The concept and phenomenon of social capital has been identified as an organizing logic that can ... more The concept and phenomenon of social capital has been identified as an organizing logic that can add value to project organizations. In this respect, social capital is conceptualized as both personal and impersonal linkages between individuals in project organization, the quality of these linkages, and the shared representations embedded within these linkages. Social capital provides a means of coordination and collaboration among project participants. However, given the novelty of the concept in construction settings and peculiarities of construction projects, key questions arise as to what represents and are the forms of social capital in project settings? We adopt a mixed methods approach to answer these questions. Data from a survey of 376 respondents and a case project converge into forming a coherent conceptualization of social capital in construction projects. The findings confirm the multi-faceted nature of social capital and reveal the mechanisms by which social capital fac...
Over the last couple of decades, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been identified as a via... more Over the last couple of decades, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been identified as a viable alternative for procuring public infrastructure. PPPs bring together the best of both worlds; private sector managerial expertise and public sector regulatory and supervisory capacity to procure public infrastructure. While several PPP projects have been delivered successfully, others have experienced challenges such as stakeholders' opposition. PPP projects are by their nature complex involving multiple stakeholders and thus far, there is a lack of adequate and well-structured means of managing these stakeholders and their varied interests which has resulted in neglect of stakeholders. Neglect of interest of stakeholders has been identified as a major factor that undermines the success of PPP projects in Nigeria. To this end, managing stakeholders in PPP projects in Nigeria has become necessary owing to the fact that support for PPP projects by the general public and transparency in the PPP process are enhanced when end users, local communities and other stakeholders are involved in all phases of the PPP scheme. This paper reviews literature on stakeholder management and concludes that existing frameworks do not provide adequate guidance on how stakeholders in PPP projects should be managed from project conception to operation and maintenance. Some of the main flaws identified with existing frameworks are their lack of attention to multiple parties involved in PPP projects and the inadequacy of stakeholder identification process. This paper thus identifies the gaps in existing stakeholder management frameworks and makes a case for developing a framework for managing stakeholders in PPP projects which would be all inclusive, transparent and that gives end users, local communities and other stakeholders their rightful place as co-owners of the project. This will enhance public support for PPPs and attract private sector investment in infrastructure in Nigeria.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of transformational leadership behaviour of... more The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of transformational leadership behaviour of middle managers on innovation. It followed a quantitative data collection and analysis to examine the relationship between transformational leadership on climate for innovation, innovation championing behaviour and project performance. In-depth interviews were held with 13 members of staff selected from different parts of the company. In addition a focus group discussion was held with Technical Directors in order to develop a deeper understanding of the processes by which middle managers influence innovation in project based professional services organisations. Findings from the study suggest that middle managers’ transformational leadership behaviour impacts project outcomes by helping to develop a climate for innovation and influencing the championing behaviour of their staff. Notwithstanding the fact that the study was based on a single UK based professional services firm, the findings adds to our understanding of the role of middle level leadership in project environment in facilitating innovation and answers the call for more qualitative approaches to understanding the impact of leaders in project based organisations. The findings also highlight the significant impact middle managers can have on innovation and ultimately project performance contrary to the previous publications that advanced a more negative view of the role of middle managers in organisations.
Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 2020
PurposeThis research investigates the implementation of Six Sigma in competitive tendering proces... more PurposeThis research investigates the implementation of Six Sigma in competitive tendering processes to address persistent delays by identifying the potential benefits and challenges of implementing Six Sigma in construction competitive tendering processes. The results seek to encourage practitioners to implement Six Sigma in addressing competitive tendering process delays.Design/methodology/approachLiterature was reviewed to identify the benefits and challenges of Six Sigma implementation in construction processes and categorized under broad headings. Three case studies were used to authenticate the literature findings by applying Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control to their construction competitive tendering processes. Furthermore, quality tools and techniques together with documentary analysis, content analysis and determination of frequencies of quantitised qualitative data were employed to identify potential benefits and challenges.FindingsThe most common Six Sigma benefits ...
Project Management competency has been recognised as a critical source of competitive advantage a... more Project Management competency has been recognised as a critical source of competitive advantage and key to successful project delivery. For this reason it is important that the competency frameworks used to achieve competence in project organizations are effective and fit for purpose. The European Construction Institute (ECI) developed eight principles through the ACTIVE (Achieving Competitiveness Through Innovation and Value Enhancement) initiative in an attempt to add value to the delivery of projects. This research explored the congruence and scope for incorporating the ACTIVE principles into current competency frameworks in use by project organizations. An interpretive and qualitative research approach was adopted, using semi-structured interviews with eight Project Managers and Learning and Development Managers in project organizations. The use of competency frameworks is not as widespread as first thought. Current competency frameworks in use in project organizations are based on a fairly comprehensive body of knowledge and largely congruent with the ACTIVE principles centered around concept definition, team management, supply chain relationship management, communication, risk management, innovation, project execution and performance measurement. However, ACTIVE principles’ underpinning ethos of creating a collaborative working environment in projects is a missing piece worthy of incorporation into competency frameworks currently in use in project organizations.
The Hong Kong construction industry is lauded for its “can-do” attitude and the apparently high l... more The Hong Kong construction industry is lauded for its “can-do” attitude and the apparently high levels of integration and cooperation that enables its high level of performance. An industry that can regularly complete four day floor cycles on high rise buildings over 40 storeys should be an innovative and relationship based industry. However, this is not the case. For example`, the predominant form of procurement in Hong Kong is still design-bidbuild (the “traditional” approach) and “partnering” has been introduced into the industry but in a piece-meal fashion and in a manner which is hardly effective. Still, the industry is characterised by hierarchy, tradition and procedures but the industry is also heavily influenced by the Chinese culture in which it was situated. Hence, values such as face, harmony and conflict avoidance are also embedded in the industry culture. In such a situation, the issue of stakeholders and their management has been paid scant regard; the government was used to making decisions on development rather than consulting widely and the other major players, the oligarchy of large property developers, adopted a simple, economic approach to their business plans and only over the past few years have issues such as corporate social responsibility reached their boardrooms
International Journal of Innovation in Teaching and Learning (IJITL)
This study examined the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the effect of CSR in... more This study examined the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the effect of CSR initiatives on teaching and learning from teachers, students, and heads' perspectives. The study relied on in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions to obtain data. The participating schools were selected through a stratified sampling technique, with the individual respondents purposively sampled. Interviews and discussions were tape-recorded and subsequently transcribed, sorted to identify central and recurrent themes in the data. The study showed that corporate bodies have contributed immensely to the teaching and learning processes through improved school infrastructural facilities. It also found that CSR activities have enhanced teaching and learning processes. Thus, resulting in improved quality of teaching delivery, students' academic performance and beneficiary schools' societal status. The findings, however, focused mainly on the perspectives of teachers, students...
Since the 1990s, there was an increased awareness of the interactions between organisations, envi... more Since the 1990s, there was an increased awareness of the interactions between organisations, environment, and society that attracted the attention of both academics and practitioners (cf. Cousins etal., 2004). Within this context, the importance of the roles of organisations' activities and interactions, in particular, the role of procurement function has come to the fore. This phenomenon has brought about the increased recognition on the need of sustainable procurement whereby a triple bottom line approach–economic, ...
Proceedings of the ICE - Management, Procurement and Law, 2010
The form of contract plays a significant role in the governance of relationships between parties.... more The form of contract plays a significant role in the governance of relationships between parties. Recent research in project procurement emphasises relationships and cultural/behavioural issues. Such relationships operate within a formal (contractual) framework as well as an informal (interpersonal/social) framework since no contract is entirely transactional or entirely relational in nature. Sir Michael Latham suggested a cultural/behavioural change is required in the construction industry such that project participants should embrace a ‘modern contract’. This paper examines the 13 Latham requirements of a modern contract in the latest edition of the NEC. The requirements are categorised, under what are labelled here as pillars of a modern contract, namely ‘fairness’, ‘roles and functions of project participants’, and ‘payment operating mechanisms’. Developments in contracting practices in the Chinese construction industry, with a cultural tradition grounded in Confucian values of ...
Organizations develop and implement Human Resource Management (HRM) policies which are a reflecti... more Organizations develop and implement Human Resource Management (HRM) policies which are a reflection of their philosophy on how they intend to manage people. The factors outlined in existing HRM models, especially the Harvard and Warwick models, as influencing HRM policy development and practice, fall within the political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal domains as well as what the Harvard model describes as organizational situational domain. These models were however developed ...
Psychological empowerment, described as constellation of experienced cognitions manifested as sen... more Psychological empowerment, described as constellation of experienced cognitions manifested as sense of meaning, competence, impact, and self-determination has been identified as an important motivating force in teams with performance consequences for individuals and teams. Prior research have therefore sort to identify factors from the individual-, team-, project- and organisation-levels that impact empowerment cognitions with the hope of providing concrete targets for promoting psychological empowerment. One constituency that has been overlooked is the likelihood that psychological empowerment in teams may be capable of being transmitted from one team member to another. This paper reports a study investigating whether psychological empowerment cognition in project teams is contagious. Using survey responses from 380 individuals, nested in 115 project management teams, we test the psychological empowerment contagion hypothesis using analysis of variance, interrater agreement and hie...
Over the last couple of decades, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been identified as a via... more Over the last couple of decades, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been identified as a viable alternative for procuring public infrastructure. PPPs bring together the best of both worlds; private sector managerial expertise and public sector regulatory and supervisory capacity to procure public infrastructure. While several PPP projects have been delivered successfully, others have experienced challenges such as stakeholders' opposition. PPP projects are by their nature complex involving multiple stakeholders and thus far, there is a lack of adequate and wellstructured means of managing these stakeholders and their varied interests which has resulted in neglect of stakeholders. Neglect of interest of stakeholders has been identified as a major factor that undermines the success of PPP projects in Nigeria. To this end, managing stakeholders in PPP projects in Nigeria has become necessary owing to the fact that support for PPP projects by the general public and transparency...
Construction projects are characteristically complex undertakings whose successful realisation re... more Construction projects are characteristically complex undertakings whose successful realisation requires the engagement of a myriad of individuals, teams and organisations. Projects therefore provide a platform for the emergence of multiplex (i.e. entities having more than one type of relationship), heterogeneous (i.e. entities connected to others from different backgrounds) and overlapping (i.e. entities belonging to clusters or spanning boundaries) relationships. This notion of the existence of relational pluralism in projects has implications for project constituents and project delivery. For individuals, it is how to grapple with multiple and conflicting identities in achieving outcomes. For teams, it is how to grapple with multiple types of inter-team relations and still maintain harmony to achieve goals, and for organisations, it is how to deal with the multiplicity of relationships among individuals and teams and still achieve goal congruence. This paper draws on social identi...
The concept and phenomenon of social capital has been identified as an organizing logic that can ... more The concept and phenomenon of social capital has been identified as an organizing logic that can add value to project organizations. In this respect, social capital is conceptualized as both personal and impersonal linkages between individuals in project organization, the quality of these linkages, and the shared representations embedded within these linkages. Social capital provides a means of coordination and collaboration among project participants. However, given the novelty of the concept in construction settings and peculiarities of construction projects, key questions arise as to what represents and are the forms of social capital in project settings? We adopt a mixed methods approach to answer these questions. Data from a survey of 376 respondents and a case project converge into forming a coherent conceptualization of social capital in construction projects. The findings confirm the multi-faceted nature of social capital and reveal the mechanisms by which social capital fac...
Over the last couple of decades, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been identified as a via... more Over the last couple of decades, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been identified as a viable alternative for procuring public infrastructure. PPPs bring together the best of both worlds; private sector managerial expertise and public sector regulatory and supervisory capacity to procure public infrastructure. While several PPP projects have been delivered successfully, others have experienced challenges such as stakeholders' opposition. PPP projects are by their nature complex involving multiple stakeholders and thus far, there is a lack of adequate and well-structured means of managing these stakeholders and their varied interests which has resulted in neglect of stakeholders. Neglect of interest of stakeholders has been identified as a major factor that undermines the success of PPP projects in Nigeria. To this end, managing stakeholders in PPP projects in Nigeria has become necessary owing to the fact that support for PPP projects by the general public and transparency in the PPP process are enhanced when end users, local communities and other stakeholders are involved in all phases of the PPP scheme. This paper reviews literature on stakeholder management and concludes that existing frameworks do not provide adequate guidance on how stakeholders in PPP projects should be managed from project conception to operation and maintenance. Some of the main flaws identified with existing frameworks are their lack of attention to multiple parties involved in PPP projects and the inadequacy of stakeholder identification process. This paper thus identifies the gaps in existing stakeholder management frameworks and makes a case for developing a framework for managing stakeholders in PPP projects which would be all inclusive, transparent and that gives end users, local communities and other stakeholders their rightful place as co-owners of the project. This will enhance public support for PPPs and attract private sector investment in infrastructure in Nigeria.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of transformational leadership behaviour of... more The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of transformational leadership behaviour of middle managers on innovation. It followed a quantitative data collection and analysis to examine the relationship between transformational leadership on climate for innovation, innovation championing behaviour and project performance. In-depth interviews were held with 13 members of staff selected from different parts of the company. In addition a focus group discussion was held with Technical Directors in order to develop a deeper understanding of the processes by which middle managers influence innovation in project based professional services organisations. Findings from the study suggest that middle managers’ transformational leadership behaviour impacts project outcomes by helping to develop a climate for innovation and influencing the championing behaviour of their staff. Notwithstanding the fact that the study was based on a single UK based professional services firm, the findings adds to our understanding of the role of middle level leadership in project environment in facilitating innovation and answers the call for more qualitative approaches to understanding the impact of leaders in project based organisations. The findings also highlight the significant impact middle managers can have on innovation and ultimately project performance contrary to the previous publications that advanced a more negative view of the role of middle managers in organisations.
Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 2020
PurposeThis research investigates the implementation of Six Sigma in competitive tendering proces... more PurposeThis research investigates the implementation of Six Sigma in competitive tendering processes to address persistent delays by identifying the potential benefits and challenges of implementing Six Sigma in construction competitive tendering processes. The results seek to encourage practitioners to implement Six Sigma in addressing competitive tendering process delays.Design/methodology/approachLiterature was reviewed to identify the benefits and challenges of Six Sigma implementation in construction processes and categorized under broad headings. Three case studies were used to authenticate the literature findings by applying Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control to their construction competitive tendering processes. Furthermore, quality tools and techniques together with documentary analysis, content analysis and determination of frequencies of quantitised qualitative data were employed to identify potential benefits and challenges.FindingsThe most common Six Sigma benefits ...
Project Management competency has been recognised as a critical source of competitive advantage a... more Project Management competency has been recognised as a critical source of competitive advantage and key to successful project delivery. For this reason it is important that the competency frameworks used to achieve competence in project organizations are effective and fit for purpose. The European Construction Institute (ECI) developed eight principles through the ACTIVE (Achieving Competitiveness Through Innovation and Value Enhancement) initiative in an attempt to add value to the delivery of projects. This research explored the congruence and scope for incorporating the ACTIVE principles into current competency frameworks in use by project organizations. An interpretive and qualitative research approach was adopted, using semi-structured interviews with eight Project Managers and Learning and Development Managers in project organizations. The use of competency frameworks is not as widespread as first thought. Current competency frameworks in use in project organizations are based on a fairly comprehensive body of knowledge and largely congruent with the ACTIVE principles centered around concept definition, team management, supply chain relationship management, communication, risk management, innovation, project execution and performance measurement. However, ACTIVE principles’ underpinning ethos of creating a collaborative working environment in projects is a missing piece worthy of incorporation into competency frameworks currently in use in project organizations.
The Hong Kong construction industry is lauded for its “can-do” attitude and the apparently high l... more The Hong Kong construction industry is lauded for its “can-do” attitude and the apparently high levels of integration and cooperation that enables its high level of performance. An industry that can regularly complete four day floor cycles on high rise buildings over 40 storeys should be an innovative and relationship based industry. However, this is not the case. For example`, the predominant form of procurement in Hong Kong is still design-bidbuild (the “traditional” approach) and “partnering” has been introduced into the industry but in a piece-meal fashion and in a manner which is hardly effective. Still, the industry is characterised by hierarchy, tradition and procedures but the industry is also heavily influenced by the Chinese culture in which it was situated. Hence, values such as face, harmony and conflict avoidance are also embedded in the industry culture. In such a situation, the issue of stakeholders and their management has been paid scant regard; the government was used to making decisions on development rather than consulting widely and the other major players, the oligarchy of large property developers, adopted a simple, economic approach to their business plans and only over the past few years have issues such as corporate social responsibility reached their boardrooms
International Journal of Innovation in Teaching and Learning (IJITL)
This study examined the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the effect of CSR in... more This study examined the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the effect of CSR initiatives on teaching and learning from teachers, students, and heads' perspectives. The study relied on in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions to obtain data. The participating schools were selected through a stratified sampling technique, with the individual respondents purposively sampled. Interviews and discussions were tape-recorded and subsequently transcribed, sorted to identify central and recurrent themes in the data. The study showed that corporate bodies have contributed immensely to the teaching and learning processes through improved school infrastructural facilities. It also found that CSR activities have enhanced teaching and learning processes. Thus, resulting in improved quality of teaching delivery, students' academic performance and beneficiary schools' societal status. The findings, however, focused mainly on the perspectives of teachers, students...
Since the 1990s, there was an increased awareness of the interactions between organisations, envi... more Since the 1990s, there was an increased awareness of the interactions between organisations, environment, and society that attracted the attention of both academics and practitioners (cf. Cousins etal., 2004). Within this context, the importance of the roles of organisations' activities and interactions, in particular, the role of procurement function has come to the fore. This phenomenon has brought about the increased recognition on the need of sustainable procurement whereby a triple bottom line approach–economic, ...
Proceedings of the ICE - Management, Procurement and Law, 2010
The form of contract plays a significant role in the governance of relationships between parties.... more The form of contract plays a significant role in the governance of relationships between parties. Recent research in project procurement emphasises relationships and cultural/behavioural issues. Such relationships operate within a formal (contractual) framework as well as an informal (interpersonal/social) framework since no contract is entirely transactional or entirely relational in nature. Sir Michael Latham suggested a cultural/behavioural change is required in the construction industry such that project participants should embrace a ‘modern contract’. This paper examines the 13 Latham requirements of a modern contract in the latest edition of the NEC. The requirements are categorised, under what are labelled here as pillars of a modern contract, namely ‘fairness’, ‘roles and functions of project participants’, and ‘payment operating mechanisms’. Developments in contracting practices in the Chinese construction industry, with a cultural tradition grounded in Confucian values of ...
Organizations develop and implement Human Resource Management (HRM) policies which are a reflecti... more Organizations develop and implement Human Resource Management (HRM) policies which are a reflection of their philosophy on how they intend to manage people. The factors outlined in existing HRM models, especially the Harvard and Warwick models, as influencing HRM policy development and practice, fall within the political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal domains as well as what the Harvard model describes as organizational situational domain. These models were however developed ...
Psychological empowerment, described as constellation of experienced cognitions manifested as sen... more Psychological empowerment, described as constellation of experienced cognitions manifested as sense of meaning, competence, impact, and self-determination has been identified as an important motivating force in teams with performance consequences for individuals and teams. Prior research have therefore sort to identify factors from the individual-, team-, project- and organisation-levels that impact empowerment cognitions with the hope of providing concrete targets for promoting psychological empowerment. One constituency that has been overlooked is the likelihood that psychological empowerment in teams may be capable of being transmitted from one team member to another. This paper reports a study investigating whether psychological empowerment cognition in project teams is contagious. Using survey responses from 380 individuals, nested in 115 project management teams, we test the psychological empowerment contagion hypothesis using analysis of variance, interrater agreement and hie...
Over the last couple of decades, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been identified as a via... more Over the last couple of decades, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been identified as a viable alternative for procuring public infrastructure. PPPs bring together the best of both worlds; private sector managerial expertise and public sector regulatory and supervisory capacity to procure public infrastructure. While several PPP projects have been delivered successfully, others have experienced challenges such as stakeholders' opposition. PPP projects are by their nature complex involving multiple stakeholders and thus far, there is a lack of adequate and wellstructured means of managing these stakeholders and their varied interests which has resulted in neglect of stakeholders. Neglect of interest of stakeholders has been identified as a major factor that undermines the success of PPP projects in Nigeria. To this end, managing stakeholders in PPP projects in Nigeria has become necessary owing to the fact that support for PPP projects by the general public and transparency...
Construction projects are characteristically complex undertakings whose successful realisation re... more Construction projects are characteristically complex undertakings whose successful realisation requires the engagement of a myriad of individuals, teams and organisations. Projects therefore provide a platform for the emergence of multiplex (i.e. entities having more than one type of relationship), heterogeneous (i.e. entities connected to others from different backgrounds) and overlapping (i.e. entities belonging to clusters or spanning boundaries) relationships. This notion of the existence of relational pluralism in projects has implications for project constituents and project delivery. For individuals, it is how to grapple with multiple and conflicting identities in achieving outcomes. For teams, it is how to grapple with multiple types of inter-team relations and still maintain harmony to achieve goals, and for organisations, it is how to deal with the multiplicity of relationships among individuals and teams and still achieve goal congruence. This paper draws on social identi...
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Papers by Martin Tuuli