Project High-Performance Work System for Enabling High-Performing Teams in Construction

Abstract

Modern construction organizations demand high-performing teams (HPTs) in their projects in order to face increasing performance challenges. On the one hand, they face significant performance challenges due to the competition in the industry in many forms, such as competitive bidding to receive projects. On the other hand, they need to manage the performance challenges posed by the complexities of the uncertain and volatile construction project environment to deliver projects successfully and build up strong organizational profiles to face such issues. At the same time, they must also follow the legislative requirements of their countries, which are focused on the big issues and challenges that exist in the contemporary construction industry. In order to enable HPTs, they need a high-performance work system (HPWS) that can facilitate their projects. However, although literature shows numerous studies on organizational HPWSs that consist of human resource management practices, only limited attention has been given to identifying such a system for the project context. This study aimed to fill this knowledge gap through a quantitative research study. The project high-performance work system (PHPWS) was conceptualized using literature and tested using 221 responses to a questionnaire survey among team members in construction projects. The exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to analyze data to conclude this PHPWS. The findings facilitate the construction organizations to create the PHPWS for enabling HPTs in their projects and constitute a significant original contribution to the theory and practice in the construction management research domain.