the existence of COVID-19 related psychosocial threats causing poor mental health limits the capacity of traditional interventions. The development of organizational interventions requires the capture of the sources of the risks that can trigger instances of poor mental health. There is scant research focused on improvement of the mental health status of PM-practitioners in the AEC project organizations during and after the pandemic. This study aims to identify the mental health status of PM-practitioners in the AEC project organization and define ways to improve it. This is achieved through examination of COVID-19 psychosocial risks, organizational interventions and development of a psychosocial risk management framework. This research adopted the job demand resources (JDR) theory to underpin the psychosocial risk management framework. Literature reviews and expert forums were conducted to examine COVID-19 psychosocial risks and potential organizational interventions. Moreover, hypothetical relationships between COVID-19 psychosocial risks, organizational interventions and mental health were tested to develop a psychosocial risk management framework. Nineteen relevant COVID-19 psychosocial risks for the mental health in AEC projects were identified. Among the psychosocial risks, “Lacks leadership knowledge and skills”, “Fears of losing job”, and “Difficulty in balancing personal and work needs” are ranked as the three most critical COVID-19 psychosocial risks in the AEC project organization. The least critical COVID-19 psychosocial risks include “Difficulty in managing project cost”, “Difficulty in managing project contracts” and “Disruption to supply chain”. This study has found twenty relevant organizational interventions that are suitable for mitigating COVID-19 conditions that may lead to poor mental health. Out of the twenty organizational interventions, “Hiring additional PM practitioners to distribute project workload”, “Providing training on how to balance work and family” and “Providing additional childcare supports” have been ranked as the three most effective interventions for promotion of mental health. In contrast, the least effective organizational interventions include “Enforcing the use of personal protective equipment”, “Providing support for working remotely”, and “Providing support for working remotely”. Perceptions of PM-practitioners about their AEC project environment revealed that the three strongest indicators to stress during COVID-19 are “Not feeling confident about one’s ability to handle problems”, “Not feeling that one was on top of things”, and “Unable to control irritations”. In comparison, “Feeling that one was unable to control the important things”, “Feeling difficulties in one’s PM-oriented work”, and “Feeling that one could not cope with all the things” are the least strong indicators to stresses for PM practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the data analysis in this research revealed that the changed working environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted PM-practitioners’ mental health. This study confirmed that organizational interventions positively supported PM practitioners and thereby further upheld the JDR theory. This study has also statistically ruled out the potential moderation effect of organizational interventions on the relationship between COVID-19 psychosocial risks and mental health

[In Press] PESTEL analysis of mental health management of project management practitioners (PMPs) in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) project organization

Purpose – Architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) project organizations are under constant pressure to improve the mental health of project management practitioners (PMPs) due to complexity and dynamism involved in project management practices. Drawing on institutional theory, this research explores how external environmental factors, political factors, economic factors, social factors, technological factors, environmental factors and legal factors (PESTEL), influence mental health management indicators that contribute to positive mental health. Design/methodology/approach – Purposive sampling method was used to collect survey data from 82 PMPs in 60 AEC firms in Australia. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses based on 82 items of data collected from PMPs. Findings –Overall, this study revealed interesting findings on the impact of external environmental factors on mental health. The hypothesized positive association between political factors and mental health management indicators was rejected. The data supported the proposed hypothetical correlation between economic factors and mental health management indicators and the influence of social factors on mental health management indicators. Moreover, a hypothetical relationship between technological factors and mental health management indicators was supported. The significant positive impact of environmental factors on mental health management indicators proposed was supported, and legal factors’ positive correlation on mental health management indicators was also supported. Originality/value – Despite the limitations, the present findings suggest that all the external environment factors except political factors shape mental health management outcomes

[In Press] Effect of project organization elements on the mental health of project management practitioner in AEC projects

Purpose: Due to the frenetic and dynamic working conditions ascribed to architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) project organizations, enormous research has addressed the poor mental health propensity of project management practitioners (PMPs). However, research has not considered the distant factors related to organizational design causing poor mental health. Therefore, this study addresses the problem by integrating institutional theory, agency theory and resource-based theory (RBT) to explore the relationship between organizational design elements: project governance, knowledge management, integrated project delivery, project management skills and mental health management indicators. Examples of mental health management indicators include social relationships, work-life balance and project leadership. Design/methodology/approach: Purposive sampling method was adopted to collect survey data from 90 PMPs in 60 AEC firms in Australia. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilized to test the relationship between the variables. Findings: The research found that project governance, knowledge management and integrated project delivery are positively correlated to mental health management indicators. However, the research finding suggests that project management skills have a negative impact on mental health management indicators. Originality/value: The findings offer guidelines to AEC firms on achieving positive mental health management outcomes through concentration on project governance, knowledge management and integrated project delivery. It further calls for a reconsideration of existing project management skills causing poor mental health management outcomes

[In Press] Tackling stress of project management practitioners in the Australian construction industry : the causes, effects and alleviation

Purpose: The problem of stress is increasingly gaining attention in the construction industry in recent years. This study is aimed at examining the causes, effects and possible alleviation of stress of project management (PM) practitioners so that their stress could be appropriately managed and reduced, which would contribute to improved mental health. Design/methodology/approach: Primary data were collected in an online questionnaire survey via Qualtrics. Questions ranged from PM practitioners’ stressors, stress and performance under stress to stress alleviation tools and techniques. One hundred and five PM practitioners completed the questionnaire. Their responses were compiled and analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression. Findings: The results confirmed that the identified stressors tended to increase stress of PM practitioners. All stressors tested in this study were found to have negative impact on the performance of PM practitioners. In particular, the burnout stressors were seen as the key stressors that influence the performance of PM practitioners and have a strong correlation with all the other stressors. It was also found that a number of tools and techniques can reduce the impact of stressors on PM practitioners. Originality/value: This study has taken a specific focus on stress-related issues of PM practitioners in the construction industry due to their critical role in this project-dominated industry. Using the Job Demand-Resource theory, a holistic examination was not only conducted on stress and stressors but also on alleviation tools and techniques. This study has thus made significant contribution to the ongoing research aimed at finding solutions to mental health-related problems in the project-dominated construction industry, thereby achieving the United Nations’ social sustainability development goals

[In Press] Exploring the challenges in the development of retirement village homes through public-private partnerships

The trend in population ageing has promoted a rapid growth in retirement village industry. However, a significant capital investment is required for developing retirement villages. Applying the concept of public private partnership (PPP) in retirement village can satisfy the increased market demand and provide affordable living options. This paper investigates the challenges associated with the development of retirement village projects through PPP. A questionnaire survey was conducted with experienced practitioners across the globe. Results show that three out of the seventeen challenges emerged as the most significant challenges in the development of PPP retirement villages. These are: ‘limited understanding of developers on older people’s requirements’, ‘complex revenue and payment model’, and ‘misallocation and incomplete transfer of risks’. Furthermore, the seven teen challenges are regrouped into five major categories: ‘complicated contractual process and arrangement’, ‘poor land acquisition mechanism for projects’, ‘ineffective risk management’, ‘inadequate demand for aged care services’, and ‘lack of experience and knowledge in delivering retirement village PPPs’. The outputs of this study inform both government authorities and retirement village developers of the key hindrances to the successful growth of the global PPP retirement village industry