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Abstracts
As the construction industry grows along with the economy, UAE construction companies are striving to succeed amidst steep competition to deliver projects by the required cost, meet deadlines, and provide high-quality work. The sector requires a motivated and robust workforce, effective and resilient project teams with flexible and supportive managers, along with a safe and healthy environment.
How will the UAE construction sector cope with the ever-increasing competition in the industry? Motivation and quality performance of teams could be the answer to this question. This study provided intensive research and a critical discussion on theories of motivation and the real situation in the UAE construction industry.
The research used qualitative and quantitative research; qualitative in the sense that the literature review involved a search of the vast databases of articles and journals on qualitative studies. The questionnaires were also qualitative and quantitative; quantitative in the sense that the participants were asked to rate from a five-point Likert scale on questions about motivation, performance, and job satisfaction, which also included open-ended questions on motivation and performance.
Managers and workers in the UAE are motivated by factors like work-life balance, the fulfillment of their basic needs, understanding of lifes situation, but only a few of the workers agreed on the importance of a high salary as a motivational factor.
Motivation involves tangible and intangible assets that act as a stimulant. Money can be a motivator, but there are other effective motivations like self-actualization which allows workers to aim high for the firm they are working for, and also self-motivation, and self-actualization, to name a few.
The main findings of the survey indicated that motivation influenced the participants work and money is not an ultimate motivator. The most important consequence of the work is that non-monetary motivators impacted most on both managers and workers.
Introduction
The rationale of the study
Motivation does not need to be overly used and introduced in the work environment. Many companies provide the best for their workers but a lot of them also fail as a business and as a manager. It may not be the motivation that can be seen as the real culprit but when workers fail to deliver what is expected of them, researchers tend to think that the workers were not made to think like the company thinks, or they were not motivated as successful people should.
What does motivation mean to the managers and people of the construction industry, the people who are always out there on the construction site? When the term construction is mentioned, it always refers to people who are building, workers who are mixed with the elements, so to speak. These are people who work hard and sweat under the heat of the sun, and who have to endure the harsh climate and weather. The answer to the question is motivation can do wonders, but how?
How can they be motivated to continuously work? Is high salary or money the ultimate motivational factor?
It might not be. Money can provide workers their needs, but there will always come a time that workers get fed up if managers are not able to provide what they need as humans. The workers might also reach a point that they have to give up. We want money, but what we want you cant afford, they might say that; and then they leave the company and find other more fulfilling jobs. Expatriate workers might continue working for the company despite the disappointment and dissatisfaction they feel, but the desired performance is questionable.
Motivation should be identified and adequately applied to provide job satisfaction and eventually performance. The relation and the outcomes of motivation, job satisfaction, and performance have to be properly understood so that an efficient motivation environment can develop the needed worker satisfaction and performance (Doloi 2007, p. 30).
Many commentators opine that improvement and motivation should be constantly introduced to the workforce to ensure larger successes in construction projects. But workers are mostly undervalued instead of regarding them as the most important asset of the company (Vilasini & Neitzert 2012, p. 621).
This research will look at specific aspects of motivation, not motivation as a general term since motivation is a broad subject. This study will provide a description and critical analysis of the situation of the UAE construction industry and develop an understanding of whether the performance of the workers at the site increases by fulfilling their needs and motivating them. It is therefore a knowledge-enhancing activity for this Researcher and the students of the UAE for they will know the real situation in that sector of the economy, and how to improve the industry, the workplace environment, and the people who work for the industry. The aims of this research and survey were explained to the managers and firms that motivation was very important for project success and therefore the company success.
Participants in the research were asked about the importance of motivation, their opinion about motivational factors like incentives and bonuses about job satisfaction and performance, and the motivational factors instituted by the companies that made them love their job and work more for the company, and so on.
Aims
The aim is to provide an understanding of the relationship between motivation and performance among workers in the construction industry and whether motivation is significant to the attainment of quality performance of construction workers in the UAE.
Objectives
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To understand whether employees are satisfied with their job in the construction industry in the UAE
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To determine the relationship between motivation and workers performance
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To establish a solid background on the motivational factors influencing construction workers and the importance of these factors by researching the latest published books, journals, and articles, and providing a critical analysis of the views and opinions of the authors
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To evaluate the factors that motivate managers (Project Managers/Resident Engineers/construction managers/assistant resident engineers) and workers (project/site/junior engineers, foremen, laborers, storage keepers) at a site in UAE, and determine the demotivating ones
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To determine and analyze the various motivational attributes introduced by construction companies in the UAE
Hypotheses
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Hypothesis 1: Various motivational factors introduced by construction companies influence worker productivity and performance in the UAE.
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Hypothesis 2: Managers at the site lack knowledge and skill in motivating workers and the positive effects of motivation.
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Hypothesis 3: UAE construction companies have to implement incentive programs to motivate their employees and attain project success.
Ethical Considerations
Ethical approval is required of this survey research. In conducting the research, this Researcher asked for the guidance and approval of several companies whose workers and project managers became a part of the sample participants in the survey. Letter requests were sent to participants and the firms they were working for. The survey started only after the management and workers of the construction firms provided their written consent. High ethical standards were observed even in the formulation of the questionnaires and participants were made to understand the objectives and concepts of the research (Babbie 2004, p. 12).
Research Methodology
Phase 1: Literature Review
A literature review is used as a methodology to provide qualitative data from past researches. Literature was taken from the vast journals and articles on motivation and the state of worker productivity in the construction industry with a focus on construction companies in the UAE. Online databases provided many sources on workers motivation.
Phase 2: Collection & Data Analysis
Collection and data analysis included analyzing the vast information and data from the literature and the survey research conducted on a sample of workers and project managers from construction firms in the UAE.
This Researcher identified several construction companies and asked their workers and managers to participate in the survey. A part of the analysis centered on expatriate labor and how this type of labor is motivated since the UAE labor environment was dominated by expatriates (Al-Waqfi & Forstenlechner 2010, p. 365). Work environments in the construction industry were also defined and critically analyzed relative to workers motivation.
Phase 3: Conclusion & Report Writing
The conclusion is drawn from the critical analysis of the literature and the qualitative study from the survey of the participant.
Literature Review
Concepts, ideas, and outcomes of workers motivation in the UAE construction industry
Introduction
This chapter aims to define motivation and its relation and importance in work. There has always been a constant and intriguing question: Why do employees have to be motivated? And what kind of motivation has to be applied particularly in the harsh and demanding world in the construction industry? There are top managements who may not want to care about this word motivation simply because they have all the resources like high-salaries for employees, an effective IT infrastructure, and high-salaried middle-level managers who can do multi-tasks for them. But again, what can the middle-level managers do? What other managers can do to make their people work like they have to work for their own company or business?
Managements of the new millennium in this age of globalization and stiff competition in business know the value of motivation, that it is an important part of a company strategy. Without motivation, people will only work for the sake of earning money for their basic needs. This is the primary aim of this literature review, to dissect the meaning of motivation and how it has done for businesses and organizations, more specifically the construction industry, and how those organizations have applied it. Another primary aim is to know and critically analyze the qualitative studies conducted by experts in the field and compare this to the primary research in this present study.
Transforming workers into an effective workforce for any project is a challenge for construction and project managers. It requires skill, guts, and determination. Managers will always look to their workforce as their own once they see the performance, or quality performance, to say the least. But before that happens, they have to exert their valued time and effort to see outcomes. They have to know the motivation, the theories behind motivation and formulate a framework to make their strategies effective. That will mean outcomes by way of performance.
Motivating construction workers takes some tenacity on the part of the manager or project manager who must know their workers and what they want as individuals. The theories of motivation provide a single message, that for the managers to be effective, they must know the needs of their workers, particularly the current needs. However, many of the theories discussed in the literature do not have empirical studies to prove their effectiveness; thus, they remain as theories. But as commentators suggest, sometimes they are effective, sometimes not. Yet these theories continue to influence the minds of researchers and managers; the effectiveness of these theories depends on how they are applied.
What is motivation?
There are various definitions concerning objectives. Robbins (2001) defines motivation as the processes that account for an individuals intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal. Vallerand (2012) defines it as a hypothetical construct that refers to the factors that create the commencement, course, strength, and determination of behavior. These factors might be internally or externally motivated.
Motivations three main components can be focused on organizational goals. Intensity refers to how hard a worker tries to do his job. But high intensity does not necessarily lead to quality job performance unless it is focused on organizational goals. Quality of effort, i.e. effort that leads to quality performance, and intensity, must go together. The persistence dimension is also needed in motivation as it is the measure of how long a person can maintain his or her effort (Robbins 2001, p. 156). Motivated workers can persist up to the time they will have attained their goals.
Robbins (2001) emphasized the organizational objectives in defining motivation, i.e. that motivated workers will focus their efforts and goals for the success of the organization. Motivated workers can have the intensity, direction, and persistence of effort to attain the organizations objectives. On the other hand, Vallerands (2012) definition focuses on the workers behavior after motivation, i.e. the individual wants to start working and give all efforts, time and energy to attain the goals. Motivation changes the workers behavior. Robbins (2001) is concerned with the organization and the purpose of motivation is to change the behavior of the organization. A change in the employees behavior will affect their performance and organizational performance.
The purpose of motivation is quality performance. Performance indicators have to relate to the evolution of the project. Indicators can be expressed as a percentage, as a quantity or quality, or as a range. Indicators can have internal focus (for personnel and process-oriented) and external focus, which are customer and supplier oriented (Sussland 2000, p. 94). Susslands definition emphasizes quality performance as an outcome of motivation, or, motivation will result in outcomes. But he also emphasized indicators, for example, quality or quantity of work, i.e. before the worker was content with having a few things done, but now he/she wants to do a lot more and with quality.
Figure 1 demonstrates how motivation as a cycle works on an individual: first, he/she has the need; when this is met, there is gratification, and goal setting follows, but new needs soon emerge. This cycle relates to the individual needs; first, humans have needs for food, shelter, and clothing. But once these needs are met, the individual will worry about job or career, or attainment of prestige and power. As the figure shows, it is a vicious cycle.
Productivity and motivation complement each other, i.e. as shown in figure 2, the more motivated an individual the more he/she becomes productive (Warren as cited in Halepota, 2005, p. 15). But it can also be reversed as increased productivity causes increased motivation and motivation depends upon productivity (Halepota, p. 15). Productivity may not mean quality product or outcome. The emphasis of Halepotas definition is on the outcome, i.e. the individual will want to produce more, to attain further. The more the individual is motivated, the more he wants to achieve the goals; and the more he has produced, the motivation increases in intensity.
In Figure 2, motivation productivity is represented in the X-axis while productivity motivation is on the Y-axis. The diagram further demonstrates that as motivation increases, so does productivity. They extend from Y1 to Y3 and X1 to X3, respectively.
Importance and effects of motivation on the construction industry
Managers in construction firms are faced with the question of how to encourage workers to exert energy in innovative activities and how to sustain this process for a long time. Motivation encourages workers but managers have to determine the effective motivation applicable to workers and the kind of situation.
Construction companies have to motivate workers, along with their teams, to acquire the best results, quality performance, loyalty, and trust. Companies invest in their workforce to reduce turnover and acquire more customers. They also use various motivational factors to achieve organizational performance (Thwala & Monese 2012, p. 633).
Construction work utilizes project teams to handle small and large construction projects in various workplace environments. Project managers and workers endure the physical, emotional, and climate stresses involved in their jobs; and managements have to be flexible in employment and working conditions and arrangements.
The real situation in the field may not be felt by an ordinary researcher or author. Researchers and research teams have to go and feel the situation, particularly in construction sites in the UAE or in Dubai where a lot of construction work never ceases. People there endure the heat and the tiresome environment. This is a fact that needs to be investigated because it relates to motivation. In construction, people have to be motivated to attain quality results.
Workers in construction should be dynamic to acquire results, but in being dynamic they should be watchful to avoid mistakes. Construction companies use teamwork, problem-solving teams, and multi-tasking groups, to maximize the role of workers in decision-making. Various motivational factors have to be used in this process of team building. In motivating workers, managers utilize their utmost discretionary power to achieve quality performance (Berg 1999, p. 113).
Berg (1999) emphasized the importance of teams in the discussion. Construction work is about teams and projects. It has been said that a construction project is composed of many projects worked out by project teams that are under sub-contract. Sub-contract teams have their own motivation needs.
The UAE Construction Industry
Like any other construction industry, UAE is labor-intensive, composed of various projects implemented by teams, contractors and sub-contractors, and regular and casual workers. The diversity of the industry is paramount; it includes skilled and unskilled, managerial, professional, clerical, and administrative jobs. The project-based scope of the construction provides vast challenges to the management and the people in the industry. Multi-cultural teams, formed and managed for a short period, operating under stringent cost constraints, are expected to work for one project and complete it without hesitation.
The latest statistics reveal that UAE has a population of approximately four million, but nationals account for only 17% of the total population. From this population, the country has a small labor force, considering that only 40 percent of the population is believed qualified to hold a managerial job, aside from the fact that most men have their businesses. Thus, UAE nationals comprise a small segment of the labor force (Behery 2011, p. 22).
Described in Beherys (2011) article is the situation in the UAE, that projects were composed of UAE nationals and expatriates, or workers who hailed from other parts of Asia. This kind of workforce has to be motivated to deliver quality performance. But it was also emphasized that without motivation expatriates will always deliver what is expected of them. The only question is what kind of performance they will be able to produce. There might be a different kind of motivation, for example, a punitive one, like when the manager terminates the contract because the contract worker is not delivering quality service; or the manager might provide rewards as motivation. These assumptions will be dealt with in the primary research for this study.
The UAE construction industry is reliant on migrant workers who come from different countries in Asia. The nationality or nationalities that complement the other members of the labor force are mostly Asian, European, and American who are holding managerial jobs. However, managers and scholars consider diversity in the workplace as a positive factor as it increases competency in the workforce, at the same time it enhances the good relationship with diverse communities (Alserhan, Forstenlechner, & Al-Nakeeb 2010, p. 43). In Alserhan et al.s (2010) research analysis, having a workforce of various nationalities did not affect their performance. This opinion will be examined in the primary research for this study, with the question in one of the questionnaires: does having a team composed of different nationalities affect performance in the job?
During these recent years, the government has shown interest in the development of its workforce; there is the recent drive on the Emiratization of the workforce, meaning, the government wants nationals to dominate the workforce. However, the UAE market economy has been developed, attracting skilled and professional employees. Globalization and technology have developed and provided managers in the UAE with new tools and knowledge on HR practices (Forrest, 2004; Morada, 2002 as cited in Behery, 2011, p. 22).
There are a variety of factors and determinants of job satisfaction particularly in the UAE context where it is supposed that expatriates have to endure the weather and climate which is different from their country of origin. It is important to describe the environmental factors construction workers deal with, such as the climate and weather in the UAE as this influences the workers will and perseverance in carrying out their job and even their relationships with their managers and co-employees (Abdullah, Djebarni, & Mellahi 2011, p. 126).
UAE has a very hot summer that seems unendurable for non-national workers who come from a different environment. In a study focusing on the hydration status of workers, it was found that workers had to maintain their body fluid levels to endure the hot environment and maintain their performance and productivity in the workplace. The study recommended good hydration before workers start their job (Bates & Schneider 2008, p. 5). The work environment in the UAE may not be different from other work environments where the expatriates came from because Asias climate and the weather are not different from the UAE.
Managers core competencies
Engineering managers perception of their job and skill competencies has been the subject of a study involving engineering managers (EM) in the UAE. The study aimed to measure the performances of construction managers and to develop EM competency domains . This kind of manager has a multi-faceted job, e.g. technical and managerial competencies, so that their core competencies are of special interest for top management. Competencies refer to the standard or quality of the managers performance and his/her characteristic traits (Hoffman, 1999 as cited in El-Baz & El-Sayegh, 2010, p. 3).
Construction companies that adopt a competency-based method in determining employee performance usually develop a competency model. This is a set of competencies grouped following organizational performance objectives. Employees have to understand what they need to work to achieve those goals. This is also a significant HR objective for construction companies in the UAE. By measuring their performances against the performance standards set by the company, they can be improved and motivated accordingly. Construction companies doing this are concerned about workers motivation by way of building upon their managers, particularly project managers. By increasing the capabilities of their managers, they can motivate their workers.
A construction company is composed of engineering managers and project managers; thus, engineering managers should know system engineering to recognize the need for system support in organizational development. As the EM improves in his/her work, he/she is expected to do important strategic planning that may include important aspects in technology, product, and product development (El-Baz & El-Sayegh 2010, p. 5).
The study interviewed academicians and engineering managers who were working from oil and gas, manufacturing, utility, and construction sectors from the UAE. EMs usually work in cross-functional teams and are competent in technical skills. The study used the AHP method to determine the significance of the competencies concerning the model as felt by the participants in the UAE. The AHP is a method to help in decision making and in dealing with difficult decisions.
It was found in the study that, among the three competency models, the People domain became the dominant domain, followed by the Business domain, and then the Environment domain. This showed that engineering managers preferred interpersonal and leadership competencies. Construction companies in the UAE are placing much importance on leadership training and EMs would like to cultivate their leadership traits to meet their organizational goals. In the Interpersonal sub-domain, EMs put much importance on effective communication, and on Leadership, they put much weight on vision and strategic thinking. EMs are more concerned about employees behavior than top management.
Cross-cultural sensitivity and awareness of worldwide issues did not have the interest of the EMs. They emphasized that they did not have to accommodate a multi-culture workforce because they felt that this is the job of top management.
Workers motivation in construction projects
Construction projects demand specialized teams with the skills, abilities, experience, and knowledge needed for the completion of the project. Workers that compose these teams must be especially motivated (Chen et al. 2012, p. 783). Without motivation from project managers, unexpected problems might come up. The top management has to emphasize coordination and communication. This is so because of the increased competition and the large-scale projects introduced due to globalization. Firms have provided alternative management tools to be able to quickly respond to complex situations in the field (Chen et al., p. 783). While other authors emphasized that motivation must be applied to construction workers, Chen et al.s (2012) research suggested that it is already a part of construction work, i.e. that construction projects cannot fully function without motivation and that it is a necessity in construction sites. This is a different opinion from the other authors. This Researcher thinks that motivation is already a part of construction projects. The UAE contractors and managers already know the importance of motivation and that they have applied it to all of their projects. Managers and workers also know how to apply and attain motivation.
Various organizations have promoted HRM practices to enhance employee performance. Motivational factors should include training, higher salaries, promotions, team building, and empowerment. These factors are believed drivers that enhance satisfaction and influence employee performance and concern for the firm. But motivation does not necessarily attain immediate results. Some managers work hard to achieve motivational outcomes like spending quality time with employees, providing advice to workers, and even extending help to solve personal problems (Saleem, Mahmood, & Mahmood 2010, p. 214).
Firms have used different approaches to attain job satisfaction of workers and motivation is only one of these practices. Job satisfaction can lead to higher productivity, loyalty to the organization, reduced absence, and higher organizational success (Abdullah, Djebarni, & Mellahi 2011, p. 127). Some studies found that the involvement of workers in the workplace creates job satisfaction and may lead to worker performance and organizational performance. This is the hypothesis in some researches and contention by many managers in the UAE (Behery 2011, p. 21).
What motivates workers and project managers in the UAE?
This topic can be understood with another thought in mind: Is there a different kind of motivation for the workers and project managers in the UAE? Every kind of work environment needs a different motivation, but the motivational factors will be discussed in the next chapter on theories and motivation and the analysis of the results of the primary research conducted on the workers and managers of the UAE construction companies.
Construction work is a physically demanding job resulting in lower productivity and motivation that may lead to poor performance, negative job satisfaction, and eventually accidents (Abdelhamid & Everett 2002, p. 427). This means construction workers need more than just economic motivation as safety and health are of paramount importance.
In the days of Frederick Taylor (as cited in Abdelhamid & Everett, 2002), during the early 1900s, this father of scientific management argued that management must meet the needs of workers using providing a conducive and safe workplace and an environment that reduces fatigue so that workers can work effectively and perform a quality job. Eliminating or minimizing physical fatigue in the workplace enhances workers health and safety and thus they can provide quality work (Abdelhamid & Everett, p. 427). Workplace situations can predict job satisfaction better than other motivational factors (Abdulla, Djebarni, &Mellahi 2011, p. 140). This is precisely what is needed in the UAE context, that while project teams are composed of workers from different nationalities they have to be provided with a healthy, safe, and conducive work environment. The work environment alone may be demotivating to workers which will affect their performance. The managers and companies know this for sure. Demotivating factors are discussed in one of the questions in the primary research for managers and workers.
There have been many studies conducted on the physical demands in the construction industry that were based on the workers physical capabilities and energy expenditures (Christensen 1953; Lehmann 1961; Astrand 1967; Durnin and Passmore 1967; Astrand et al. 1968; Hansson 1968, as cited in Abdelhamid& Everett, 2002). The studies were focused on young healthy individuals, as construction activities require young males who have the physical strength to do the extremely physically demanding job. The studies had a common conclusion, which was that assessing physiological demands in construction was difficult.
Workers should not be working in caves which limit interaction and flexibility among workers. Organizations should provide flexibility and collaboration among employees by removing physical barriers in the workplace such as high walls, closed offices, and doors. Offices are now composed of cubes but there are instances that private offices are also needed for employees who need closed and deep concentration in their jobs.
Is money a motivating factor in workers performance?
This is one of the primary objectives for the research, whether monetary
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