Sensitivity Analysis of Motivation Factors of Engineers in Government Sector Construction Industry: A Case Study of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Motivation is a widely reviewed and studied concept in any industry despite the plethora of diversity that exists among different industries. The relationship between the guaranteed increase in performance, given the availability of a motivated workforce, could be the key underlying reason for this. This research study assesses motivation factors of engineers in the Sri Lankan government sector construction industry and further examines their sensitivity to various attributes, including age and gender. The research design follows a sequential mixed methodology of qualitative and quantitative data gathering and analysis. A structured and self-administrated systematic qualitative approach was utilised to collect data from 161 engineers. Twenty-six motivational factors were grouped according to Maslow’s need theory, and the paper presents a comprehensive analysis based on relative importance. After finding the ranking priorities, sensitivity analysis is carried out for the top five contributing factors by the Spearman rank-order technique for better discussion about the results. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge by providing recommendations on how the authorities could incorporate the most influential factors in creating a productive and cheering environment for engineers in the government sector construction industry.