Impact of Personal Demographics on Civil Engineers’ Motivators: Case Study of Turkey

Abstract

A civil engineer who lacks motivation, may perform poorly in making decisions, which may in turn negatively affect the performance of a construction project. This study extends knowledge about individual-level motivation among civil engineers and the relationship between the motivation of civil engineers and their demographics (i.e., age, marital status, education, work experience, type of company, project value). A questionnaire survey was administered to Turkish civil engineers in order to collect data on their personal demographics and their perceptions of the importance of different motivators. The case of Turkey is investigated because a large number of Turkish contractors are major players in international markets. This paper argues that there are statistically significant differences in the perception of some motivators by civil engineers based on their demographics and that different individuals need to be motivated by different motivators. The study demonstrates the existence of a relationship between demographics and motivators, an area that is mostly ignored in the motivation literature. Higher executives in the construction industry, who understand this relationship, may be able to motivate their engineers individually rather than using blanket motivators for all engineers.