The Impacts of Cultural Diversity on the Performance of Construction Projects in the City of Manila

Journal: Journal of Civil and Construction Engineering Research (JCCER)  , Volume:1, Issue:1, Pages: 6-11 Download pdf

Authors: E R Ga-an, K L A Perez , G O Rivera

Date: 12-2024

Abstract: Understanding cultural diversity in the construction industry is crucial to a project's success. The lack of awareness of cultural differences has a direct influence on communication between construction workers and their managers. This might have a direct influence on the quality, safety, and duration of construction projects. The goal of this research will be to show how cultural diversity affects building project performance and to develop a strategy to improve construction project performance despite cultural diversity. The researchers gathered data online by utilizing the questionnaire created through Google Forms to 150 employees in Ironcon Builders & Development Corporation, Intramuros, Manila. Descriptive-correlational approach will be used in this study to describe variables and the natural relationships that exist between and among them. Based on the result, the majority of the employees from Ironcon Builders & Development Corporation, Intramuros, Manila were 31-40 years old, male, single, Filipino, Catholic, and were College undergraduates. Management and workforce factors have a “high” influence, while the materials and equipment, health and safety factors, and motivation factors have a “very high” influence. Given the values of the correlation between the questions, the researchers found out that there is no significant relationship between the demographic profile of the respondents and the factors influencing the construction of sites.

Keywords: Cultural; Construction; Manila; Impacts; Diversity.

References: 

[1] Ahmed, S. M. (2017). Managing Workforce Diversity at Gulf Cooperation Council Construction Sites. The Ninth International Conference on Construction in the 21st Century (CITC-9).

[2] Al-Bayati, A. J., Abudayyeh, O., Fredericks, T., & Butt, S. E. (2017). Managing cultural diversity at US construction sites: Hispanic workers’ perspectives. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 143(9), 04017064.

[3] Ayega, E. N., & Muathe, S. (2018). Critical review of literature on cultural diversity in the work place and organizational performance: a research agenda. Journal of Human Resource Management, 6(1), 9-17.

[4] Chavan, V. V. (2019). Strategies To Increase Cultural Diversity In The Workplace: A Study Of Several Approaches And Their Offered Benefits.

[5] Cherian, J. (2020). The role of cultural diversity and how they impact work team performance. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology (IJMET), ISSN Print, 0976-6340.

[6] Chih, Y. Y., Kiazad, K., Cheng, D., Lajom, J. A. L., & Restubog, S. L. D. (2017). Feeling positive and productive: Role of supervisor–worker relationship in predicting construction workers’ performance in the Philippines. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 143(8), 04017049.

[7] Joubert, Y. T. (2017). Workplace diversity in South Africa: Its qualities and management. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 27(4), 367-371.

[8] Heritage Builders Ltd.(2016).Importance of High Quality Materials in Construction. http://www.heritagebuilderslimited.co.uk/importance-of-quality-materials-in-construction/

[9] Malik, S., Fatima, F., Imran, A., Chuah, L. F., Klemeš, J. J., Khaliq, I. H., ... & Bokhari, A. (2019). Improved project control for sustainable development of construction sector to reduce environment risks. Journal of Cleaner Production, 240, 118214.

[10] Matinaro, V., & Liu, Y. (2017). Towards increased innovativeness and sustainability through organizational culture: A case study of a Finnish construction business. Journal of cleaner production, 142, 3184-3193.

[11] Mousa, M. (2018). The effect of cultural diversity challenges on organizational cynicism dimensions: A study from Egypt. Journal of Global Responsibility.

[12] Nguyen, L. H., & Watanabe, T. (2017). The impact of project organizational culture on the performance of construction projects. Sustainability, 9(5), 781. https://theconstructor.org/concrete/hybrid-fiber-reinforced-concrete/17204/

[13] Park, J. S. Y. (2020). Translating culture in the global workplace: Language, communication, and diversity management. Applied Linguistics, 41(1), 109-128.

[14] Raewf, M. B., & Mahmood, Y. N. (2021). The Cultural Diversity in the Workplace. Cihan University-Erbil Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 5(1), 1-6.

[15] Rezvani, A., Ashkanasy, N., & Khosravi, P. (2020). Key attitudes: Unlocking the relationships between emotional intelligence and performance in construction projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 146(4), 04020025.

[16] Schlosser, E. (2019). An Investigation Into Western Tech Executive’s View of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace and the Implications for Individual Team Members (Doctoral dissertation, Dublin, National College of Ireland).

[17] Sokano (2022). What education do construction workers have? https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/construction-worker/education/\

[18] Sunindijo, R. Y., & Kamardeen, I. (2017). Work stress is a threat to gender diversity in the construction industry. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 143(10), 04017073.

[19] The Safety Maintenance Company.(2022).Why Healht & Safety Is Important in the Construction Industry.https://www.thesmcl.co.uk/why-health-safety-is-important-in-the constructionindustry/#:~:text=Health%20and%20safety%20processes%20play,to%20occur%20as%20a%20result.

[20] Tompos, A., & Ablonczy-Mihalyka, L. (2018). The sustainability of cultural diversity in the workplace: Cultural values and intercultural mindset. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 7(1), 298-298.

[21] Tian, J. (2020). Impact of Cultural Diversity in Multi-national Project Teams: A Case Study in Chinese Cultural Impact. Revista Argentina de Clínica Psicológica, 29(3), 1223-1235.

[22] Tracecost Editorial Team.(2020).Importance of leadership in construction.https://www.tracecost.com/post/importance-of-leadership-in-construction

[23] Vulcan Construction.(2020).Why Age is Diversity Is Good Business fron General Contractors. https://vulcanconstructioninc.com/2020/08/why-age-diversity-is-good-business-for-generalcontractors/

[24] Williams, Matin. (2015).Where are all the women? Why 99% of construction site workers are male? https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/2015/may/19/where-are-all-thewomen-why-99-of-construction-site-workers-are-male

[25] Wu, G., Wu, Y., Li, H., & Dan, C. (2018). Job burnout, work-family conflict and project performance for construction professionals: The moderating role of organizational support. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(12), 2869.

[26] Wu, G., Zhao, X., Zuo, J., & Zillante, G. (2019). Effects of team diversity on project performance in construction projects. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management.

[27] Velten, L., & Lashley, C. (2018). The meaning of cultural diversity among staff as it pertains to employee motivation. Research in Hospitality Management, 7(2), 105-113.