Search results

The purpose of this paper is to study the nature of request for information (RFIs) on construction projects by using data analytics to understand the frequency of RFIs, when they occur on projects, and the relationship between project characteristics and frequency of RFIs and between project characteristics and RFI turnaround time.

A data-analytic approach using RStudio and Minitab software on 168 construction project cases in Australia and New Zealand involving 1,032,949 correspondences and 53,042 RFI event records made available by Aconex, one of the world largest cloud-based project management platform.

Large and complex projects tend to have significantly larger number of RFI events per day and longer RFI turnaround when compared with smaller and less complex projects. Projects with fewer users per organisation recorded a higher RFI turnaround time when compared with projects with more users per organisation – users mean persons involved in managing the project using the online platform (an index of project complexity). RFIs occur early on less complex projects and occur later on more complex projects.

Benchmarks of RFI incidences and turnaround time have been developed for various project characteristics and, practitioners can use them to monitor the RFI performance of projects. Organisations need to pay greater attention to staffing levels needed to handle RFIs to reduce RFI turnaround time.

A data-analytic study of RFI yielded insights for managing RFIs. The findings of previous studies on RFIs are difficult to generalise because they are based on single project case study. The influence of project characteristics on RFI frequency and RFI turnaround time is not yet known.

The paper sets out to describe the testing of a model of work and family life among a sample of professional and managerial employees in the Australian construction industry. The model positioned work‐family conflict as a variable linking experiences in one domain (i.e. work or family) with outcomes in the other domain.

A survey exploring experiences of work and family life was conducted among employees of one large private and one large public sector construction organization in Queensland, Australia. Regression analyses were performed to test the validity of the work‐family interface model.

The model was partially supported in that time and strain‐based demands in the work domain were linked to family functioning via work interference with family. However, time and strain‐based demands in the family domain were not linked to work role outcomes via family interference with work.

The survey was cross‐sectional so the causal direction of relationships could not be ascertained. Longitudinal research is needed to establish the causal direction of the work‐family relationships supported by the research. Further research is also required to examine the effectiveness of strategies designed to reduce work interference with family life in the construction sector.

The asymmetry in the relationship between construction employees' work and family lives indicates that the family life of professional and managerial construction employees in Australia is more susceptible to interference from work than work life is susceptible to interference from family life.

Provides evidence that, when construction professionals and managers face obligations in one role that interfere with the enactment of a second role, performance in the second role suffers.

This paper seeks to identify the adaptive strategies of couples in which at least one spouse/partner is employed in a professional role in the Australian construction industry.

Most studies of work‐family balance identify the determinants and outcomes of work‐family conflict for individual employees. However, there is a growing recognition that analyses or work hours and coping strategies require a couple‐level analysis. The reason for this is that couples lead “linked lives” in which the work circumstances and experiences of one spouse/partner inevitably impact on the other spouse/partner. Quantitative and qualitative data are combined to reveal the adaptive strategies used by workers in the Australian construction industry in juggling their work and non‐work lives.

The results reveal that standard construction industry work practices present significant challenges for dual earner couples. Adaptive strategies are highly gendered, most frequently involving wives or female domestic partners reducing their involvement in paid work.

The intensification of work and demographic shifts have created a “time squeeze” for many families who juggle two paid jobs with their family goals and responsibilities. Failure to provide regular (and reasonable) hours of employment in the construction industry is likely to discourage the entry of young male and female employees, particularly those who desire a more “hands on” experience of parenting.

The analysis of “within‐couple” adaptive strategies builds on previous individual level analyses of work‐life balance in construction and suggests that long and inflexible work hours promote adaptive strategies based upon a gendered “breadwinner‐home‐maker” model.

The purpose of this paper is to explore employees' perceptions of work‐life balance (WLB) in an Australian infrastructure construction project, using semi‐structured focus groups.

In total, 43 employees participated in the focus groups, representing 50 per cent of the project workforce at the time. Focus groups explored employees' experiences of WLB during the planning and design stage of the project, as well as their expectations for the management of WLB during the construction phase.

Project culture, project resourcing and the schedule demands of the construction stage of the project were identified as barriers for WLB, while participants believed that the “project alliance” delivery model, flexibility of working hours and the project management team's support for WLB would facilitate WLB in the project.

Data were collected from one case study project which utilised an alliance delivery model. Therefore, the results cannot be generalised to the construction industry as a whole or to construction projects utilising an alliance delivery model. Data were collected from professional and white collar workers therefore the results cannot be generalised to blue collar workers. The research findings suggest new directions for future research in WLB related to project settings.

The study will provide project managers with a better understanding of work‐life experiences of project teams and highlight the barriers and facilitating factors for WLB.

WLB has been widely investigated in static work settings, however it is not well understood how research findings translate to project settings as little research has been conducted in this area.

This research aims to explore the relationship between work time demands, work time control and supervisor support in the Australian construction industry.

A survey was undertaken with waged and salaried construction workers in two construction organizations (n=261).

Work time demands were positively correlated with time‐ and strain‐based work interference with family life (WIF) but inversely correlated with time‐ and strain‐based family interference with work (FIW). Work‐family enrichment was inversely correlated with work time demands and positively correlated with both work time control and social support from one's supervisor. Respondents with high work time demands and low work time control (or low supervisor support) reported the highest levels of time‐ and strain‐based WIF. The lowest levels of WIF were reported by respondents in low work time demands and high work time control (or high supervisor support) jobs classifications. However, jobs high in both work time demands and work time control reported the highest levels of work‐to‐family enrichment.

The results suggest that work‐family conflict and work‐family enrichment should be treated as two distinct concepts in work‐family research and that the job demands‐control theory is helpful in explaining work‐family conflict but that alternative theories are needed to explain positive work‐family interactions.

The practical implication of the research is that reducing work time demands may be helpful in reducing work‐family conflict but that the provision of work domain resources is probably required to enable positive work‐family interactions.

Previous work‐family research has focused on job demands and resources separately, while the job strain literature has focused on the impact of job demands and the key resources of social support. The originality of this research is that it examines the extent to which different configurations of job demand and resource can explain experiences at the work‐family interface.

The aim of the current study was to develop and assess a method for obtaining peer‐, selfand teacher‐nominations of the participant roles in peer victimisation appropriate for use with children between the ages of five and eight years. Sixty‐eight five‐year‐olds and 69 eight‐year‐olds and their teachers took part. Peer‐nominations (including self‐nominations) were obtained from five‐ and eight‐year‐olds for participant roles of aggressor, reinforcer, assistant, defender, outsider, passive and provocative victim; and similar nominations from their teachers. At both ages, children were able to nominate for all the roles, and consistent gender differences were found. Test‐retest reliability (over an interval of one week) was moderate to high for all roles in eight‐year‐olds, but only for aggressor and provocative victim in five‐year‐olds. There was evidence for role discrimination, but five‐year‐olds gave similar nominations for aggressor and provocative victim. Within‐class pupil agreement was significant for aggressor and provocative victim at both ages, and for passive victim and defender at eight years. Peer‐ and teacher‐ratings showed better agreement with each other than with self‐nominations. The findings are discussed in relation to children's developing abilities to identify and report various roles, as well as developmental changes in the nature of peer‐aggression.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a clear view of current dynamics and research diversification of extant literature in the field of work-life balance (WLB). This paper provides a systematic and critical analysis of WLB literature using bibliometric analysis.

Scopus database has been used for carrying out this review that is based on 945 research papers published from 1998 to 2020. The prominence of the research is assessed by studying the publication trend, sample statistics, theoretical foundation, the highly cited research articles and journals, most commonly used keywords, research themes of top four recognized clusters, sub-themes within each cluster and thematic overview of WLB corpus formed on the premise of bibliographic coupling. Additionally, content analysis of recently published papers revealed emerging research patterns and potential gaps.

Major findings indicate that the research area consists of four established and emerging research themes based on clusters formed as (1) flexible work arrangements, (2) gender differences in WLB, (3) work–life interface and its related concepts, and (4) WLB policies and practices. Emerging themes identified through content analysis of recent articles include gender discrepancy, the impact of different forms of contextual (situational) factors and organizational culture.

This research paper is the first of its kind on the subject of WLB as it provides multifariousness of study fields within the WLB corpus by using varied bibliographic mapping approaches. It also suggests viable avenues for future research.

Multi-team systems (MTSs) are expected to respond effectively to complex challenges while remaining responsive and adaptable and preserving inter-team linking mechanisms. The leadership team of an MTS is expected to configure and reconfigure component teams to meet the unique needs of each situation and perform. How do they learn to do this? This paper, using a recent MTS learning theory as a basis, aims to begin to understand how MTSs learn and stimulate ideas for future research.

The authors use two case studies to address research questions. The first case was a snapshot in time, while the second case occurred over several months. Interviews, documents and participant observation were the data sources.

As suggested by theory, findings support the idea that learning triggers, the timing of the triggers and readiness to learn (RtL) affect the type of learning process that emerges. The cases showed examples of adaptive and generative team learning. Strong and clear triggers, occurring during performance episodes, led to adaptive learning. When RtL was high and triggers occurred during hiatus periods, the associated learning process was generative.

Using an available theoretical model and case studies, the research describes how MTS readiness to learn and triggers for learning affect MTS learning processes and how learning outcomes became codified in the knowledge base or structure of the MTS. This provides a framework for subsequent qualitative and quantitative research.

The purpose of the paper is to describe the practical experience of managing e‐books in an academic library.

An overview of the three main e‐book collections used (netLibrary, Taylor & Francis, and Ebook Library via Dawson) is provided, along with details such as the acquisition, cataloguing and maintenance of e‐books; funding, licensing and authentication; varying interfaces; publicity, promotion and user education; subject coverage, statistics and usage.

Variations in approach and services by the suppliers of e‐books can provide challenges for those managing e‐books.

The paper provides practical details of managing e‐books in an academic library that might be of relevance to others.