A strategic employee resourcing framework (serf) for construction

The characteristics of the construction industry require contractors to set up temporary organizational structures at dispersed geographical locations, within which unique projects are managed. Thus, the project team forms the basic unit of working life in construction. Despite this, surprisingly little attention has been paid to managing delegation and empowerment, concepts widely associated with teamwork within other sectors. An EPSRC funded research project set out to begin to address this shortfall by examining the challenges this type of organizational structure poses on managing construction organizations and their workforce and suggesting potential solutions to responding to such challenges. Employee resourcing, and more specifically the team deployment function, was identified as being an immensely challenging management activity. In particular, the short period construction projects have for mobilization, the transient workforce and the temporary nature of construction project teams were found to make planning difficult and thus, decision-making is largely ad-hoc. In response to this, a Strategic Employee Resourcing Framework (SERF) has been developed. The framework combines a fully integrated computerized resourcing tool, a human resource information system (HRIS), user-friendly web interface and a set of procedural guidelines to provide managers and employees alike with easy access to a wide range of information. Together, the SERF should encourage employee involvement and support effective knowledge management within construction organizations. Utilizing such an approach should also result in more transparent communications and organizational procedures, improved job satisfaction, more informed employee resourcing decision-making and thus, improved organizational performance.