Employee Involvement in Engineering and Construction

Abstract

As the construction industry has become more competitive, construction managers have begun applying Frederick Taylor's scientific management principles to the design of construction jobs by breaking jobs into elements, determining the one best way of performing the elements, and training workers in that method. This represents a significant shift away from the historical craft paradigm. At the same time as this shift has been occurring, construction performance has been declining or stagnating. Some observers of the construction industry believe the two are related. A new paradigm for the design of construction jobs is presented and nine techniques for securing employee involvement are discussed. The scientific management paradigm is contrasted with the craft paradigm that has historically been used in construction. Research issues related to employee involvement in construction are identified.