The construction industry resides in a period of intense introspection as it seeks to improve its performance and productivity. Yet, yielding such improvements requires each individual organization to adopt a customer...
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While it is widely recognized that additional costs due to rework can have an adverse effect on firm and project performance, there has been limited empirical research investigating the influencing factors. The resear...
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While it is widely recognized that additional costs due to rework can have an adverse effect on firm and project performance, there has been limited empirical research investigating the influencing factors. The research presented in this paper determines if a firm's quality and learning practices influence the level of rework costs incurred in construction projects. Using a questionnaire survey, data was obtained from 161 Australian construction firms about the quality and learning practices employed by companies when delivering construction projects. The data analysis revealed that a firm's quality and learning practices did not significantly influence rework costs in projects. However, factors such as project reviews and external benchmarking were significantly correlated with project schedule growth. The size of the firm was identified as a factor that influenced the extent to which learning practices were implemented. The findings from the firms sampled indicate a low to moderate learning capability, which therefore can hinder their ability to implement best practice and work toward the reduction of rework in projects.
Many construction organizations have misunderstood the reality that total quality management (TQM) based on continuous improvement requires a commitment to learning and that essentially it is the means to a learning o...
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Many construction organizations have misunderstood the reality that total quality management (TQM) based on continuous improvement requires a commitment to learning and that essentially it is the means to a learning organization. The paper argues that if the construction industry is to improve its performance and competitiveness, then there needs to be a cultural and behavioural shift in the mind-set of practitioners, academics and the professional institutions. Their focus should be on re-thinking their approaches to TQM so that learning becomes the norm. It is demonstrated that a relationship exists between the constructs of TQM, organizational learning, and the learning organization. Based on a review of existing literature, a conceptual model for a learning organization in construction is presented and discussed. The paper proposes some refinements to the concept of the learning organization, directed at clearly positioning the critical focus of learning at the organizational level in construction.
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