The critical success factors to remote development of construction management skills and competencies in Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose Construction management skills and competencies (CMSC) are of greatest importance for the industry to succeed and thrive. Some factors are critical to CSMC development. Hence, following the restrictions occasioned by the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, this study reviewed and examined these factors to understand their level of influence in the remote development of CMSC adopted by the industry within and post the disruptions induced by the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a quantitative and descriptive research method. Data were sourced from 155 completed and usable survey questionnaires with registered and licensed engineering and construction professionals practicing in both private and public sectors in Nigeria. Participants were drawn from the membership database of the Nigeria Society of Engineers. Findings The identified critical success factors (CSFs) are categorised into organisational factors which include leadership, engineering project networks and eLearning, measurement and review system, strategy and resources, organisational culture, tradition and structure. In addition to individual factors in this order of influence; willingness to learn, promotion and career development, obtaining certified qualification and obtaining respect of peers are CSFs of remote development of CMSC in Nigeria. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to identify and examine the CSFs to remote development of CMSC tailored to developing countries in Africa. It explored the two categories of CSFs in both remote and traditional CMSC developments and established that the organisational factors remain positively dominants in traditional as well as in remote development of CMSC. It further ranked the individual factors in their order of influence in Nigeria, offered insights into motivation of construction management trainees in developing countries and offered areas of improvements such as quality of training and certification.

The mediating role of organizational culture between transformational leadership and organizational performance in SMEs

“…This study also found that OC mediates the relationship between TF and OP no matter the company's size ( € Ozsahin et al, 2011). A possible explanation is that OC is not explicitly related to any size of social unit (Simko and Olick, 2020).…”

“…On the one hand, our results suggest that TF solely does not influence the OP and needs OC as a mediating variable to achieve the organization's objectives (Abdullah et al, 2015;Phuc Nguyen et al, 2023). The best way to improve OP in terms of profitability, sales increase, employee motivation and firm reputation requires TF leaders to be able to enhance behaviors through an adequate OC (Onyia et al, 2023;Sakulkijkarn and Khanthong, 2022). The adhocracy, clan and market cultures are the ones that positively affect qualitative and quantitative business performance (Acar, 2012;Cameron and Quinn, 2006).…”

“…, 2023). The best way to improve OP in terms of profitability, sales increase, employee motivation and firm reputation requires TF leaders to be able to enhance behaviors through an adequate OC (Onyia et al. , 2023; Sakulkijkarn and Khanthong, 2022).…”

“…When analyzing the SMEs' performance phenomenon, TF, OC and OP are interconnected variables in both large and SMEs companies (Sakulkijkarn and Khanthong, 2022). Culture, with its implicit and explicit symbols in one way or another, is present in human behaviors (Onyia et al, 2023;Simko and Olick, 2020). One study considered that TF supports OP if a competitive and innovative culture acts as a mediating variable (Ogbonna and Harris, 2011).…”

Effect of Training Platform on Interest and Academic Performance in Technical Education among Technical College Students in Ondo-State, Nigeria

“…TPs have become part of learning activities as they allow teachers to access innovation and contribute to the academic performance of students (Avidov-Ungar et al, 2020). Academic performance can be improved when new technologies are integrated into the educational system (Onyia, 2019). Thus, the instructional techniques employed by instructors during the learning and teaching process may have a significant effect on the learning outcomes for students in technical education.…”