Civil engineers’ personal values/demographics linkage in project team building

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between civil engineers’ demographics (e.g. age, marital status, education, work experience) and their personal values. The objective was to predict civil engineers’ personal values based on their demographics. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was administered to civil engineers to collect data on their demographics and their personal values. Statistical analysis was performed to verify whether a significant statistical relationship exists between civil engineers’ demographics and their personal values. Findings The most important and the least important personal values were identified for civil engineers. Statistical analysis indicated that civil engineers’ values do vary based on their demographics. Research limitations/implications The results of this study cannot be generalized, because individuals’ personal values and demographics are, by definition, local. Location and culture may affect the personal values of civil engineers. Practical implications Team leaders normally have access to information about the demographics of the engineers they employ; based on the results of this study, they should be able to predict their personal values, and to make more informed decisions when appointing them to particular positions on project teams. Originality/value The research presented in this paper, establishes for the first time, that a linkage exists between civil engineers’ personal values and their demographics, and makes it easier for team leaders to make assignment decisions.

Conceptualizing the Relationship between Personal Values and Sustainability—A TMO Case Study

“…Creativity enables organizations to remain competitive, respond to opportunities, adapt to and overcome challenges, in a rapidly changing business environment (Sousa and Coelho 2011). Creativity features heavily in construction professions and projects, contributing to novel ideas (Damci et al 2017), and plays out in a context associated with "complexity, high and often irreducible uncertainty and contested values" (Miller et al 2014, p. 240). Within this, sustainability is a learning process (Vare and Scott 2007): When creative individuals cope with such ambiguous, novel, and ill-defined problems, they tend to demonstrate "strong achievement motives, substantial self-confidence, tolerate ambiguity, display an interest in learning, and show substantial openness and flexibility" (Mumford 2000, p. 317).…”