Implementing Self-Managed Teams in a Construction Project Organization - Case Study Example

Implementing Self-Managed Teams in a Construction Project Organization of Institute Implementing Self-Managed Teams in a Construction Project Organization Features of Self-Management Teams: Motor Vehicle Industry as Example Self-management teams have become increasingly popular especially in the face of stiff competition amongst companies. It is not exactly known the exact theory behind the creation of self-managed teams, though many managers agree that a disciplined one does a good job with little or no supervision. In fact, the concept of self-managed teams was designed to take out the element of supervision so that employees would feel trusted with the work that they have been assigned to do (Hawkins, 2013, p. 122). Such a team is usually charged with the responsibility of planning and managing their daily activities under no external interference unless where extremely necessary. The concept of self-managed teams was also adopted within management as a way of reducing costs of operations while motivating employees at the same time. Employees in self-managed teams usually wield some virtual managerial powers. That is because decisions about how the team executes its duties usually come from team members directly. It forms what one would call a pluralism approach to decision making. Even so, self-managed teams need to have some guidelines set in line with the goals of their organization. The expectations of an organization need to be clear so that such teams are seen to add value to the overall management of an organization (Chou & Yang, 2012, p. 50). Otherwise, self-managed teams may also work very hard but in a direction not preferred by an organization if care is not taken. This confirms that first and foremost, self-managed teams must be managed using a proper communication channel. Irrespective of industry, features of self-managed teams tend to be largely similar. However, there may be slight variations depending on the specific job descriptions and job specifics. Car manufacturing industries, for instance, have self-managed teams whose features are unique to that industry. That is particularly so especially in regard to team composition, skill distribution in the teams and competence. To begin with, self-managed teams in a car manufacturing industry are jointly responsible for the execution of their allocated duties. The process can be divided into three different stages that include development, production technology and actual production. It is important to note that each of the three stages is critical and therefore very important. Various teams are scheduled tasks at each of the three stages depending on qualifications and interest. Taking the production stage for example, self-managed teams would do the following tasks to ensure that a desired model has been completed successfully. The sheets for the body would be pressed, and then wielded into the body-framework before being painted. After painting, there would be resin moulding and finally assembly. It is again important to note that each of the above stages involves many tasks and that teams are specifically specialized to work at one station of a conveyer belt. The most interesting stage where self-managed teams can be best analysed is the assembly unit. Like any other self-managed teams, teams in the assembly unit have to work together. They have a joint responsibility each to play a part so that the next person on the assembly line can continue with the next task. It is the responsibility of all the members to make sure that the car comes out clean and operational by the time the past person completes with the wheels. There is a lot of interdependence among the team members. The person putting wheels in place would not be able to do that if the brake linings are not in place. Self-managed teams also have a common goal. The aim of the assembly is to make sure that the car comes out in the exact manner as it was designed to be. By the time the chassis has been made ready and passed, to the next stage, it is the hope of the team that put together the chassis that the next team will assemble the rest of the body to produce a complete car. The team testing the car are also eager to fix anything of concern so that they may have a fully functional car. Other features that are apparent in self-managed teams in car manufacturing include good communication skills, responsibility, reliability, self-discipline and dedication amongst others. It is important to note that responsibility is a key feature in self-managed teams in car manufacturing. Teams, though acting semi-autonomously, have a duty to ensure that no single regulation is ignored or applied incompletely. Relevant Features of a Typical Construction Project Organization Although construction project become apparent during the construction phase, actual work usually begins from the time the project was initiated. A typical construction project organization starts with project initiation, and then moves to planning (funding included), environmental impact assessment, design drawing, permitting, real property acquisition, bids and award and finally construction. After construction, there may be commissioning and eventually operations as intended. At the project initiation phase, there is very little to do with self-managed team. During this time, the project exists as a concept. A construction project would discuss this part of the project at the top level given the implications with which it comes. For example, a construction project organization would like to evaluate whether it has the capacity to implement the proposed project fully. Usually, a lot of planning takes place during this time to ascertain the viability of the project (Yang and Shao, 1996, p. 529; and Langfred, 2007, p. 891). Financial implications are also taken into consideration to eliminate the likelihood of executing the project with constrained resources. Monetary resource is the most critical concern in the planning bit. The construction organization has to ensure that it has accurate financial figures of what it would mean to undertake such a project. Given that monetary resources will be the first pillar of support to the problem, the management has to follow the planning process very keenly. Preferable, the top management should be part of the planning team. That enables them to have a clear picture of the kind of project into which they are to venture. During the first two stages, it would be a bit challenging to implement self-managed teams though not impossible. If at all the management has to appoint a team for the purposes of evaluating the initiated project and financial implications, such a team has to work under specified guidelines. Attempting to allow a self-managed team take over completely at this stage could spell disaster. In fact, the most experienced and the most qualified employees are the assets to use at this stage (Frankforter and Sandra, 2005, p. 22). That is particularly so since budgeting for a project goes beyond cost alone to other elements such as planning for potential unavoidable risks arising from various deliverable. Once the preliminary planning has taken place and the mission is a go from engineering perspective, there will be an obvious need for environmental impact assessment (EIA). Environmental impact assessment is a typical feature for a construction project organization. At the initial phase, an established environmental agency such as those formed under National Environmental Policy Act will be required to do an impact assessment (IA). During the IA by a national environmental agency, there would be no use for any team from the construction project organization. The nature or the feature of the job at this stage is a preliminary assessment for the purposes of recommending guidelines on how to execute the project. It is not always automatic that an environmental officer would clear constriction to begin after site visit (Mueller, 1994, p. 389; and Pretorius, Steyn, and Jordaan, 2012, p. 9). There are instances in which an environmental officer may deem project not friendly to the environment and recommend its cancellation. However, there will be an environmental engineer if the project is given a green light to continue. Under such circumstances, an environmental engineer would need to work with the team at the construction site under his/her strict guidance. There may be little room for self-managed team lead by the environmental engineer to go outside environmental specifications given to them. Otherwise, it is feasible to have self-managed team under the environmental engineer as long as they it has been briefed on the importance of sticking to environmental regulations. That is to ensure that the construction project conforms to the laid out environmental procedures as recommended in in environmental impact assessment report. Any violation of the regulations specified in the EIA report may lead to termination of the project in the basis of non-compliance. Another feature of a typical construction project organization is that they have designs for various projects. Self-managed teams can come up with various designs if they were to act as individuals within their teams. However, when the concept of team has been instilled and members have taken responsibility, design is best achieved by self-managed teams. Completion of design is usually charged with an engineer or a team of engineers. This stage may be a challenge in the event that a team is not compact. However, it is relatively easy to come up with a design as team as long as team leadership is effective and there is commitment from every member (Fellows & Liu, 2012, p. 651). After the design has been finished and submitted for approval, the next feature that one would observe a typical construction project organization undertake is the actual construction. It is important to note that actual construction involves many people. There would be the chief architect who will serve as the construction manager. Under the chief architect will be other engineers such as structural engineers, civil engineers, traffic engineers, noise engineer, landscape architect and other contractors amongst others. One should note that the number of and the specific categories of engineers for a construction project organization will depend on the nature of the project. The construction project would again be divided into phases as sub-features. It is the feature of any construction project organization to have work divided into phases for the purposes of proper project management. Implementation of fully autonomous self-managed team during this stage of construction would depend on the nature of the job. The chief architect is the first person to benefit from implementation of self-managed team. Since the chief architect is working with a team of engineers, he/she would just discuss the scope of work schedule for each phase and leave the engineers to go manage their teams. His/her only assessment would be time management, resource utilization and conformity to required standards. It would not be his business how his team of engineers assign specific duties (Fellows & Liu, 2012, p. 653). As long as all employees meet the minimum threshold required for execution of their specific tasks, the engineers would be at liberty to work independently. At the lower level, engineers may have to design the extent to which they have to allow the workers under them work as self-managed teams. Given the sensitive nature of constructions, engineers may have to monitor closely those working under them. For example, the digging of the foundation of construction site definitely allows some room for self-managed team. Once clear instructions have been issued, engineers may not have to supervise their teams closely. After showing them the nature of the work to be done and demonstrating the process, construction engineers can allow the contractors working under them some autonomy with their teams (Liu, Wang, & Sheng, 2012, p. 405). Even so, they should maintain a close supervision at specific intervals to ensure that there is conformity to the standards. Some scholars (Brookes, 2012, p. 605; Zafft, Adams, & Matkin, 2009, p. 276; and Pasquire, 2012, p. 641) have argued that at critical stages of the construction, the concept of self-managed team should be implemented with close supervision for conformity. In short, a hybrid approach that allows a mixture of self-managed team and non-independent teams should be adopted. Such an approach allows reality of each situation to be implemented. Research has shown that although self-managed team are likely to work with a lot of enthusiasm and register impressive results, there are certain situations when it may become impossible. If the team dynamics such as leadership, emotional intelligence and other cohesive factors that keep a team together are ignored, then despite qualifications, a team may not operate at optimum. This is to emphasize that management and the success of self-managed teams go beyond mere professional qualifications within a team. The ability of the team leader to keep team cohesive and the willingness of every team members to act as one are very fundamental. There are many lessons that one can learn from attempts to implement team-based and other forms of collaborative working in construction are both negative and positive. Some scholars (Tuuli, Rowlinson and Koh, 2009, p. 189) argue that dynamics of control particularly in constructions projects can be modified along the path of team and individual empowerment. They conducted a study that confirmed that controlled teams do not always perform as better as teams that were allowed some autonomy. The scholars also argue that many managers are still undecided about how exactly to empower teams in construction projects. Even so, there is overwhelming evidence that self-managed teams do perform very well. Tuuli et al. also believe that even if teams are empowered and the manager remains largely unwilling to surrender some control, then construction projects may not benefit. Even so, is observable that there study does not point out the extent to which a manager should cede some control. Whereas empowering a team may be seen to boost morale and increase performance, it also may also be limited by the complexity of certain specifics in the job at particular stages. Consequently, one can say that implementing team-based and other forms of collaborating working in construction need to be guided by a clear human resource policy. Such a policy should provide direction on how to manage human resources and other non-human resources. Many scholars (Pasquire, 2012, p. 645) agree that only a balanced approach achieves the best results. HRM Strategy for the Implementation of Self-Managed Teams in a Construction Project Organisation The concept of human resource management is something that many construction project organizations have not taken very seriously. In fact, a number of scholars argue that it has been more of emergent process whereas it should be a deliberate and strategic process. There is an obvious need for workforce management in any typical construction project organization. One should understand that any HRM strategy should serve to improve the overall effectiveness and productivity of workers (Devaro, 2008, p. 684). The same applies in a construction project organization. Such improvements should be seen through effective project management and supervision (Proenca, 2010, 643). Studies have shown that a good HRM strategy should minimize absenteeism and increase productivity (Tatum, CB 2011, p. 748). It should also work to reduce employee turnover so that a construction organization can have reliable workforce that has grown and gathered experience while working in the organization. Scholars increasingly point out that constructions that have put systems in place for proper HRM resource have been able to achieve higher performance at organizational level. Consequently, one would say that high level strategic planning and human resource planning could be made possible through a comprehensive HRM strategy. Such a comprehensive HRM strategy would allow proper management of people and people processes for the overall improvement of a construction project organization. The following is a possible HRM strategy that a construction project organization can adopt to improve its operations. HRM Strategy In line with various theories and models of human resource management, the following can serves as a HRM Strategy. It is designed to address Management structure Administrative skills (cost management, scheduling, material resource management, keeping work record Supervisor skills (Technical, planning, material, tools, equipment, short term planning, crew coordination, craft coordination, leadership, task training) General Employee skills Communications Use of information technology Wages, Salary and pay On job training and professional development (Task and craft training) Management structure Human resource analysts advise that management structure should be designed in a manner that reflects the nature of an organization. The HRM structure is supposed to support the implementation of self-managed teams. Therefore, management structure should be designed to create teams at various vertical stages so that the concept of team is sustained. There should be a proactive horizontal management structure. A little of vertical management may also be implemented for very serious decision-making. Top-level management, second level management, and third level management all the way to the last level of management should be made up of teams (Kumaraswamy, M, Ling, F, Rahman, M, & Siew Ting, P 2005, p. 1079). The functions at each level should be designed to be carried out at team levels except for supervisory duties and other functions that require individual execution. One should notice that although team outcomes present some of the best results, some scenario call for someone to be in-charge (Tata & Prasad, 2004, p. 261). For instance, the CEO many sit in the top management and make important decisions as a team, but he/she should also have the power to make some independent decisions. Administrative Skills (Cost Management, Scheduling, Material Resource Management, Keeping Work Record Self-managed teams tasked with management roles should be skilled in administrative aspects such as cost management, scheduling, material resource management and keeping work record. Cost management skills enables self-managed teams in a construction project organization to operate more independently while staying on a logical financial course. Scheduling skills would also allow teams to plans tasks that need to be executed at what phase of the project and for how long. The team should also be trained in or be able to manage resources appropriately during any construction project. Employees and self-managed teams charged with administrative role should also be skilled in keeping work record. Such work record should be capable of managing safety issues at the construction site, attendance and truancy, productivity, quality and taking initiative (Devaro, 2008, p. 683). This is to ensure that that the company has the right persons for the right job. Supervisor Skills (Technical, Planning, Material, Tools, Equipment, Short Term Planning, Crew Coordination, Craft Coordination, Leadership, Task Training) A construction project organization should also have clear policy guidelines for its supervisors in the self-managed teams. A number of professionals in construction management advise that to work effectively as a supervisor, one should have requisite skills. Someone that that qualifies as a supervisor should have technical skills such as ability to work effectively with computers and other support gadgets. The individual or team should be skilled on task scheduling so that they can be of help where need be. They should also be skilled or be trained in material resource management so that they can guide the optimum use of materials. It would also be important for such an individual or team to know how to handle tools, equipment and machinery at the construction site. That enabled then to determine the reliability of tools that they assign for use. Studies also show that leadership skills such as crew coordination, craft coordination and task training are also necessary for personnel appointed to the position of a supervisor (Chinowsky, Diekmann, & Galotti, 2008, p. 809). General Employee skills Depending on the nature of the work to be done, self-managed teams should have relevant skills for their specific areas of qualification. They should possess project average work skills. Such should include specific craft skills and general craft skills. Other technical skills would also be an added advantage for employees. Employees should also be trained on interpersonal skills such as teamwork so that they can work virtually in any team in which they are assigned (Fellows & Liu, 2012, p. 655). Primary qualifications should be taken seriously though it should go hand in hand with some experience either as an intern as the minimum threshold or as a professional with other organizations in construction industry. Communications Many researchers agree that communication is fundamental for the success of any organization. This is because it is through information that all ideas and notifications are passed so that work may flow as planned. Self-managed teams in a construction project organization should be supported by a clear policy on communications. Policy on communication should cover the process and the means. Vertical communication should allow information flow as up-down, down-up of both ways. The fact that a construction company project company has opted to work with self-managed team makes it important to allow such team access to as much information as possible. For purposes of harmony, the team leaders should seek information from the top management on behalf of the team. The teams should also be allowed exercise flexibility as far as communications are concerned. Any member of the team should be at liberty to communicate vertically with the superiors as well as horizontally with team members (Ammeter & Dukerich, 2002, p. 3). The team should also have common platform for communications such as a notice board, a website, or a social page. Information intended to for all team member should reach all teach members roughly at the same time. All the information should be stored, integrated and updated continuously so that any change is reflected as soon as possible. Fields teams should be provided with a way for accessing information without having to come back to the office. This means that self-managed teams should also have communication hardware for in the field, whether owned individually or shared. Use of Information Technology For proper coordination of self-managed teams, construction project organizations should embrace IT and offer training to team members on how to use such resources. A construction company should make sure that information technology is used at all levels of management and in the fields. Working with the latest and emerging technologies make work easier. Information technology utilization complements communications and design. Wages, Salary and Pay To promote career development among self-managed teams in a construction project organization, pay should reflect labour laws and career progression. A construction company should not only pay the minimum wage for various job groups. Employees should be paid a higher wage for their higher skill level. Other packages such as bonus and other motivation packages should be put in place to recognize extraordinary achievements. On Job Training and Professional Development A construction project organization should also put in place on job training and professional development if it needs to implement to self-managed teams. Most business leaders in management position confirm that on job trainings and professional development helps to improve productivity (Madter, N, Brookes, N, Bower, D, & Hagan, G 2012, p. 644). Craft training should be made available to workers. A construction project organization should also put systems in place for leadership training for it self-managed teams. Craft training and task training should be scheduled on regular basis to improve the pool of skills. Construction project organizations should always assess the specific skills that are needed for improvement and organize on job training. Bibliography Ammeter, A, & Dukerich, J., 2002. leadership, team building, and team member characteristics in high performance project teams, Engineering Management Journal, 14, 4, p. 3. 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