Influence of Contractors’ Management Strategies on Construction Project Performance in Developing Economies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26437/ajar.v11i1.825Keywords:
Construction Industry. Contractors. management strategies. performance. project.Abstract
Purpose: This study explores the influence of contractors' management strategies (CMS) on construction project performance in Ghana. Globally, including in Ghana, the construction industry faces persistent performance challenges, partly due to the adoption of ineffective management strategies.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The research employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey, gathering data from 375 site managers working in medium and large-sized construction companies. Statistical techniques, including principal component analysis, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis, were applied to analyse the data.
Findings: The study found that while contractor management strategies identified in the literature are only moderately applied, they lead to average project performance. Nevertheless, the findings also highlight that the active implementation of comprehensive project planning, robust monitoring and control systems, effective stakeholder collaboration, and the integration of digital technologies can significantly enhance project performance. Research Limitation: The study was limited to medium and large-sized construction firms. Including data from smaller firms could improve the generalizability of the findings. Practical Implication: For construction managers seeking to improve project outcomes, the findings highlight the importance of prioritising effective project planning, robust monitoring and control, strong stakeholder collaboration, and the integration of digital technology. Emphasising these strategies can lead to more efficient project execution, improved performance metrics, and overall project success.
Social Implication: Improved CMS can foster better working conditions, enhance safety, and increase client satisfaction, contributing to a more substantial reputation and economic growth for local contractors in developing economies like Ghana.
Originality/Value: This work uniquely explores the role of CMS within Ghana's construction sector and offers actionable recommendations that could be valuable for similar contexts in other developing nations.
References
Acheamfour, V. K., Kissi, E., Adjei-Kumi, T., & Adinyira, E. (2020). Review of empirical arguments on contractor pre-qualification criteria. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 18(1), 70–83. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEDT-03-2019-0067
Ackon, F., Kheni, N. A., & Mensah, J. V. (2022). Influence of Organisational Culture on
Project Planning: A Competing Values Perspective in Ghanaian Context. African Journal of Applied Research, 8(2), 344-355.
Adebayo, O. R., Eniowo, O. D., & Ogunjobi, V. O. (2018). Assessment of project monitoring and control techniques in Ondo State Agency for Road Maintenance and Construction (OSARMCO). International Journal of Engineering and Management Research, 8(5), 177-184.https://doi.org/10.31033/ijemr.8.5.21 Adik, N. (2014). A Study on Impact of Employee Training on Project Performance in Construction Industry in Kota Bharu, Kelantan (Doctoral dissertation, Universiti Malaysia Pahang). Ahmed, R. (2016). Top management support and project performance: An empirical study of public sector projects. 2016 International Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Management, ASEM 2016, (November 2016). https://doi:10.2139/ssrn.3044377
Bamfo-Agyei, E., Thwala, D. W., & Aigbavboa, C. O. (2020). Influence of workforce on
productivity of labour intensive works on feeder road construction in Ghana. African Journal of Applied research, 6(1), 91-104.
Barbosa, F., Woetzel, J., & Mischke, J. (2017, 2020). Reinventing construction: A route of higher productivity. McKinsey Global Institute.
Bentil, E., Nana-Addy, E., Asare, E. K., & Fokuo-Kusi, A. (2017). The level of existence and impact of cost and time overruns of building construction projects in Ghana. Civil and Environmental Research, 9(1), 36-46. Buertey, J. I. T., Amofa, D., & Atsrim, F. (2016). Stakeholder management on construction projects: A key indicator for project success. American Journal of Civil Engineering, 4(4), 117-126. Chinn, S. (2020). Construction strategies that reduce inefficiencies and improve profits. Retrieved from https://esub.com/blog/6-construction-strategies-that-improve-profits/ Cohen, J. (1998). Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sciences, xxi. Hillsdale, NJ: L Erlbaum Associates. Fang, Y., Cho, Y. K., Zhang, S., & Perez, E. (2016). Case study of BIM and cloud–enabled real-time RFID indoor localization for construction management applications. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 142(7), 05016003. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001125 Fummey, S. L. (2016). Studies on Exploring Critical Success Factors for Stakeholders Management in Construction Projects in Ghana (Master’s thesis). KNUST, Kumasi; Ghana. GIPC. (2020). Ghana Club 100. Available at: www.gipcghana.com (Accessed 5 March 2020). Gunduz, M., & Almuajebh, M. (2020). Critical success factors for sustainable construction project management. Sustainability, 12(5), 1990. https://doi:10.3390/su12051990 Gunduz, M., & Yahya, A. M. A. (2015). Analysis of project success factors in construction industry. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 24(1), 67–80. https://doi.org/10.3846/20294913.2015.107412 Hair, J. F. Jr., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective (7th ed.). Pearson Education. Idoro, G. I. (2012). Influence of the monitoring and control strategies of indigenous and expatriate Nigerian contractors on project outcome. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, 17(1), 49-67. Imbeah, K. A. (2012). Framework for the implementation of total quality management (TQM) in real estate firms in Ghana. Retrieved from http://ir.knust.edu.gh/bitstream/ Kheni, A. N. (2008). Kheni, N. A. (2008). Impact of health and safety management on safety performance of small and medium-sized construction businesses in Ghana. PhD Thesis. Loughborough University. Kissi, E., Agyekum, K., Baiden, B. K., Tannor, R. A., Asamoah, G. E., & Andam, E. T. (2019). Impact of project monitoring and evaluation practices on construction project success criteria in Ghana. Built Environment Project and Asset Management. https:doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-11-2018-0135
Kissi, E., Aigbavboa, C., & Kuoribo, E. (2023). Emerging technologies in the construction industry: challenges and strategies in Ghana. Construction Innovation, 23(2), 383-405. DOI 10.1108/CI-11-2021-0215
Kuwaiti, E. Al, Ajmal, M. M., & Hussain, M. (2018). Determining success factors in Abu Dhabi health care construction projects: customer and contractor perspectives. International Journal of Construction Management, 18(5), 430-445. https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2017.1333401 LetsBuild (2020). Ten construction management strategies that work. https://www.letsbuild.com (Accessed 15th May, 2020) Magassouba, S. M., Tambi, A. M. B. A., Alkhlaifat, B. I., & Abdullah, A. A. Bin. (2019). Influence of stakeholders involvement on development project performance in Guinea. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 9(1), 1111–1120. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v9-i1/5513 Majumder, S., Majumder, S., & Biswas, D. (2022). Impact of effective construction planning in project performance improvement. Quality and Quantity, 56(4), 2253–2264. doi:10.1007/s11135-021-012245. Mandala, E. (2018). Influence of stakeholder involvement in project management of the performance road construction projects in Kenya: A case of Bondo Sub County, Siaya County. MPhil. Thesis. University of Nairobi. Multon, K. D., & Coleman, J. S. M. (2010). "Coefficient alpha". In encyclopedia of research design. In Salkind, N. (Ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc. Mwangu, A. W., & Iravo, M. A. (2015). How monitoring and evaluation affects the outcome of constituency development fund projects in Kenya: A case study of projects in Gatanga constituency. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 5(3), 14-31. DOI:10.6007/ijarbss/v5-i3/1491 Naeem, S., Khanzada, B., Mubashir, T., & Sohail, H. (2018). Impact of project planning on project success with mediating role of risk management and moderating role of organizational culture. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 9(1), 88–98.
Njogu, E. M. (2016). Influence of stakeholder involvement on project performance: A case of NEMA Automobile emission control project in Nairobi County, Kenya (Dissertation, University of Nairobi). Ofori, D. F. (2013). Project management practices and critical success factors-A developing country perspective. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(21), 14–31. DOI:10.5539/IJBM.V8N21P14
Ofori-Kuragu, J. K. (2014). Enabling World-Class Performance- A Framework for Benchmarking. PhD Thesis. KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana. Ofori-Kuragu, J. K., Baiden, B., & Badu, E. (2016). Critical success factors for Ghanaian contractors. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 23(4), 843-865.
Ondieki, W. M. (2016). Stakeholder capacity building and participation in monitoring and evaluation of urban water supply and health projects in Kenya. A case of Kisii town, Kisii country. Journal of Geography and Natural Disaster, 6(2), 13- 32. Osawaru, F., Amusan, L., Awotinde, O., Akanya, C., Asiyanbola, O., & Akinbo, F. (2018, July). Planning materials supply for construction works. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 173, No. 1, p. 012002). IOP Publishing.
Osei-Asibey, D., Ayarkwa, A., Acheampong, A., Adinyira, E., & Amoah, P. (2021). An examination of causes of accidents and hazards in the Ghanaian construction industry. Journal of Safety Science and Technology, 2(11), 66-88.
Osumanu, I. S., Aigbavboa, C. O., & Thwala, D. W. (2022). The Effect of Management
Behaviour on Lean Process Improvement in The Real Estate Sector in Ghana. African Journal of Applied Research, 8(2), 209-219.
Powmya, A., Abidin, N. Z. & Azizi, N. S. M. (2023). Determination of contractor strategies in delivering construction projects in Oman. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, 28(1), 293-316. https://doi.org/10.21315/jcdc-12-21-0203
Ramanayaka, C.D.D. (2013). Developing a strategy Led approach as a suitable methodology for construction planning and implementation. PhD Thesis. Auckland University of Technology.
Saeed, N. M. N., & Hasan, S. A. (2012). The effect of total quality on construction project performance. Case study: Construction firms in Yemen. Journal of Science & Technology, 17(2), 11-30.
Stock, G. N., McFadden, K. L. & Gowen III, C. R. (2007). Organisational culture, critical success factors, and the reduction of hospital errors. Int. J. Production Economics, 106, 368–392. Tengan, C., Appiah-Kubi, E., Anzagira, L. F., Balaara, S., & Kissi, E. (2014). Assessing driving factors to the implementation of project monitoring and evaluation practices in the Ghanaian construction industry. International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT), 3(2), 173–177.
Voght, J. G., & Epstein, R. C. (2019). Ten strategies for planning a successful construction project. Greenberg Traurig, LLP. National Law Review Wamugu, J. W., & Ogollah, K. (2017). Role of stakeholders’ participation on the performance of Sub County development fund projects in Mathira East Sub County in Kenya. International Academic Journal of Information Sciences and Project Management, 2(1), 104 –125. Waweru, P., & Omwenga, J. (2015). The Influence of strategic management practices on performance of private construction firms in Kenya. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 5(6), 348-353. Willar, D. (2012). Improving quality management system implementation in Indonesian construction companies. PhD Thesis. Queensland University of Technology. Retrieved 12 May, 2013 Yang, H., Yeung J. F. Y., Chan, A.P.C., Chiang Y. H., & Chan, D. W. M. (2010). A critical review of performance measurement in construction. Journal of Facilities Management, 8(4), 269 – 284.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 AFRICAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
By submitting and publishing your articles in the African Journal of Applied Research, you agree to transfer the copyright of the Article from the authors to the Journal ( African Journal of Applied Research).
