Martin Jaeger, Gang Yu and Desmond Adair
The purpose of this paper is to identify evidence for, first, the existence and nature of organisational culture of Chinese construction organisations in Kuwait, second, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify evidence for, first, the existence and nature of organisational culture of Chinese construction organisations in Kuwait, second, the differences and similarities when comparing with construction organisations in China and, third, the differences and similarities when comparing with construction organisations within the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through researcher administered survey instruments from 33 Chinese construction project managers in Kuwait, then were analysed by using the Organisational Culture Assessment Instrument and empirical statistics.
Findings
The Hierarchy culture was found to be dominant. It matches the predominant organisational culture among construction organisations in China, but is different from the blend of Hierarchy and Group culture of construction organisations in the GCC.
Originality/value
Chinese construction organisations in Kuwait were found to foster an organisational culture that is close to Chinese construction organisations in China regarding Hierarchy, Market and Adhocracy culture, but closer to the GCC construction organisations regarding the Group culture. Practitioners need to be aware of the differences and similarities identified in order to manage cultural diversity effectively.
Details
Keywords
Martin Jaeger and Desmond Adair
The purpose of this paper is to identify the perception of total quality management (TQM) benefits, practices and obstacles in Kuwaiti industrial organizations certified against…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the perception of total quality management (TQM) benefits, practices and obstacles in Kuwaiti industrial organizations certified against ISO 9001:2000 (or later) and following a TQM approach. A discrepancy in perception between project managers (PMs) and quality management representatives (QMRs) of organizations in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries has already been identified (Jaeger and Adair, 2013), and this study compares the perception of these two groups in more depth.
Design/methodology/approach
Extensive representatives of both groups have been individually interviewed, a classification system for TQM benefits, practices and obstacles has been developed, and interview responses have been analyzed against this classification system.
Findings
It emerges that all responses matched one of the benefits, obstacles and practices of the classification system. Comparing the total group of PMs with the total group of QMRs, it was found that both groups agree on their perception of the most important practice (i.e. an implemented management system) and, the biggest obstacle (i.e. lack of employee involvement). However, they disagree on their perception of the most important TQM benefit (i.e. PMs prefer quality of products and services, and QMRs prefer productivity).
Originality/value
The results of the total groups and sub-groups give new insights regarding the different perceptions of PMs and QMRs. Also, the results enable practitioners of these two functions to discuss the differences and align their perceptions. This should increase the effectiveness of the TQM approach in their organizations. Finally, the results allow management consultants to focus on areas with high potential for improvements.
Details
Keywords
Martin Jaeger, Desmond Adair and Sondus Al‐Qudah
Quality criteria of The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) have been used as a standard for organisational self‐assessment and benchmarking. The threefold purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Quality criteria of The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) have been used as a standard for organisational self‐assessment and benchmarking. The threefold purpose of this paper is: to analyse the individual weights of the MBNQA criteria for organisations of the construction and the manufacturing industry within the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries in order to create a basis for self‐assessment and benchmarking; to identify differences of criteria importance between the construction and the manufacturing industry (external alignment) in order to identify challenging areas on TQM when two organisations from the respective industries collaborate; and to compare the perspectives of project managers with those of quality management representatives (internal alignment) in order to identify challenging areas on an organisation's TQM caused by not aligned or contradicting perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaire based in‐depth interviews of GCC project managers and quality management representatives were analysed using a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to calculate the weights and subsequent ranking of seven quality criteria.
Findings
When compared to the original weights of the MBNQA criteria, the “results” criterion was found to be ranked the same. However, clear differences were identified regarding the criteria “leadership” and “measurement/analysis”. The differences between the two analysed industries were not significant, whereas project managers and quality management representatives have clearly differing views on all seven criteria.
Originality/value
First, the analysed ranking of MBNQA quality criteria in the GCC countries gives organisations of the construction and the manufacturing industry a benchmark for comparison with their ranking of the MBNQA criteria. Second, clients may assume a common and hence strong basis for TQM when organisations belonging to the construction industry collaborate with organisations belonging to the manufacturing industry. Third, the organisations’ internal communication between project managers and quality management representatives needs to be improved in order to pursue common TQM goals effectively.
Details
Keywords
Martin Jaeger and Desmond Adair
One of the consequences of globalisation is the proliferation of interactions between professionals of organisations from different cultural backgrounds. This is certainly true…
Abstract
Purpose
One of the consequences of globalisation is the proliferation of interactions between professionals of organisations from different cultural backgrounds. This is certainly true for construction project managers working in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and the aim here is to provide foundation evidence regarding first, the existence of a distinct organisational culture and, second, the perceived culture type.
Design/methodology/approach
Data collected through questionnaire-based interviews with 96 construction project managers in the GCC countries was analysed by applying the Organisational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI, Cameron and Quinn, 2006) and empirical statistics.
Findings
The OCAI was found to be a useful tool to determine a profession's culture, and, confirming what has so far been anecdotal evidence, the findings indicate that both the group and hierarchy cultures are dominant culture types among construction project managers in the GCC countries.
Practical implications
The confirmation of the dominant culture types gives increased confidence to practitioners to develop effective cultural diversity management regarding professional interactions with construction project managers in the GCC countries.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to the body of knowledge by proving that construction project managers in the GCC countries perceive a dominant blend of group and hierarchy cultures.
Details
Keywords
THE serious and intractable housing problem persists to plague governments and embitter citizens. Why this is so can be gleaned from a few statistics.
Annmarie Nicely and Raslinda Mohd Ghazali
The purpose of this paper is to use a study conducted on the Caribbean island of Jamaica to make the case that music might be a plausible suppressant of negative visitor…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to use a study conducted on the Caribbean island of Jamaica to make the case that music might be a plausible suppressant of negative visitor harassment (VH). The goal of the study in question was to determine the genres of songs and music likely to have a positive effect on emotions the antithesis of the ones associated with VH but would have positive effect on visitors’ shopping behaviors as well.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed method pre-experimental design was used for the study. Forty-two craft traders from a single craft market in Jamaica participated in seven music experiments and the data gathered were analyzed using predominantly paired and independent t-test analyses.
Findings
The researchers found that music likely to result in positive shopper behaviors also resulted in positive trader emotions, in particular in emotions the antithesis of those associated with trader harassment. In addition, the researchers discovered that old non-instrumental local songs had a significantly greater positive effect on these emotions than local contemporary songs and instrumental music.
Originality/value
The study discussed was original as it was the first known that looked at music as a possible treatment for negative VH.