Organisational Elements Controlling the Labour Efficiency in Sri Lankan Road Construction Projects: Engineers’ Perspective

Authors

  • Kesavan Manoharan Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1985-348X
  • Pujitha Dissanayake Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka
  • Chintha Pathirana Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0920-9738
  • Dharsana Deegahawature Department of Industriam Management, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Kuliyapitiya, 60200, Sri Lanka https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6586-0464
  • Renuka Silva Centre for Quality Assurance, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Kuliyapitiya, 60200, Sri Lanka https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8252-5331

Keywords:

Construction, developing countries, organisational factors, efficiency, productivity, road projects

Abstract

Labour efficiency is crucial for a construction firm’s long-term viability. According to recent studies, modernising organisational and administrative procedures is essential to improving labour efficiency in many developing countries, including Sri Lanka. The perspectives of construction engineers play a key role in strengthening organisational policies and management practices in the construction industry. As a result, based on the viewpoint of construction engineers, this study aims to identify the critical organisational elements that highly influence labour efficiency in Sri Lankan road construction projects. The elements/factors were qualitatively discovered after a thorough literature review. Then, a questionnaire survey was conducted among construction engineers employed by 31 Sri Lankan road construction contractors. The Relative Importance Index (RII) method was used to quantify each element’s level of influence on labour efficiency. Based on RII values, 33 organisational elements were determined as critical, where lack of communication and cooperation between the parties, delay in salary payment and lack of labour training facilities were determined as the top three ranking elements in the list. The validity and reliability of the results were confirmed by additional statistical tests. Using problem-based communication strategies, industry consultations were conducted among construction experts to determine the necessary future measures from relevant authorities based on the identified critical elements. These consultation outcomes suggest that the organisational policies of construction enterprises currently in place addressing financial procedures, communication strategies, resource management, performance management and training development practices must be improved in light of the new normal conditions facing the industry. The study findings might help to close the gap between management/organisational policies and workforce practices. Despite the fact that the study findings are limited to the Sri Lankan road construction industry, some of them could be used to address comparable issues in other developing nations.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Kesavan Manoharan, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka

    Mr. Kesavan Manoharan is serving as a Lecturer in the Department of Construction Technology, Faculty of Technology, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka) at present. He has academic teaching experience in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Construction Planning, Structural Analysis, Structural Design, Construction Materials and Construction Technology. Mr. Kesavan has specific interest/experience in quality assurance practices in higher education, curriculum development and mapping processes. He has been supporting also the academic activities of other universities/institutions by conducting visiting lectures / guest lectures and workshops. Mr. Kesavan graduated from the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) with a BSc.Eng(Hons) degree specialized in Civil Engineering. He has professional memberships with the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL), Society of Structural Engineers Sri Lanka (SSESL), Green Building Council of Sri Lanka (GBCSL) and National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka (NSF-SL). Mr. Kesavan is presently reading his PhD in the area of Civil Engineering and Construction Management at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka). His academic/research interests expand to the areas, such as construction project planning and management, productivity and performance measurements and enhancement, resource management, labour and job quality improvement, project delay control, construction education, multi-disciplinary research bridging industrial and institutional practices, education, training and curriculum development, quality assurance practices in education and training; optimisation methods, etc.

  • Pujitha Dissanayake, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka

    Dr. P.B.G. Dissanayake is serving as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) at present. He graduated from the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) with a BSc.Eng(Hons) degree specialised in Civil Engineering in 1991 and obtained his PhD from the University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) in 1999. Dr. Dissanayake also worked as a Project Manager / Planning Engineer at Maunsell AECOM (Hong Kong) from 1998 to 2007. Dr. Dissanayake has been engaged in teaching and supervising research projects for undergraduate and postgraduate students at the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) for the recent 15 years. Dr. Dissanayake also served as the Head of the Department of Engineering Management, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) for a period of 3 years. Moreover, Dr. Dissanayake is currently serving as the Coordinator of the Postgraduate Programme on Sustainable Built Environment of the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka). His current research interests are related to the field of Civil Engineering and Construction Management track.

  • Chintha Pathirana, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka

    Dr. C.K. Pathirana is serving as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) at present. She obtained her BSc.Eng, MSc.Eng and PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka). Dr. Pathirana also has Charted Engineering qualifications of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka. Her current research interests are related to civil engineering, construction materials and construction management.

  • Dharsana Deegahawature, Department of Industriam Management, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Kuliyapitiya, 60200, Sri Lanka

    Prof. M.M.D.R. Deegahawature is serving as a Professor in the Department of Industrial Management, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka) at present. He obtained his BSc (Business Administration) from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura (Sri Lanka) in 1999, MBA (Technology Management) from the Asian Institute of Technology (Thailand) in 2006 and PhD in Management from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China) in 2014. Prof. Deegahawature is also presently serving as the Director of the Staff Development Centre, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. His current research interests are related to industrial management and technology management.

  • Renuka Silva, Centre for Quality Assurance, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Kuliyapitiya, 60200, Sri Lanka

    Prof. K.D.R. Silva is presently serving as the Professor (Chair) in the Department of Applied Nutrition, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka). He obtained his BSc(Hons) in Agriculture from the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) and PhD in the discipline of Human Nutrition from the University of Reading (United Kingdom). Prof. Silva held several academic and administrative positions at the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, presently serving as the Director of the Centre for Quality Assurance. Prof Silva’s research interests span wider areas in nutrition, also in quality assurance related practices in education/training.

Downloads

Published

14-02-2023

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1 (2023)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2023 International Journal of Sustainable Construction Engineering and Technology

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Open access licenses

Open Access is by licensing the content with a Creative Commons (CC) license. 

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

 

How to Cite

Manoharan, K., Dissanayake, P., Pathirana, C., Deegahawature, D., & Silva, R. (2023). Organisational Elements Controlling the Labour Efficiency in Sri Lankan Road Construction Projects: Engineers’ Perspective. International Journal of Sustainable Construction Engineering and Technology, 14(1), 315-327. https://penerbit.uthm.edu.my/ojs/index.php/IJSCET/article/view/12749