A Classification Model for Managers by Competencies: A Case Study in the Construction Sector

Many companies have difficulties in filling managerial positions. This is because there is a lack in understanding of the competencies that a manager must have. This is as true for those responsible for selecting managers as it is for the employee who aspires to be a manager. Furthermore, the construction industry seeks to appoint managers who are likely to excel in several different managerial roles. However, currently, there is no model that classifies managers by the different competencies they need to perform specific functions. This paper presents how a nonordered classification method was applied in a construction company in order to select managers for different roles. While no manager is considered to be more important than any other, they nevertheless need to have different competencies that match those needed for the job assigned to them. The model also serves as a guide for evaluating whether or not those already in or being considered for a managerial position have the competencies required

Criteria for evaluation of performance measurement systems in occupational health and safety in the construction industry

Os sistemas de medição de desempenho em segurança e saúde no trabalho (SMDSST) contribuem para identificar e caracterizar os riscos de acidentes, sendo um elemento fundamental da gestão da SST em qualquer setor industrial e também uma base para a melhoria contínua. O presente trabalho propõe um conjunto de critérios para avaliar SMDSST no setor da construção civil. Os critérios desenvolvidos foram estabelecidos a partir de três tipos de requisitos: (a) consistência do SMDSST com uma filosofia de gestão da SST, denominada engenharia de resiliência; (b) conformidade dos SMDSST com requisitos gerais de sistemas de medição de desempenho, tais como o grau de definição dos indicadores, a sua incorporação na rotina organizacional e o alinhamento das medidas com as estratégias; e (c) contribuição para a identificação e monitoramento dos principais fatores causais de acidentes, classificando-os em falhas relacionadas aos subsistemas pessoal, tecnológico, organizacional e do ambiente externo. A aplicação dos critérios é ilustrada por meio de dois estudos de caso, realizados em duas construtoras. Os resultados indicaram que tais critérios contribuem para a identificação de oportunidades de melhoria nos SMDSST tradicionais no setor da construção civil, tais como o desenvolvimento de novos indicadores e adaptações naqueles já existentes.Performance measurement systems in occupational health and safety (SMDSST) help to identify risks of accidents, and play a key role in the management of occupational health and safety in any industry, establishing a basis for continuous improvement. This research work proposes a set of criteria for assessing SMDSST in the construction industry. This set of criteria was devised by taking into account three groups of requirements: (a) consistency of the SMDSST with an occupational health and safety management philosophy, known as resilience engineering; (b) compliance of the SMDSST with general performance measurement system, such as the definition of indicators, their incorporation into the organizational routine, and alignment of measures with strategies; and (c) contribution for the identification and control the main accident causal factors, classifying them in failures related to personnel, technological, organizational and external environment subsystems. The application of criteria is illustrated in two case studies carried out in different construction companies. Results indicated that the proposed criteria help to identify opportunities for improvement in SMDSST, such as development of new indicators and improvement in the existing ones

Melhoria do desenvolvimento urbano do Município de Picuí: um enfoque na redução de perdas através do planejamento e controle de obras

A indústria da construção civil, responsável por grande parte do consumo da matéria-prima existente no planeta, é uma das maiores produtoras de resíduos que impactam de forma negativa o meio ambiente. Neste sentido, a falta de planejamento e controle da sua produção é uma das principais causas para a ocorrência de perdas no setor. Essa deficiência gera outros problemas tais como a baixa produtividade no setor e qualidade inferior de seus produtos. Buscando a melhoria do planejamento e controle de obras realizadas no município de Picuí, a pesquisa realizou um diagnóstico da situação deste planejamento através de um checklist que tinha como finalidade identificar as principais causas de perdas de materiais, tempo e dinheiro investidos. Os resultados encontrados mostraram que as condições encontradas no canteiro estudado eram ruins ou péssimas, além de propor os aspectos que poderiam ser melhorados

Principles For Designing H&S Performance Measurement Systems: Insights From Resilience Engineering

This study presents eight principles for designing health and safety performance measurement systems (HSPMS), the distinctive feature of which is to align these to resilience engineering. The use of the principles is illustrated by a case study, in which the HSPMS of a construction company was evaluated. During six months, two members of the research team conducted ninety six visits to eight out of the seventeen construction sites of the company, collecting data on the HSPMS, based on observations, interviews and documents. Opportunities for improvement were identified in the HSPMS studied, thus showing how practical and theoretical insights might be obtained from using the principles. Such insights would be unlikely to be obtained based on the existing criteria for assessing performance measurement systems. Also, the case study provided a basis from which recommendations for assessing the use of the principles in existing HSPMS were drawn

Principles for designing health and safety performance measurement systems: insights from resilience engineering

Embora a medição de desempenho seja um elemento importante da gestão da segurança e saúde no trabalho (SST), ela costuma ser usada de forma reducionista, enfatizando o papel de dados quantitativos e não sendo orientada por uma explícita filosofia de SST. Este artigo apresenta oito princípios para o projeto de sistemas de medição de desempenho em SST (SMDSST), os quais possuem, como característica distintiva, o alinhamento com o paradigma da engenharia de resiliência. O uso dos princípios é ilustrado por meio de um estudo de caso, no qual o SMDSST de uma construtora foi avaliado por meio de técnicas qualitativas de coleta de dados. Com base nesse estudo, foram identificadas oportunidades de melhoria no SMDSST, que ilustram a utilidade prática dos princípios, bem como foram propostas recomendações para a avaliação do uso dos mesmos em SMDSST já existentes.Although performance measurement is widely recognized as an important health and safety (HS) management practice, it is usually implemented with a reductionist view, emphasizing quantitative data and not adopting an explicit HS philosophy. This study presents eight principles for designing HS performance measurement systems (HSPMS), which have, as a distinctive feature, the adoption of resilience engineering as their underlying paradigm. The use of the principles is illustrated by a case study of the HSPMS of a construction company, in which qualitative data collection techniques were privileged. A set of improvement opportunities was identified in the investigated HSPMS, pointing out how practical insights might be derived from using the principles. Furthermore, the case study provided a basis on which recommendations for assessing the use of the principles in existing HSPMS were drawn

Proceedings of the fourth Resilience Engineering Symposium

These proceedings document the various presentations at the Fourth Resilience Engineering Symposium held on June 8-10, 2011, in Sophia-Antipolis, France. The Symposium gathered participants from five continents and provided them with a forum to exchange experiences and problems, and to learn about Resilience Engineering from the latest scientific achievements to recent practical applications. The First Resilience Engineering Symposium was held in Söderköping, Sweden, on October 25-29 2004. The Second Resilience Engineering Symposium was held in Juan-les-Pins, France, on November 8-10 2006, The Third Resilience Engineering Symposium was held in Juan-les-Pins, France, on October 28-30 2008. Since the first Symposium, resilience engineering has fast become recognised as a valuable complement to the established approaches to safety. Both industry and academia have recognised that resilience engineering offers valuable conceptual and practical basis that can be used to attack the problems of interconnectedness and intractability of complex socio-technical systems. The concepts and principles of resilience engineering have been tested and refined by applications in such fields as air traffic management, offshore production, patient safety, and commercial fishing. Continued work has also made it clear that resilience is neither limited to handling threats and disturbances, nor confined to situations where something can go wrong. Today, resilience is understood as the intrinsic ability of a system to adjust its functioning prior to, during, or following changes and disturbances, so that it can sustain required operations under both expected and unexpected conditions. This definition emphasizes the ability to continue functioning, rather than simply to react and recover from disturbances and the ability to deal with diverse conditions of functioning, expected as well as unexpected. For anyone who is interested in learning more about Resilience Engineering, the books published in the Ashgate Studies in Resilience Engineering provide an excellent starting point. Another sign that Resilience Engineering is coming of age is the establishment of the Resilience Engineering Association. The goal of this association is to provide a forum for coordination and exchange of experiences, by bringing together researchers and professionals working in the Resilience Engineering domain and organisations applying or willing to apply Resilience Engineering principles in their operations. The Resilience Engineering Association held its first General Assembly during the Fourth Symposium, and will in the future play an active role in the organisation of symposia and other activities related to Resilience Engineering