School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University 2017/18

COURSE GUIDE
D31PO: People and Organisation Management in the Built Environment
This course focuses on people and organisational management. It will introduce key concepts of
management, including management theories, nature of organisations, leadership, motivations, etc.
In addition to introduction to basic theory, the course will explore the application of these concepts
in business management, especially in the context of the construction industry. Students will be
encouraged to relate the course materials to their own experience and to reflect on their personal
development in a synoptic way. It is hoped that this will be valuable in terms of career development,
as management competences and self-reflection are increasingly sought in practice.

Course Aims
1. To develop an understanding of people management and its relation to both personal and
organisational objectives
2. To develop an understanding of the principles of management in organisations and of
management techniques
3. To learn how management relates to organisations and individuals in managing change
4. To develop an understanding of contemporary good practice in management concepts,
including recent initiatives

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:
 A high level of knowledge about complex management theories and their application in built
environment organisations, including applied research findings and current good practice
techniques
 An understanding of the complexity of management concepts and their application in
practice
 An understanding of the importance of management in shaping and influencing the aims of
built environment organisations and its application in practice
 To understand the multi-faceted relationships between organisational management and an
individual’s personal motivation and objectives
 An understanding of the role of management competencies in continuous professional
development

Skills:
 To develop skills in critical and creative analysis of theory and practice in management topics
 To explicitly develop a professional level of inter-personal, interdisciplinary, and team
working skills

Values:
 To recognise the crucial role employees play in effectively meeting organisational goals
 To recognise the importance of the management and interpersonal skills that underpin a
professional’s technical competence

Assessment
This course will be assessed through a 2 hour written examination (100%).

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School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University 2017/18

Course Structure
The following topic guide outlines the main subjects in the sequence they will be covered over the
course.

Unit 1 Introduction to Management

Unit 2 Organisational Strategy
Unit 3 Organisational Structure
Unit 4 Work Groups and Conflict Management
Unit 5 Organisational Culture and Change
Interim Review & Mock Exam
Unit 6 Leadership
Unit 7 Motivation and Job Satisfaction
Unit 8 Individual Differences and Diversity
Unit 9 Control and Power
Unit 10 Social responsibility and Ethics
Final Review & Mock Exam

Reading List
Core Readings
This course uses Naoum (2011) as the core textbook and Mullins and Christy (2013) as a
supplementary textbook:
 Naoum S. (2011) People and Organizational Management in Construction, Institution of Civil
Engineers Publishing (available as e-book on Vision)
 Mullins L. and Christy (2013) Management and organisational behaviour (10th Ed.), Financial
Times Prentice Hall, Harlow (available as e-book on Vision)
Optional Readings
There is a large range of books available, which cover relevant topics, including:
 Cole, G.A. (2011) (7th Ed.) Management Theory and Practice, Letts Educational, London.
 Debra L. Nelson., James Campbell Quick (2011) (2nd Edition), ORGB 2, Cengage
 Rollinson, D. (2008) (4th Edition) Organisational Behaviour and Analysis, prentice Hall
 Clegg, S., Kornberger, M. and Pitsis, T. (2005) Managing and Organizations: An Introduction
to Theory and Practice. Sage. London
 Clegg, S., Kornberger, M. and Pitsis, T. (2008) (2nd Ed.) Managing and Organizations: An
Introduction to Theory and Practice. Sage. London
 Grey, C. (2008) (2nd Ed). A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about
studying organizations. Sage. London
 Handy, C. (1993). Understanding organizations. Penguin. London
 Whetten D. A. and Cameron K. S., (2004) Developing Management Skills, 6th Edition,
published by Prentice Hall
A list of journal articles are provided on Vision, to demonstrate the application of management
theories in construction practice.

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Learning Units
The following outlines the ten learning Units; each Unit has a list of learning outcomes. Exam
questions will be related to these learning outcomes.

Unit 1 Introduction to Management

Management is an integral part of modern business. It is essential to the success of an organisation
or a project. There may be variations of specific management tasks in different situations. However,
there are also some common management principles. This first Unit starts with the definition of
management and the main tasks of management. It also introduces the evolution of different
approaches to management.
Specific learning outcomes of this Unit include:
 Students should understand the meaning and essential features of management and its
relevance to business practice
 Students should know the main tasks of management and their application in a business
management setting, such as managing construction projects
 Students should have knowledge of the main management principles, as suggested by Fayol;
 Student should gain knowledge of the different approaches to management; and be able to
compare the different approaches, including:
o Classical approach
o Human relations approach
o Systems approach
o Contingency approach
Essential reading:
 Lecture slides
 Mullins L. and Christy (2013), 421-431
 Naoum (2011), Chapter 2: Evolution of Organisation and Management Theory

Unit 2 Organisational Strategy

An organisational strategy refers to actions that the organisation intends to take in order to achieve
its business objectives. It usually looks at the long term and is influenced by the external
environment. This Unit discusses the implication of organisational strategy; different types of
strategy; and the influencing factors. It also covers the process of developing an organisational
strategy.
Specific learning outcomes of this Unit include:
 Students should understand the importance of organisational strategy;
 Students should know the main external factors that have an influence on an organisational
strategy;
 Students should be able to compare reactor approach and planned approach to
organisational strategy;
 Students should know the main stages of the strategy development process and the main
tasks at each stage;
 Students should be familiar with the SWOT analysis technique.
Essential reading:
 Lecture slides
 Naoum (2011), Chapter 3: The Environment and Organisational Strategy
 Mullins L. and Christy (2013), 500-508

Unit 3 Organisational Structure

Organisation is the basic unit of economic and social activities in modern society. There are different
types of organisations for different purposes. Every organisation should adopt a most suitable

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internal structure in order to achieve its organisational strategy and objectives. This Unit introduces
the basic structure of an organisation and several common types of organisational structure. It also
covers different aspects of organisational structure design and the main influencing factors.
Specific learning outcomes of this Unit include:
 Students should know the main components of a typical organisation;
 Students should understand the main elements of organisation design;
 Students should know the influencing factors or main determinants of organisation design;
 Students should know the main features and applicability of five organisation structures
suggested by Henry Mintzberg;
 Students should understand the main characteristics of project based organisations.
Essential reading:
 Lecture slides
 Naoum (2011), Chapter 4: Organisational Structure

Unit 4 Work Groups and Conflict Management

Work groups are usually the basic building blocks of organisational structure. Construction projects
are delivered by project teams, which in essence are work groups. This Unit explains the nature of
work groups; group cohesion and its influencing factors; and the group development stages. It also
covers the inevitable issue of conflicts; common causes of conflicts; and different approaches to
conflict management.
Specific learning outcomes of this Unit include:
 Students should know the main factors influencing group/team cohesiveness and
performance;
 Students should know Tuckman’s team development process;
 Students should understand the concept of conflict and the evolving views of the nature and
potential impact of conflict;
 Students should know the distinction between constructive (functional) conflicts and
relationship (dysfunction) conflicts; as well as the potential benefits of the former and
damages of the latter;
 Students should be aware of the common causes for conflicts;
 Students should know the five approaches to conflict management and their suitability;
compare them in objective, posture, rationale and possible outcomes.
Essential reading:
 Lecture slides
 Naoum (2011), Chapter 5: Work Groups
 Mullins L. and Christy (2013), 98-104

Unit 5 Organisational Culture and Change

Organisational culture defines the characteristics of an organisation and the way it behaves. This
Unit discusses the meaning of organisational culture; various types of culture; and the factors that
influence organisational culture. Organisational culture and the organisation itself are not constant;
they change over time in order to adapt to changes in internal and external factors. This Unit covers
the important issues related to organisational change.
Specific learning outcomes of this Unit include:
 Students should know about organisational culture and the common types of culture;
 Students should know the main factors that influence organisational culture;
 Students should understand the benefits and main drivers of organisational change;
 Students should know the main barriers to organisation change at both individual and
organisation levels

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 Students should know the steps of successful organisational change, as suggested by Kotter
and Cohen.
Essential reading:
 Lecture slides
 Naoum (2011), Chapter 6: Organisational Culture
 Mullins L. and Christy (2013), 711-720

Unit 6 Leadership
Leadership is closely related to management; but it also distinguishes from management. Leadership
is about “getting others to follow” or “getting people to do things willingly”. There are different ways
of exercising leadership; and the result may also differ. This Unit discusses the nature of leadership
and compares it with management. It then explores different approaches to leadership and different
leadership styles.
Specific learning outcomes of this Unit include:
 Students should understand the nature of leadership;
 Students should understand the comparison between leadership and management;
 Students should know the different approaches to leadership:
o Traits approach;
o Functional approach;
o Behavioural approach;
 Students should know the characteristics of the different styles of leadership:
o Authoritarian;
o Democratic;
o Laissez-faire;
 Students should know the main principles of contingency leadership theories and
understand their implications in management practice;
 Students should be able to compare transactional and transformational leaderships.
Essential reading:
 Lecture slides
 Naoum (2011), Chapter 7: Leadership
 Mullins L. and Christy (2013), 375-379

Unit 7 Motivation and Job Satisfaction

Good performance requires staff being both ‘able’ and ‘willing’ to try their best. Motivation deals
with the ‘willing’ aspect of human behaviour. It helps to understand why people behave in certain
way. This Unit introduces the concept and principles of motivation. It also discusses the main factors
that influence staff motivation in a workplace and ways of increasing motivation and job satisfaction.
Specific learning outcomes of this Unit include:
 Students should know the meaning of motivation;
 Students should know the principles of the two main groups of motivation theories, and
example theories in each group:
o Content theories: Maslow, ERG, Two-Factor;
o Process theories: Expectancy model, Equity theory, Goal theory;
 Students should know the main factors that influence staff motivation in a workplace;
 Students should know how to enhance job satisfaction through job design;
 Students should understand the relationship between motivation and performance.
Essential reading:
 Lecture slides
 Naoum (2011), Chapter 8: Motivation and Job Satisfaction

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Unit 8 Individual Differences and Diversity

Most business organisations consist of many individual workers in different roles. These individuals
may differ in a variety of ways, such as physique, gender, ethnic origin, value, culture background,
etc. The differences can foster creativity, enjoyment, and satisfaction. They can also be sources of
misunderstanding and conflict. In any case, it is important for managers to recognise individual
differences and understand the demands of each individual.
Specific learning outcomes of this Unit include:
 Students should know what personality is about.
 Students should understand the two approaches of personality studies - Nomothetic
approach and Idiographic approach
 Students should appreciate the potential link between personality and job performance.
 Students should understand equality and diversity in a workplace;
 Students should be aware of the requirements of Equality & Diversity in a workplace.
Essential reading:
 Lecture slides
 Mullins L. and Christy (2013), Chapter 4: Individual Differences and Diversity, pages 131-167

Unit 9 Control and Power

Control is an integral part of management. Its aim is to ensure that desired goals are achieved.
Managers can exercise control over staff because they have a range of powers. However, control
needs to be applied appropriately in order to yield good results. This Unit introduces the essential
elements of an organisational control system. It also discusses more effective ways of applying
control, through delegation and empowerment.
Specific learning outcomes of this Unit include:
 Students should know the essential elements of an organisation control system;
 Students should know about the different type of powers in the organisation context;
 Students should understand the principles of delegation and empowerment;
 Students should know about the benefits and barriers of delegation;
 Students should know the main benefits of empowerment;
 Students should know how to achieve successful delegation and empowerment.
Essential reading:
 Lecture slides
 Mullins L. and Christy (2013), Chapter 16: Organisational Control and Power, pages 620-651

Unit 10 Social responsibility and Ethics

Organisations, especially large multinational companies, have an increasing influence on people’s
lives. Such a power of an organisation must be tempered by decisions relating to its broader social
obligations and ethical responsibilities. This Unit explores the key issues related to Corporate Social
Responsibility and business ethics.
Specific learning outcomes of this Unit include:
 Students should know what Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is about and why CSR is
important;
 Students should understand the different levels of corporate responsibilities , as suggested
by the Carroll’s CSR Pyramid;
 Students should know the main drivers for CSR engagement;
 Students should know about business ethics and its importance;
 Students should know the main benefits for a company to behave to a high ethical standard
and the dangers for failing to do so.
Essential reading:
 Lecture slides
 Mullins L. and Christy (2013), Chapter 17: Corporate Responsibility and Ethics, pages 659-686

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