This paper examines the Human Resource Management theory and its application in meeting the future trends and challenges in the management of human resources in the construction industry.
The complexity of the construction industry affects consistently the internal and external environment of organisations enhancing them to struggle to become adaptable and efficient for absorbing new organisational knowledge. A research was undertaken in the construction industry. The primary data were collected through interviews and overt, non-participant observation. Eighteen top managers and supervisors, all engineers, participated in the interview sessions.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1 Organisational Learning
2.2 The Factors of Successful Organisational Learning
3. Discussion
4. Limitations
Research Objectives and Themes
This study investigates the influence of employee learning on organizational learning within the Greek construction industry. By examining Human Resource Management theories and empirical observations, the research seeks to understand how collective knowledge and skills can be fostered to improve project performance and mitigate organizational conflicts in a fragmented industry environment.
- Impact of individual learning on organizational learning capacity.
- The role of Human Resource Management in construction project success.
- Identification of fundamental factors for organizational learning (e.g., personal mastery, team learning).
- Analysis of the relationship between organizational culture, learning mechanisms, and project performance.
- Evaluation of collaborative practices and systemic thinking in construction site management.
Excerpt from the Book
The Factors of Successful Organisational Learning
Considering the above, researchers and practitioners have tried during the last decade, to ‘map’ the basic ‘invisible’ characteristics of organisational culture between firms’ members such as common norms and values because of the fact that this kind of information depicts the development of learning in business (Chang and Lee, 2007). Analysing these facts, it is evident that the area of organisational learning has spurred blossoming interest, especially within construction management research where different cultures, attitudes and customs abound. Team learning has been widely identified as being “vital for organisational survival and prosperity" (Nonaka, as cited in Chan et al., 2005, p.747).
According to Senge (1990), organisational learning is greatly dependent upon five fundamental factors namely: ‘personal mastery’, ‘mental models’, ‘shared vision’, ‘systemic thinking’, and ‘team learning’.
Fard, Rostamy and Taghiloo (2009, p.54) spell out each one of these factors as follows:
‘Personal mastery’ aims to develop the individual learning dimension by means of:
• Trying to achieve personal aspirations by improving the person’s talents.
• Trying to transform the person’s talents into abilities.
• Keeping the person informed of the updated knowledge.
• Continuous improvement of the person’s activities.
• Skill development.
‘Mental models’ are used in the formulation of methods such as:
• Having a simple opinion about the problems.
• Accepting others opinions.
• Rationality in problem solving.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter defines organizational learning as a process of error detection and correction and presents the core research questions regarding the Greek construction sector.
2. Literature Review: This section explores Human Resource Management trends and details the theoretical framework of organizational learning, including specific factors like personal mastery and team learning.
3. Discussion: The chapter synthesizes observation data to explain how training, collaboration, and systemic thinking improve performance and reduce conflict on construction sites.
4. Limitations: This section addresses the constraints of the study, including restrictions on data collection, reliability of responses, and time-related pressure during the fieldwork period.
Keywords
learning, individual learning, team learning, organisational learning, construction industry, human resource management, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, systemic thinking, organizational culture, knowledge acquisition, performance, project management, employee turnover
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research examines the application of Human Resource Management theories in the construction industry and explores how employees’ individual learning contributes to the broader organizational learning within Greek construction companies.
What are the central themes discussed in the paper?
Key themes include the impact of organizational culture on learning, the importance of knowledge acquisition, the challenges of fragmented industry structures, and the utilization of collective learning networks to boost performance.
What is the primary research question?
The study specifically asks: What is the impact of employees’ learning upon the organizational learning of a company in the Greek construction industry?
Which scientific methods were employed for this study?
The research utilized primary data collection through semi-structured interviews with 18 engineers (top managers and supervisors) and conducted overt, non-participant observations at construction sites.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body reviews existing literature on organizational learning facets—such as contextual, policy, and psychological factors—and discusses empirical findings on how these factors influence operational performance and conflict mitigation on site.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Essential keywords include organisational learning, construction industry, team learning, Human Resource Management, and systemic thinking.
How do Senge’s five factors influence the construction industry?
Senge's factors, such as 'personal mastery' and 'shared vision', serve as a framework to move construction firms away from individual-centric working towards collective, integrative processes that improve adaptability.
What limitations were identified regarding the field data?
Limitations included the inability to record interviews, restrictions on photographing or video-recording work sites, limited access to internal documentation, and time-related pressures during the August data collection period.
- Quote paper
- Professor Dimitrios Kamsaris (Author), M.Sc. Christos Nikolis (Author), 2009, From individual learning to organisational learning in the construction industry, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/181597
