within construction companies in South Africa
FEATURED PAPER
by Mandla Lusenga
Cranefield College of Project and Programme Management
Cecile Schultz
Tshwane University of Technology
Pretoria, South Arica
Abstract
The study sought to identify enablers and barriers of team performance within construction companies in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The research was conducted in a social world, within the interpretive paradigm and was theoretical in nature. The positivistic and phenomenological paradigms served as basis for the research study. The qualitative research paradigm was adopted, and 17 construction supervisors were interviewed as part of the data collection methodology. The major themes that related to enablers of team performance within construction companies have been outlined as follows: defined team members’ roles and responsibilities; aligned project and team objectives; project execution plan; project targets monitoring; effective and efficient leadership; and healthy company culture. Major themes of team performance barriers have been identified as: weak leadership; inability to comprehend instructions; and lack of team members cooperation.
Keywords: barriers; construction; enablers; performance; teams
Introduction
Inability to complete construction projects within the agreed contractual timelines has become a common occurrence. In the past 50 years, productivity in construction has been ranked below other industries (Hewage & Ruwanpura, 2006; O’Brien, 1985; The Business Round Table, 1989; Heale, 1993; Dozzi & AbouRizk cited in Barg, Ruparathna, Mendis & Hewage, 2014:1). Previous studies have also been undertaken to identify factors which contribute to construction delays. A study by Hamzah et al. (2011:493) found that delays are caused by various factors. Among these factors are contractor’s poor planning; contractor’s poor construction site management; contractor’s inadequate experience; client’s inadequate finance and payments for completed work. Also among the factors are subcontractor-related problems; construction material shortage; inadequate labour supply; equipment availability and failure; lack of communication between parties; and mistakes during the construction stage.
Effective teamwork can deliver excellent results, but this is easier said than done because team success depends on many factors that need to blend appropriately (Moonaisur & Parumasur, 2012:523). The World Health Organization (2007: Internet) opines that one of the critical reasons why teams fail is due to barriers to performance; these barriers may be attributed to external and/or internal environments. The study was undertaken to identify enablers and barriers of team performance within construction companies in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Findings of the study are expected to contribute towards identifying some of causes and subsequently contribute toward the improvement of infrastructure delivery and employment creation.
Research questions
Primary research question
The primary research question forming the crux of the research study reads:
- What are the enablers and barriers of team performance within construction companies in the Gauteng province of South Africa?
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How to cite this paper: Lusenga, M.; Schultz, C. (2020). Enablers and barriers of team performance within construction companies in South Africa; PM World Journal, Vol. IX, Issue X, October. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/pmwj98-Oct2020-Lusenga-Schultz-enablers-and-barriers-to-team-performance.pdf
About the Authors
Mandla Lusenga
Republic of South Africa
Mandla Lusenga is a Director at Fine Programme Managers (Pty) Ltd and he has over 18 years’ experience in the construction industry. He holds a Master’s Degree in Programme Management from Cranefield College in South Africa. Mandla is registered with the South African Council for the Projects and Construction Management Professions as a Professional Construction Project Manager. He can be contacted via email at mandla.lusenga@gmail.com
Cecile Schultz
Republic of South Africa
Cecile Schultz is a professor at the Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa and has been an academic for the last 24 years. Her areas of expertise are the future of work, organisational behaviour and human resource management. Her ORCID ID is https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7048-7892. She can be contacted via email at schultzcm@tut.ac.za.
