Modeling for incentive payoffs in the Nigerian construction industry

Purpose Incentives are mechanisms used to create genuine opportunity for contracting parties to work together to achieve good results, rational returns and bear appropriate risks. The question of how to motivate the construction workforce rightly so as to achieve best performance has remained paramount to project owners. This paper aims to investigate on how to model for incentive payoffs in the Nigerian construction industry to effectively use the benefits of incentive mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach The collected data are analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, such as frequency counts, charts and principal component analysis. Findings The findings reveal the metrics for measuring organisational incentive payoff and the scaling factor for each metric. The study further develops the employee incentive payoff models for both operational workers and management staff in the construction sector. Originality/value This study provides a practical solution to the application of incentive mechanisms in construction projects. The paper recommends the need for restructuring of incentive mechanisms to significantly impact on other performance criteria, therefore contributing to best performance in project delivery.