Running booming and profitable projects is significant for every contractor; however some privileged construction leaders continue to fail to spot the symbols of poor project management. A research reveals that more than 20% of all reported occupational accident in Europe occurred within the construction industry in 2015. Transformational control is considered as the key characteristic of safety-supporting leadership. Applying a reduced amount of passive or a dodging leadership and application of more transformational leadership emerge to be an efficient way for building site managers to advance work-related safety in the field. On the other hand dormant leadership comprises of poor safety leadership. The aim of this study is to discuss the effects of lack of leadership at the construction sites.
Project Management in Practice
Leadership in progress
According to the modern dictionary, a leader is an individual who is in charge and controls a group, organization, or a nation (Obolensky, 2017). He or she influences a group of individuals towards the accomplishment of a set target. Project managers play a role by practicing leadership. It is therefore important for project managers to have the skills required as a leader in the current and future projects (Kerzner, 2017). Leadership at work location is a dynamic process whereby an individual in a group is not only responsible for the group’s results, but aggressively inquire the cooperation and commitment of all team players s in realizing group ambitions in a specific context and in opposition to the background of a unique national way of life.
The lack of leadership has been clear in the construction industry and the misunderstanding of what is necessary within the industry in terms of headship, or it may possibly mean that the construction field needs something unique to other industries in order to be successful (Ciulla, 2014). The research reveals the need to re-examine the leadership behaviors and skills needed by the construction industry. There may be need to put extra emphasis and focus on the softer abilities of relationship management, innovations and emotional intellect in the industry in order to develop excellent leaders. In addition, and on a precise issue, the findings describes deficient of leadership at company stage for improving the continuity of the built environment (DuBrin, 2015). This relates with the earlier findings of the Chartered organization of Building (CIOB) report; that pointed lack of leadership on maintenance of a firm.
Lack of proper leadership can bring about long time spent on a particular project. Delays are common and persistent in building sites in developing countries (Aziz & Abdel-Hakam, 2016). Even though the chief causes for construction delays are similar across developing nations, numerous issues pertaining to home industry, cultural issues and socio‐economic as well as project characteristics also contribute to building delays. Surveys and interviews conducted on most important construction project in the world to discover the major considerable problems root to construction delays. Issues based on contractors, designers and consultants were rated amongst the peak problems. Issues such as lack of resources, poor contractor management, design delays, shortage of labor, planning and scheduling deficiencies, changed orders and contractors’ financial difficulties. Remarkably, problems such as diverse cultures atmosphere is the origin to unproductive communication, big amount of contributors of project and association of numerous foreign designers and service providers were listed among the bottom difficulties. These discoveries can be useful for project bosses to moderate the construction delays. In order to successfully defeat the building delays in developing countries, proposals are made for basic and large‐scale modifications in procurement systems, stakeholders’ management and value chain management. Some of construction delays at the construction sites include:
Overbooked Crews
Variety of construction firms take on lots of projects, overbook the project crews ending up falling behind on one or extra works as their weakened recruits drive around from work to work every day striving to get everything done.
It is great to be determined regarding your objectives, but every person has limits, and you might discover that engaging more crews reduces the weight for everyone, evades holdups, and maintains morale advanced throughout your company.
Construction project management software can be used to track the assessment the output of your team and conclude whether extra labor is necessary to maintain your projects on path, or if your present teams can manage the load.
Unreliable Subcontractors
Crews that misuse time on the work location are a problem in the construction trade. However, they may be in short of the tools, experience, training, or tactics that is needed to get the work done professionally. On the on the other hand, they may end spending much time chatting or on coffee breaks losing focus on the significance of timeliness on the work.
Poor Weather
Doing an indoor repairs or renovation, is safe in construction. For open-air projects, poor weather conditions like snow or rain can mess with construction schedule leading to prolonged completion of a project. This can threaten the projects manager slim profit margins with each passing day.
In excavation project, there’s nothing like a light rain, just a drizzle can change a freshly dug hole into a mud pit that is ready to consume an excavator or whichever extra apparatus you drive into it. High winds frequently bring to a standstill to high rise construction or a roofing job, and there’s no stop to the delays that can result from flooding, or worse, a Tornado or Hurricane.
You will have to make allowances for natural tragedies into your contracts to ensure that you do not end up compensating liquidated damages because of a snowstorm. Postponement of activities like concrete pours in agreement with the climate timetable is a good idea. Keeping water pumps at the construction sites can be a good idea so you can dispose water that accumulates that stops construction.
It is vital to invest in full time workers. Ensure they understand the processes and expectations of them, and hold them responsible for producing results on every day basis( DeCenzo et al., 2016). Setting high standards and not allowing room for excuses, the project manager will see how quickly the production increases, and that indicates you can dole out prizes for success.
Every project manager aim is to construct high quality building and avoid substandard project. However, poor construction management results in poor outcome. Improper management can jeopardize both the accomplishment and the finishing point of a project inclusive of the safety of employees. This can bring about loss in reputation and loss in millions of dollars (Smith et al., 2014). Future projects depend on the perception of the present and previous works. It is therefore important to learn and identify unsuccessful construction management ventures earlier before a project manager lands into burdens and ends up paying damages. At a point there is doubt and inconsistency in the objectives there is high chances of risks. The results may include increase in lack of safety, materials incidents, losses, and injuries.
HOW POOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT LOOK LIKE
There are countless signals of bad management; these are just a few to mention to provide an overview to existing issues and future expected problems: total lack or poor supervision of team players, constant court cases, late completion of jobs, lack of management resources; the list is countless (Halpin et al., 2017). If you are the title-holder and these problems happens the need for another general contractor should be given a chance. And if you are the general contractor and this happens to you, you need to reconsider your act before you go out of business. Hitches can originate from people, processes or from both. Finally, problems become the outcomes based on incompetent organization and inadequate management.
In conclusion, Construction projects often experience delays due to a broad variety of reasons, which may have serious financial effect on the project. As a result, interruption claims may be filed. However, delays can be evaded or reduced when their sources are clearly recognized. On the other hand, in scenarios of delays the scrutiny of its impact, the origin, and consequences of the delaying activities is one of the most complex kinds of claims analysis. The intention of this paperwork is to spot the delay aspects in construction schemes and introduction nature of delay study methods for applying more credible and accurate procedures in order to reduce the recurrences and to lessen the cruelty of disputes and lawsuit as a result of delay claims. Delays are considered to be severe crisis in the building industry.
References
Ciulla, J. B. (Ed.). (2014). Ethics, the heart of leadership. ABC-CLIO.
DeCenzo, D. A., Robbins, S. P., & Verhulst, S. L. (2016). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management, Binder Ready Version. John Wiley & Sons.
DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Nelson Education.
Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Obolensky, N. (2017). Complex adaptive leadership: Embracing paradox and uncertainty. Routledge.
Smith, N. J., Merna, T., & Jobling, P. (2014). Managing risk in construction projects. John Wiley & Sons.