Personal competency of selected women construction project managers in Malaysia Author(s): Nur Liyana Othman (Universiti Sains Malaysia, Georgetown, Malaysia) Mastura Jaafar (Universiti Sains Malaysia, Georgetown, Malaysia) Citation: Nur Liyana Othman , Mastura Jaafar , (2013) Personal competency of selected women construction project managers in Malaysia, Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Vol. 11 Iss: 3, pp.276 - 287 DOI dx.doi.org/10.1108/JEDT-02-2012-0005 Downloads: The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 265 times since 2013 Abstract: Purpose – The aim of the current research is to assess the personal competency level of women project managers in the Malaysian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach – The study used stratified random sampling design on the listed Grade 7 contractor companies in Peninsular Malaysia. The questionnaire survey approach was used to collect data on 15 women project managers in Peninsular Malaysia. Findings – The results revealed that experience is the first criterion being used in selecting women project managers, whereas the three main personal competencies they exemplify are honesty and integrity, alertness and quickness, and decision-making ability. Practical implications – The result can be used as a guidance to measure the level of personal competency of women project managers. Originality/value – The current study provides insight into the competency exemplified by women project managers in Malaysia. Keywords: Project management, Construction project management Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Article Traditionally, the construction industry is known as a demonstrably male-dominated economic activity. The culture of the industry is characterized by crisis, aggression and conflict, gallant behavior, and traditional attitudes, all of which explain male domination. Ginige et al. (2007) supported the above scenario by suggesting that the construction industry is one of the most male-dominated industries in the world. Arditi and Balci (2009) and Byrne et al. (2005) are among the researchers who acknowledged the underrepresentation of women in the construction industry. However, issues of underrepresentation of women in construction remain a worldwide phenomenon (Loosemore et al., 2003). Working in the construction industry involves travel to geographically diverse locations, long work hours, and a high level of stress (Dainty and Lingard, 2006). As such, work in construction is an uncertain job that leads to conflicts in balancing work and family (Shanmugam et al., 2007). Schein (2007), Powell et al. (2002), Willemsem (2002) and Sczesny (2003) all agreed that male domination of the industry likely occurs in managerial posts, which in turn causes the phenomenon of think-manager-think-male. This phenomenon is strengthened by the low number of women holding managerial positions in the industry, as pointed out by Duong and Skitmore (2003). Ginige et al. (2007) supported the argument that men are strongly perceived as better managers, and that this trend is unchangeable in the industry. However, increasing global competition has changed the industry structure, and traditional privileges no longer exist. These days, career success depends more on merit than on gender (Loosemore and Waters, 2004). Research from the University of California indicates that “When it comes to the best managerial skills, women may have advantages over men” (2000, p. 39). This statement has been supported by scholars such as Mui and Mulenburg (2004) and Arditi and Balci (2009). Mui and Mulenburg (2004) found that women have stronger communication, empathy, and better response skills to stress compared with men. Arditi and Balci (2009) asserted that women and men appear to have the same level of strength in managerial competencies, indicating that women are as competent as men are when holding project manager positions in private construction companies in the USA. In the construction industry, a project manager will typically be appointed to lead a project that is undertaken by a construction firm in the private sector (Pheng and Chuan, 2006). Therefore, women project managers can be defined as women working in a construction company and carrying out the duty of managing company projects. The aforementioned insignificant number of women holding managerial positions explains why so little research has been done about them, particularly on their personal competencies. The current study attempts to fill this knowledge gap by considering the competencies of women project managers in construction firms as important factors in the private sector. The goal of the present study is to assess the personal competency level of women project managers in the Malaysian construction industry. Previous researchers have noted the selection of project managers based on their specific level of competency (Turner and Muller, 2006; Muller and Turner, 2007). The term “competency” refers to the knowledge, skills, and behavior required to perform well and keep up with the culture of an industry (Delo and Hepworth, 2010), and correlates with job performance. For personal competencies of women project managers, the focus is on their personality traits and attributes. Pheng and Chuan (2006) argue on the toughness of women construction project managers, which these researchers attribute to the more challenging environment construction project managers face compared with that faced by consultant project managers. Therefore, a construction project managers job is deemed more suited for men, and men will more likely be selected for the position than women will. Many studies on women in the construction industry have been conducted all around the world. Aside from the studies on managerial competency by Mui and Mulenburg (2004) and Arditi and Balci (2009), other focus areas include the following: careers of women (Worall et al., 2010; Watts, 2009, 2007; Ginige et al., 2007; Menches and Abraham, 2007; Ericksen and Schultheiss, 2009), problems in the workplace (Duong and Skitmore, 2003), gender differences (Agapiou, 2002), the role of women (Shanmugam et al., 2007), and job satisfaction (Dabke et al., 2008). In terms of managerial competency, Mui and Mulenburg (2004) find that women have stronger communication and empathy as well as better stress-response skills than men. Arditi and Balci (2009) also find women to be as competent as men at holding project manager positions in private construction companies in the USA. Despite the abovementioned studies, research on women in the Malaysian construction industry has attracted very little attention. According to Maimunah (2001), a moderate amount of research has been conducted on Malaysian women since the 1970s, but such research is scattered across various fields, such as sociology and anthropology, education, extension education, community development, rural development, and law and politics. Only a few studies, including that by Omar and Davidson (2004), have been conducted on Malaysian women in management. Personal competency and the project manager Mirabile (1997) defines competency as the “knowledge, skill, ability or characteristic associated with high performance on a job, such as problems solving, analytical thinking, or leadership”. Competencies represent a range of different characteristics, behaviors, and traits that are required for effective job performance (Abraham et al., 2001). Personal competency is the individual characteristic or personality that people bring to their work roles, and is typically used in performance management process, selection, and performance. Crawford (2005) refers to personal competencies as personal attributes and personality traits. A good project manager must be familiar with many disciplines and techniques, including the technical, financial, marketing, and other organizational aspects of the job. Nevertheless, project managers are selected based on the appropriate competencies (Turner and Muller, 2006; Muller and Turner, 2007). The personal attributes of a project manager are important, as these are highly relevant in competency development (Kohli and Chitkara, 2007). According to Stevenson and Starkweather (2010), the competency of a project manager is a key element that influences project outcome. Sayles and Chandler (1971) define competency as one of the critical success factors in projects. Carter (1992) notes that to be a good project manager in the construction industry, personal attributes are consistently more important than learned skills. Various researchers have identified many criteria. Turner (1999) has recognized the seven traits of effective project managers, namely, problem-solving ability, result orientation, energy and initiative, self-confidence, perspective, communication, and negotiating ability. Martin (1976) identifies the following personal qualifications or abilities of project managers: leadership, honesty and integrity, command of project technology, business management competency, alertness and quickness, imaginative versatility and honest flexibility, energy and toughness, and decision-making ability. Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991) identify six traits of effective project managers: drive and ambition, desire to lead and influence others, honesty and integrity, self-confidence, intelligence, and technical knowledge. Ogunlana et al. (2002) offer 13 traits and abilities of project managers, namely, judgement, sense of responsibility, self-confidence, long-range perspective, motivation, creativity, communication, initiative, pride in performance, alertness, dependability, negotiation, and willingness to change. Judgment or decision-making capabilities had the highest weightage for project managers, clearly ranking as most important. Five sub-factors with a high weightage follow, namely, sense of responsibility, self-confidence, long-range perspective, motivation, and communication. Referring to all the personality traits/personal attributes listed above, some researchers thus define “knowledge and skills” as “personal attributes or traits”, whereas others describe “personal attributes or traits” as “knowledge and skills”. The relevance of the selected variables is based on the results of previous studies on women project managers and the required project manager attributes. Therefore, project managers are expected to possess the following attributes and traits: • honesty and integrity; • alertness and quickness; • energy and toughness; • decision-making ability; and • self-confidence. Honesty and integrity Dainty et al. (2003) define “honesty” as being honest with both the client and the project team, and “integrity” as keeping promises and adhering to agreed actions. According to them (Dainty et al., 2005), honesty and integrity are important to project managers for the management of both internal team relations and external relationships with the client and other project stakeholders. Project managers must show honesty and integrity to promote an atmosphere of trust; thus, they should not make impossible promises (Kerzner, 2009). Alertness and quickness Project managers must be alert and quick to perceive warning signals that can eventually lead to serious problems (Kerzner, 2009). The project manager knows that a construction project is multidisciplinary (Shohet and Frydman, 2003) and involves a hectic atmosphere. Therefore, he must direct a great variety of changes, instead of random, unproductive motions, to achieve project objectives (Martin, 1976). Energy and toughness Energy and toughness have been used by Kerzner (2009) to demonstrate the working environment of the male-dominated discipline. Project management is a demanding, particularly stringent business that can be brutal in its physical and mental demands on project managers. Project managers should possess mental toughness (Blokdijk, 2007) because they must handle a great deal of interpersonal relationships and be available to many people, alone and in combination, as all problems seem to demand immediate attention. Decision-making skill Bedein (1986) defines “decision-making” as the act of choosing the best option given two or more alternatives. In projects, things are always changing too fast and many improbable combinations of people and organizations are involved (Martin, 1976). Therefore, project managers will inevitably face numerous problems throughout the projects life. As such, gathering information about the problem to understand the issue as clearly as possible is important for project managers (Harris, 2007). Self-confidence To be effective, project managers must be enthusiastic and strong-minded. Hence, they must have self-confidence and a willingness to lead (Burnett, 1998). Effective leaders believe in their own abilities and are required to have a broad range of skills and tools to deal effectively with the complexities of project management (Burnett, 1998). A project manager must be confident in his own ability, which is something that is normally associated with experience (Pheng and Chuan, 2006). Questionnaire design The current work is part of a larger study on women project managers in the construction industry. The first part focuses on the demographic data of respondents, which consist of four questions: age, status, highest educational qualification and area of specialization, and working experience in the construction industry. The second part covers personal competency. In terms of the personal competencies of a project manager, the present research used five categories of measure, namely, honesty and integrity, alertness and quickness, energy and toughness, decision-making ability, and self-confidence. The questionnaires on personal competencies used in the study were based on previous studies. For example, honesty and integrity were based on Dainty et al. (2005), Turner et al. (2000) and Cleland and Ireland (2004), alertness and quickness on Kerzner (2009), energy and toughness on Blokdijk (2007) and Delisle (2007), decision-making ability on Dainty et al. (2005), Harris (2007) and Blokdijk (2007), and self-confidence on Lee-Kelley et al. (2003). The Likert scale 1 – never to 5 – always, was employed to determine the competency of the respondents. A pilot study was conducted on six respondents involved in the construction industry. To pretest the questionnaire and increase its validity and reliability, a pilot survey was carried out. Sampling design A stratified random sampling design was used in the study. According to the classification of the Construction Industry Development Board, Grade 7 (G7) construction companies are the largest in Malaysia. In October 2010, the researcher began calling all the listed G7 construction companies in Peninsular Malaysia to find women project managers as respondents. This approach was chosen because of the lack of statistical data and official information about women project managers in the Malaysian construction industry. Of the 1,205 G7 construction companies around Peninsular Malaysia contacted, only 574 responded. Of the 574 who responded, only 48 had women project managers. All 48 women project managers were surveyed. Initially, only ten project managers replied. Another five responded after a few follow-up calls were made, making the response rate reach 31.3 percent. Demographic data The mean value is computed based on frequency analysis. A majority of the respondents are between 25 and 35 years old (40.0 percent), followed by those between 36 and 45 years old (33.3 percent), and those between 46 and 55 years old (26.7 percent). Most of the respondents are married (66.7 percent); 20 percent are single and 13.3 percent are divorced or widowed. A majority of the respondents are degree holders (66.7 percent), followed by diploma holders (20.0 percent). Only 13.3 percent of the respondents are masters degree holders. Most of the respondents (36 percent) specialize in engineering, followed by planning (20.0 percent), project management (20.0 percent), and architecture (16 percent). A majority of the respondents have had work experience ranging from one to five years (26.7 percent), and from six to ten years (26.7 percent). Most of the respondents (73.3 percent) have had one to five years of work experience as project manager. The longest work experience as project manager is 20 years; the shortest is two years. Most of the respondents have participated in more than one type of project before becoming a project manager. Most of them (37.8 percent) have been involved in non-residential, residential (29.7 percent), infrastructure (16.2 percent), industrial (8.1 percent), and special construction projects (8.1 percent). Personal competencies Table I shows the four personal competency variables that are continuously analyzed. The mean rank value is based on a non-parametric test. The χ2-value is 8.107, and p=0.044. Most respondents have demonstrated honesty and integrity (χ2=2.960, p=0.228) by keeping promises (mean rank=2.23) and by admitting their mistakes (mean rank=1.90). All parties have trust in their capabilities (mean rank=1.87). Most respondents have displayed alertness and quickness (χ2=0.200, p=0.655) by being aware or alert when problems or conflicts arise (mean rank=1.53) and by making quick alternatives to solve project problems (mean rank=1.47). Most respondents have exhibited their decision-making capabilities (χ2=3.500, p=0.174) by getting good feedback from project members regarding their decisions (mean rank=2.13), by using the right alternatives to reach project goals (mean rank=2.03), and by making timely and correct decisions (mean rank=1.83). Most respondents have demonstrated self-confidence (χ2-value=0.200 and p=0.655) by not feeling nervous when communicating with all parties (mean rank=1.53) and when handling projects in general (mean rank=1.47). As for energy and toughness (χ2-value=21.814, p=0.000), most of the respondents have exhibited these qualities by controlling their stress at work (mean rank=2.83) despite having a very tight schedule (mean rank=1.60) and working long hours (mean rank=1.57) (Table II). The challenges faced by female project managers in the construction industry have attracted many studies in this area. However, the focuses of these studies are different. Personal competency is one of the most important requirements for becoming a successful project manager. Past research has shown that women working in a male-dominated industry adopt different techniques to work as strongly as men do. The present study assessed the personal competency of women project managers in the Malaysian construction industry. However, industry characteristics posed many limitations to the research. The study obtained a few significant results on the background of women project managers. Most of the respondents were aged between 25 and 35 years old (40.0 percent), and 66.7 percent of them were married. According to Ogunlana et al. (2002), a married person is perceived to be more mature and to have a more stable personality compared with someone who is single. As for educational attainment, a majority of the respondents were degree holders (66.7 percent). Previous scholars, such as Ogunlana et al. (2002) and Brown et al. (2007) support the principle of education qualification by noting that without education, the potential for successful performance is reduced. A majority of the respondents (73.4 percent) had experience in the construction industry ranging from one to five years, whereas the average female construction project manager in the UK has 19 years of work experience (Hyväri, 2006). The construction industry in Malaysia is growing, and a demand for more contractor project managers in the industry exists. Those with minimum experience but are capable of managing projects can also be promoted to the level of project managers. Honesty and integrity were ranked first among the competency variables analyzed, followed by alertness and quickness, decision-making ability, self-confidence, and energy and toughness. The importance of honesty and integrity is supported by Kerzner (2009), Dainty et al. (2003, 2005), Cleland and Ireland (2004) and Wong et al. (2008). Honesty and integrity promotes an atmosphere of trust, which can help settle differences and promote the strengths of project members. This statement is supported by Kerzner (2009) and Wong et al. (2008). Trust has been recognized as the most important behavioral factor in managing relationships among contracting parties (Wong et al., 2008). According to Wong et al. (2008), trust is a significant factor that leads to project success. Furthermore, keeping promises made to ensure a trustful environment is important for project managers, as noted by Dainty et al. (2003), Kerzner (2009) and Cleland and Ireland (2004). The alertness and quickness attributes obtained the second ranking. Kerzner (2009) concurs with the significant need for these attributes. Decision-making ability ranked as the third attribute exhibited by most of the respondents. Its importance, however, has been highlighted by Ogunlana et al. (2002), Blokdijk (2007), Dainty et al. (2005) and Love and Irani (2003). According to the results of the current study, most of the respondents received good feedback from other parties regarding their decisions. This result is supported by the study of Dainty et al. (2005), which noted that a project managers decision-making ability is the skill to picture, analyze, and reason to make appropriate decisions. Most of the respondents demonstrated self-confidence as the fourth-ranking personal attribute. Based on the findings of the present study, most of the respondents were found to be confident when communicating or dealing with all parties and handling the projects. Therefore, the perception that women professionals lack confidence, as noted by Shanmugam et al. (2007), can be opposed. The importance of self-confidence of project managers has been noted by Lee-Kelley et al. (2003) and Pheng and Chuan (2006). In addition, self-confidence, which is associated with experience, leads to project success (Lee-Kelley et al., 2003; Pheng and Chuan, 2006). A significant relationship was found to exist between project manager experience and project success (Lee-Kelley et al., 2003; Prabhakar, 2005; Dolfi and Andrews, 2007). Energy and toughness were ranked last among the personal attributes. These attributes represent the physical stamina and mental toughness needed by a project manager to cope with the quantitative and qualitative demands of a project. However, having mental balance to cope with project needs and the ability to handle work stress is also important. This statement has been supported by Blokdijk (2007) and Aitken and Crawford (2007). The results of the present research show that the respondents experience in the construction industry helped them manage their stress level. The current study contributed to the knowledge on women project managers in the construction industry. Assessing the competency levels demonstrated by women project managers in Malaysia is a first among studies done in developing countries. This study identified the top three main personal competencies possessed by women project managers in Malaysia: honesty and integrity, alertness and quickness, and decision-making ability. The importance of honesty and integrity lies in promoting an atmosphere of trust as well as the strengths of project members. Trust is an important behavioral factor in managing relationships among parties, and is a significant factor in project success. Alertness and quickness are undeniably important in managing construction projects. Women project managers were found to have the ability to perceive warnings and stay alert when problems or conflicts arise. Therefore, women project managers can fulfill the main requirement of managing project challenges. To manage these challenges, decision-making ability is required. According to the results, women project managers are capable of picturing and analyzing the problem to make an appropriate decision. In addition, the quality of the decisions they make for construction projects are ensured through the good feedback received from others. The study had a few limitations. First, it was rather biased for women in assessing their own competency level. Second, statistical data on project managers, either male or female, in the Malaysian construction industry were absent. This lack of information made it difficult to judge the population size of women project managers. Focusing only on G7 contractors resulted in a small sample size and limited response rate, preventing the study from making generalized conclusions about the construction industry. Furthermore, the respondents for the research had to fulfill two criteria: they must not be the owner or director of the company, and they must truly hold a project manager position and not other positions such as executive quantity surveyor or contract manager. Third, difficulties in attaining the cooperation of the companies and the women project managers themselves limited the study to using a personally administered questionnaire (quantitative method). This study makes the following recommendations for future research. First, further study can be done on a larger sample population of either female or male project managers. Women project managers can then be assessed from the viewpoints of employers and colleagues, giving a better indication of women project managers competency levels. A comparison of the competency levels of men and women in developing countries can also be another research focus area. Future research may also cover a wider scope of activities accomplished by women project managers in the Malaysian construction industry
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