"IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY IN THE NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY - A MANAGERIAL APPROACH
"IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY IN THE NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY - A MANAGERIAL APPROACH
No Thumbnail Available
Date
1981-09
Authors
OKWA, ANTHONY ABOKI
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This study, based essentially on the premise that the
construction industry retains a great deal of nu-released
potential in terms of productive capacity, has sought to evaluate
the capacity and capability of managers in the industry to
release this potential - to improve productivity from within
their firms.
The problem of low productivity as experienced in our
construction industry has been highlighted by abnormally high
costs, delays and general inefficiency. These problems, it is
noted, are detrimental to the industrial and technological
advancement of the nation because of the pace-setting nature of
construction activities - major- infrastructural and physical
facilities have to be provided before industrialization can
take off.
The objectives of this study, therefore, have been to
evolve practical guidelines to enable managers in the industry
to improve productivity from within the spheres of their
organisations to the extent that factors within their control can
be manipulated in this direction. This is in line with the
contention that managers, more than anyone else, have the greatest
potential to bring about the ouch-needed increpse in the level of
productivity of the construction industry.
vii
The procedure adopted includes an overview of the current
level of productivity to identify potential areas for improvement.
Management responsibility for productivity improvement is emphasized
with support drawn from relevant literature and eventually from
construction managers themselves.
In subsequent discussions, it is suggested that management
leverage for productivity improvement is undermined by the classical
approach to organization and management. Pointing to the fact that
the modern management ideas and techniques discussed and recommended
in the second part of the thesis have, most of them, been available
for a long time, managers, it is noted, often ignore them, feeling
either that they are impracticable, or that they are just commonsense
descriptions of what they do instinctively. Thus, this
researcher has emerged with the view that managerial response to
the problem of low productivity has been far from adequate. This
view is supported by the nature of the productivity frustrations
suffered and the factors mitigating them.(as identified in the
survey, chapter 3*0).
Thus, with the problem recognized and the factors responsible
identified, areas requiring management involvement are pin-pointed.
These are achieved in the first part of the thesis, THE RESEARCH
REPORT. The second part, GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING PRODUCTIVITY IN
THE CONSTRUCTION FIRll, outlines a practical, workable framework
f.r. o
Description
A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING,
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER
OF SCIENCE, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
Keywords
MPROVING,, PRODUCTIVITY,, NIGERIAN,, CONSTRUCTION,, INDUSTRY,, MANAGERIAL,, APPROACH