Contents

HRM in Construction Projects

1. Introduction
2. Project teams: Formation and Maintenance
3. Communication
4. Delegation
5. Work Assignment and Planning
6. Giving Feedback
7. Conflict Management
 1. Introduction
A Project is some form of human activity
that has a beginning, a productive phase
and an end, creating something that did not
exist before.
Construction projects are mostly
constructed on the ground and exposed fully
to the local environment.
It is an investment of scarce resources with
a definite objective, time horizon and
geographical boundary.
 1. Introduction
Common Characteristics of Construction
Projects:
It has a specific starting and finishing time,
It has usually geographical and sometimes
organizational boundary.
It has clearly defined set of objectives,
It entails the investment of scarce resources in the
expectation of future benefits,
It may be planned, financed and implemented as a
unit.
Every Construction project is:
an investment of resources
a cause of irreversible change.
 1. Introduction
To deliver a project successfully, a project
manager must be able to manage the project
team and individuals within that team.
This is the basis of an approach sometimes
called Action-Centred Leadership.
The project managers primary task is to
deliver the project on time, within budget
and to the specified quality.
 1. Introduction
To do this he must manage team dynamics
keeping it working together as one unit and,
at the same time, attend to needs of
individuals within the team.
Fig 1: Action-Centred Leadership

Delivering the project

Task Needs

Group
Individual
Maintenance
Needs
Needs

Meeting individual
Building and Maintaining
objectives
the Team
 1. Introduction
To meet the primary task of delivering the
project, the project manager must:
Define the tasks to be completed,
Develop the plan,
Allocate work and resources,
Monitor the tempo and quality of work, and
Review priorities and check progress
against the plan.
 1. Introduction

In managing group maintenance needs, the

project manager must:
Build team spirit and sense of purpose,
Correct inappropriate actions,
Encourage and motivate team as a whole,
Appoint sub-leaders,
Train the team,
Communicate openly.
 1. Introduction

In accommodating individual needs, the

project manager is usually required to:
Attend to personal problems,
Recognize abilities and achievements,
Delegate effectively,
Ensure staff are capable of doing their jobs,
Train staff as required,
Promptly correct performance faults, and
Encourage and support each person to
perform to the required standard.
2. Project Teams, Formation and
Maintenance
In forming the project team, it involves to
brings together a group of people and
develop in them a perceived common
identity.
So, they can work together using a set of
common values or norms to deliver the
project.
At the highest level, the project manager
uses his leadership skills and provides the
team with a common vision.
 2. Project Teams, Formation and
Maintenance
Team identity is critical to team formation.
Without a common identity, the group of
people remain a collection of random
individuals.
Project teams typically go through five
stages of formation:
forming,
storming,
norming,
performing, and
mourning.
 2. Project Teams, Formation and
Maintenance
An important first task for the manager is to
determine just how effective the team really
is.
It can be assessed by the way in which the
team achieves its agreed targets, and by the
way in which the individuals' and group's
aspirations and motivational needs have
been satisfied.
 2. Project Teams, Formation and
Maintenance
Indicators of team effectiveness include:
Attendance,
goal clarity,
high outputs, and
strong group cohesion.
 3. Communications

3.1. Importance of communication

The more effectively you can communicate,
the more successful you will be as a
construction manager.
A construction managers whole job
revolves around communicating:
explaining the work that is to be done,
discussing who is to do it, discussing performance
expectations and actual performance,
showing staff how something should be done, and
listening to people's opinions and ideas.
 3. Communications

3.1. Importance of communication

Communication can take place in many
ways.
We can communicate symbolically through
spoken or written words, drawings and
gestures (e.g. thumbs down for no good),
and through facial expressions, tone of voice
and other forms of non-verbal
communication and body language.
 3. Communications
3.1. Importance of communication
If the message received is the same as the
message sent, then intended
communication has taken place.
If it is not the same, miscommunication,
has taken place.
How something is said is often much more
important than the words which are being
spoken.
 3. Communications
3.1. Importance of communication
In fact, only about 10 percent of a message
is taken in through words; the other 90
percent is made up non-verbally by 30
percent tone of voice and 60 percent body
language (tone of voice, gestures,
movements, the way we stand etc).
 3. Communications
3.2. Communication break down
Communication breaks down when the
sender or receiver is unable to overcome
communication barriers.
These barriers hamper and distort the flow
of communication, are costly in terms of
time, money and goodwill, and cause
output levels to fall, teamwork to break
down and morale to drop.
 3. Communications
3.2. Communication break down
Listed below are some of the more
common barriers:
Language,
Perceptions & Bias,
Status,
Prejudice,
Killer phrases,
Self image, and
Stereotyping.
 3. Communications
3.3. Overcoming Communication Barriers
Overcoming communication barrier is
usually a matter of common sense,
practice and effort than any special skill.
3.3.1. Communicating with your group
There are many ways available to a
manager to deliver information to
members of their work group including
memos, minutes, circulars, bulletin boards,
even broadcast e-mails.
 3. Communications
3.3. Overcoming Communication Barrier
3.3.2. Meeting
The most time-effective and efficient way
of communicating with a work group, if
managed properly, is the formal meeting.
It is important to be clear about the precise
objectives of the meeting why it is
needed - and list the topics for discussion.
The most important question is What is
the meeting intended to achieve?
3. Communications

3.3. Overcoming Communication Barrier

3.3.2. Meeting
In making a list of topics for the meeting to
consider, virtually every item on the
agenda can be placed in one of the
following three categories:
Information only,
Discussion, and
Decision required.
4. Delegation

The hallmark of good supervision and

management is effective delegation.
Delegation is when managers and
supervisors give responsibility and
authority to subordinates to complete a
task, and let the subordinates figure out
how the task can be accomplished.
4. Delegation

4.1. Advantages of Delegation

Some advantages of good delegation could
be summarised as:
Trust in the manager increases as the
manager is effectively saying I trust
you when he delegates work;
More people know how to get things
done and, therefore, more work gets
done all around;
Deadlines can be met more easily;
4. Delegation

4.1. Advantages of Delegation

Employees are empowered and so
become more involved and
committed;
The assignment of specific
responsibility and authority makes
control less difficult;
Employees grow and develop;
The skills and knowledge of staff are
used more fully;
Individual performance can be
measured more accurately;
4. Delegation

4.1. Advantages of Delegation

Opportunities for recognition increase,
contributing to staff motivation and morale;
A diversity of projects, operations, and
people can be managed effectively;
Distant operations can be managed with
less travel and stress;
The manager has time for managing i.e.
planning, organizing, leading, and
controlling; and
The manager is freed to do those tasks only
managers can do.
4. Delegation

4.2. Delegation Principles

Below are some principles that to delegate
tasks among a project staff effectively and,
in so doing, contribute to achieving work
objectives, and at the same time, provide
development opportunities to staff.
4. Delegation

4.2. Delegation Principles

Delegate the whole task to one
person;
Select the right person;
Clearly specify your preferred results;
Delegate responsibility and authority -
assign the task, not the method to
accomplish it;
Ask the employee to summarize back
to you, their impressions of the project
and the results you prefer.
4. Delegation

4.2. Delegation Principles

Get ongoing non-intrusive feedback
about progress on the project;
Maintain open lines of
communication;
If you're not satisfied with the
progress, don't take the project back;
and
Evaluate and reward performance.
5. Work Assignment and Planning

Work assignment deals with what is to

be done or achieved. It involves delegating
work responsibilities and accountabilities
to particular staff members.
It may range from simply confirming a role
to assigning new tasks or outputs.
Work planning deals with how the results
will be achieved.
5. Work Assignment and Planning

5.1. Desired Outcomes of Work Assignment

The main objective of Work Assignment is

to ensure that staff are given every chance
of achieving the performance required of
them.
5. Work Assignment and Planning

5.1. Desired Outcomes of Work Assignment

If you assign work effectively, then the
staff member:
has the understanding, ability and resources
to do the work;
is able to approach the assignment
creatively and flexibly;
is motivated, committed and has ownership
of the work;
is able to measure and adjust achievement
towards the goal, and
is challenged and thus able to grow in
ability and confidence.
5. Work Assignment and Planning
5.2. Advantage of Work Assignment
Benefits of effective work assignment
accruing to you include:
Your management improves through the use
of a disciplined process of assignment;
You should have fewer unpleasant
performance surprises;
You have a better base for coaching, and
You have a better foundation for monitoring
performance.
5. Work Assignment and Planning
5.2. Work Assignment Process
For Work Assignment to be effective there
must be some form of two-way
communication, usually done face-to-face
but it could also involve telephone or e-
mail.
Before assigning any work, ensure and
identify all of the things that need the
employee to know.
5. Work Assignment and Planning

5.2. Work Assignment Process

Effective Work Assignment follows the six
steps outlined below:
Establish purpose and relevance ;
Explore the current situation;
Define the work;
Specify authority and accountability;
Ensure system and personal capability; and
Agree performance management of the
work.
6. Giving Feedback
Providing staff with feedback on their
performance is a management task that is
both critical and complex.
It is critical because it provides team
members with information to evaluate and
modify their performance.
It is complex because, it needs on the one
hand, to be the task expert and keep things
on track, and a difficult person-to-person
interaction.
6. Giving Feedback
Benefits of giving performance feedback
are:
Correction and consolidation;
System Development;
Coaching;
Learning and Development;
Recognition and Reward;
Discipline; and
Evaluation.
7. Conflict Management
Conflict is a clash of interests, values,
actions, views or directions.
Conflict is an outcome of organizational
intricacies, interactions and
disagreements.
Conflicts emanate from more than one
source, and so their true origin may be hard
to identify.
7. Conflict Management

7.1. Reasons of Conflict

Three types of conflicts worth noting:

Task Conflict: Relates to the content and

goals of the work.
Relationship conflict: Relates to
interpersonal relationship.
Process Conflict: Relates to how the work
gets done.
7. Conflict Management
7.2. Conflict Process
Stage 1: Potential Opposition
Stage 2: Cognition and Personalization
Stage 3: Behaviour
Stage 4: Outcomes
7. Conflict Management
7.3.Dealing with Conflict
Conflicts are inescapable in an
organization. However, conflicts can be
used as motivators for healthy change.
The manager should understand the causes
creating conflict, the outcome of conflict,
and various methods by which conflict can
be managed in the organization.
7. Conflict Management
7.3.Dealing with Conflict
The manager should evolve an approach
for resolving conflicts before their
disruptive repercussions have an impact
on productivity and creativity.
Therefore, a manager should possess
special skills to react to conflict situations,
and should create an open climate for
communication between conflicting
parties.
7. Conflict Management

7.3.Dealing with Conflict

There are a number of steps in the process
of conflict management, these are:
Clearly identify the conflict - why it exists,
what is the underlying issue that drives the
conflict. Verify and check for understanding
using the skills covered earlier.
Discuss and explore the conflict - so that
you clearly understand the position of the
team member
7. Conflict Management

7.3.Dealing with Conflict

Negotiate alternatives and reach

agreement - so that the team member
maintains commitment to the project.
Summarise your understanding of what
has been agreed - to be sure that you have
reached a mutually acceptable position.
THANK YOU!