HRMT20024 - Annotated Bibliography: HRM in Construction Industry

This annotated bibliography examines the role, importance, challenges, and ethical issues of human resource management (HRM) within the construction industry. It uses five peer-reviewed articles to highlight key themes such as environmental sustainability, the need for market and client orientation, ethical code implementation, and the importance of skilled workers and effective communication for project success. The analysis reveals that the construction industry faces unique HRM challenges due to its labor-intensive nature, higher health risks, and often strained relationships between workers and employers. The bibliography emphasizes the need for improved HRM practices to ensure project sustainability, ethical conduct, and overall industry growth. The document is available on Desklib, a platform which provides all the necessary AI based study tools for students.

Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRY
1
Human Resource Management in the Construction industry
Student Name
Institution Affiliation

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 2
Introduction
In this study, the construction industry sector is chosen. The annotated bibliography
discusses in detail, using various relevant articles as examples, the role, importance and
challenges as well as ethical issues of human resource management in a construction industry.
The construction industry is growing in most countries, however, the industry’s growth rate is
not to the expected level as a result of how the human resource management has been imaged
generally (Chan, Scott and Chan, 2014). The articles indicate how the construction industry
requires more manual labor and exposes a higher heath risk to the employees an aspect that has
resulted to an opaquer relationship between the workers and their employees. The human
resource management has a vital role in the field of building as the work within the industry is
the responsibility of the individuals working within the industry.
Article 1
Siew, R. Y. J. (2014). Human resource management in the construction industry–Sustainability
competencies. Construction Economics and Building, 14(2), 87-103.
Key words: construction, sustainability competences, human resource management
The article examines the sustainability of the environment and how human resource
management can enable the sustainability of the environment. The question of the paper is how
an individual person can contribute towards the development of sustainability. The article
addressed the question by offering an outline that measures the construction industry employees’
sustainability competences. The method applied involved mapping of the proficiency levels to
the major construction associated jobs basing on the framework. The article offers examples to
indicate the strategies on how the competences are assessed, the outline is original and can be put

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 3
into practice by the human resource personnel and the construction managers (Siew, 2014). The
article concludes that human resource management especially in the construction industry plays a
vital role towards maintaining environmental sustainability.
The issues about the environmental sustainability have dominated the socio-political
discussions globally and very little focus is put at the personal level. The stress on the
significance of individual persons maintaining sustainability goal claims that whatever happens
on earth is as a result of more than six billion consuming and independent producing people.
However, initially the emphasis on human resource management was majorly about the factors
of employment relationship task domains such as development, employment conditions,
remuneration, training and recruitment (Lv, 2015). Presently the focus is towards the recognition
of human resource management as a facilitator of achieving the sustainability goals. The article’s
authors illustrate the bigger HRM’s picture towards maintaining sustainability, the authors
highlight that the main goal of HRM in the near future is to develop organizational capabilities,
competencies and collaborative strategies to support the constructive industry’s journey towards
maintaining sustainability. However, the articles do not mention on how HRM can be applied in
building the capabilities of sustainability (Othman, Idrus and Napiah, 2013). Sustainability is
absent in the construction industry which is known for its dangerous, dirty and difficult life, the
Centre for Intercontinental Economics Sydney and Canberra suggests that 23% of the
greenhouse emissions in Australia is as a result the construction industry’s energy demand.
Article 2
Wilkinson, A., Johnstone, S., & Townsend, K. (2013). Changing patterns of human resource
management in construction. Construction Management and economics, 30(7), 507-512.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 4
Key words: human resource management, construction, patterns, economics
The article emphasizes on the need of the construction industry to be more market and
client oriented for the purpose of enhancing the company’s quality. The factor is a vital
implication for the management and business model in the construction industry. However, the
construction industry being the main constitute for global economic growth, and the work nature
in the industry being labor intensive, there has been a deficit in the industry’s human resource
management matters (Wilkinson, Johnstone and Townsend, 2013). The purpose of the article is
to discuss how the construction industry employees are managed and how the management can
have vital implications to the performances of the organization and in return affecting the success
and failure of the organization. The article discusses in detail the complex project-based
environmental nature, in-built cultural customs, structural flexibility and cyclical demand. The
article concludes that, the construction industry project delivery usually involves the co-
ordination of an assortment of actors, in a workforce that is heterogeneous, fragmented and
transient (Alzahrani and Emsley, 2013).
The management of individuals working in the industrial country is cavalier, informal
and capsulized with the employees working for a longer period of time. Construction working is
depicted as a more strenuous job that exposes the workers to higher risks of safety and health
issues. The construction sector has lagged behind due to the deprived image in association to the
human resource management approaches and the workforce relations. For long, project-based
work for the determinate time, and construction and economic factors have dominated the
construction industry, and the factors have had a great over the strategies of the dominant
personnel (Othman, Idrus and Napiah, 2013). The extensive outsourcing of labor in most
construction industries has made the association between the employees and employers more

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 5
opaque, fluid and transient in comparison to other industrial sectors. The deteriorated
relationship between the workers and employers in the construction industry calls for the
management to change the pattern of human resource in the building sector (Shahhosseini, and
Sebt, 2016).
Article 3
Oladinrin, T. O., & Ho, C. M. F. (2014). Strategies for improving codes of ethics implementation
in construction organizations. Project management journal, 45(5), 15-26.
Key words: ethics, construction, implementation, compliance
The article discusses the responsibility of the construction industry management (human
resource) in creating and maintaining ethics within the sector. There is need for considering the
assumptions made upon the process of implementing the ethical programs in the field of
construction. The paper purposes to discuss in detail the approaches that will enhance the
implementation of the ethical codes in the building industry. In the study, the literature survey
methodology was used to support the articles claim. The paper also employed the used of the
model for European Foundation for Quality Management as device to inspire the ethical
behaviors in the construction organization (Oladinrin, and Ho, 2014). The study demonstrated
how the ethics could be managed in the construction organization, the study also provided the
outline for enhancing the ethical codes in the building sector. From the article, it is found that,
the HRM body in the building industry is responsible for enabling the implementation of the
ethical codes and compliance to the ethics (Alzahrani and Emsley, 2013).
The significant factor for managing ethics is the establishment of a responsibility design
that is clear by the industry’s authorities. The construction industry, being one of the fields where

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 6
a lot of manual labor and time is required than any other industrial field, there is a great need for
the establishment of an ethical code of conduct among the workers for the purpose of ensuring
the sustainability of the construction project. The construction industry’s authority structure, the
human resource management body included, should be in full regulation of the ethical morals
within a particular construction site. The enablers of the ethical codes are prioritized by their
levels of ranks, the leadership enabler is ranked first, the process enabler is ranked next and
finally the last on the rank is the resources and partnership enabler. However, the strategy and
policy enabler is the most essential enabler who ensures perfect correlation within a construction
project (Langford, D, Fellows, Hancock and Gale, 2014).
Article 4
Othman, I., Idrus, A., & Napiah, M. (2013). Human resource management in the construction of
a sustainable development project: towards successful completion. WIT Transactions on Ecology
and the Environment, 162, 169-180.
Keywords: successful completion, sustainable development, improvement, human resource
management, construction
The paper evaluates the role of human resource management in a construction of a
development project that is sustainable. Most projects, particularly the construction projects, face
various problems, management of human resource is one of the issues that are taken into
consideration during the study (Othman, Idrus and Napiah, 2013). The building industry requires
more manpower than any other business for effective working, however, the industry’s human
resource management is insufficient and inadequate. The article’s purpose was to identify the
problem of human resource management in the in the field of structuring and come up with the

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efficient ways and methods of ensuring improved development of a construction project
(Bondarouk, Kees Looise, and Lempsink, 2015). The study’s methodology involved conducting
interviews around Malaysia, there was also the creation of questionnaires which were distributed
to the Malaysian contractors, the results found from the feedback were critically analyzed. The
results indicated the awareness of the importance of human resource management to the
Malaysian contractors in a construction project. The problems of human resource in a structuring
project were also identified as; insufficient teamwork, inefficient communication among the
team members and failure of the project managers in conducting their role. The study concluded
that for a sustainable building project there should be; assigning of skilled workers, employment
of project managers who are experienced and improved communication among work mates (Lv,
2015).
The study of construction in terms of human resource management is done worldwide,
many countries, for instance, Australia, Europe and Asia have greatly ventured in the study to
ensure successful completion of a sustainable construction project. Human resource management
which is defined as the field of professional practice and organizational activity that has an
unclear and complex entity, defined variously y the researchers and practitioners has a great
impact in the construction industry. Human resource management has various consequences in
determining the construction project’s success (Loosemore, Lingard and Dainty, 2013). Apart
from the other project’s success factors such as the mission of the project, an effective HRM has
a positive impact towards a project’s achievements. Construction is termed as a practice that
involves assembling or building an infrastructure, a construction job is usually managed by the
manager of the project and overseen by the, designer engineer, project architect, construction
manager or construction engineer. To ensure the project success, various aspects such as the

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 8
human resource, construction delays, health, safety planning and management must be
considered.
Article 5
Othman, I., Napiah, M., & Potty, N. S. (2014). Case study analysis for the successful completion
and sustainable construction of infrastructure projects. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the
Environment, 181, 373-384.
Keywords: sustainable construction, successful completion, component optimization, qualitative
analysis, construction advancement reports
The article examines a case study that was conducted to illustrate the needs for
sustainable completion of successful infrastructure construction projects. For a successful and
sustainable construction process, various aspects are considered including the supervision during
the stage of pre-design, supervision during the phase of construction and the management of the
workforce. The case study’s research methodology was interviewing of the construction experts,
that is the constructors, construction engineers, the structuring architect and the project
managers, (Othman Napiah, and Potty, 2014). The result indicated the need for ensuring
environmental stability before starting a construction project. Constructions are usually
constructed on the ground, the earth has various ground types, the individuals conducting a
particular construction need to inspect the stability of the ground where the construction is to
occur as well as the environment around the place to ensure a successful completion of a
sustainable construction project. The research concluded that there is need for reduction of

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 9
construction complexity and easing its implementation as well as adoption of design
optimization techniques (National Research Council, 2015).
Analysis of the management process during the time of construction gives an indication
of inappropriate planning in conducting activities such as compacting, spreading and grading the
required material for a construction. The riskiest aspects that hinder successful accomplishment
and sustainable construction as per the construction experts’ point of understanding including the
clients, contractors and consultants are: The mismanagement of the construction project by the
owner, contractor and consultant leading to unproductive completion and a construction that is
unsustainable (Allen and Iano, 2013). Deficiency of skilled workers and quality materials is
another aspect that leads to unsustainable construction. The above factors are all linked to HRM
of the construction sector, therefore for effective completion and sustainable structuring there is
need to ensure effective human resource management such as the employment of skilled and
qualified works as well as project managers (Chan, Scott and Chan, 2014).
Conclusion
Construction is termed as a practice that involves assembling or building an
infrastructure, a construction job is usually managed by the manager of the project and overseen
by the, designer engineer, project architect, construction manager or construction engineer. HRM
has been found to play a vital role in ensuring the success of a construction project, therefore
there is the need of maintaining a good human resource management in a construction industry
for the purpose of the construction’s successful and sustainable completion (Armstrong and
Taylor, 2014).

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 10
References
Allen, E., & Iano, J. (2013). Fundamentals of building construction: materials and methods.
John Wiley & Sons.
Alzahrani, J. I., & Emsley, M. W. (2013). The impact of contractors’ attributes on construction
project success: A post construction evaluation. International Journal of Project
Management, 31(2), 313-322.
Armstrong, M., & Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Bondarouk, T., Kees Looise, J., & Lempsink, B. (2015). Framing the implementation of HRM
innovation: HR professionals vs line managers in a construction company. Personnel
Review, 38(5), 472-491.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 11
Chan, A. P., Scott, D., & Chan, A. P. (2014). Factors affecting the success of a construction
project. Journal of construction engineering and management, 130(1), 153-155.
Langford, D., Fellows, R. F., Hancock, M. R., & Gale, A. W. (2014). Human resources
management in construction. Routledge.
Loosemore, M., Lingard, H., & Dainty, A. (2013). Human resource management in construction
projects: strategic and operational approaches. Routledge.
Lv, Y. (2015). Human Resource Management In The Construction Industry (Doctoral
dissertation, Waterford Institute of Technology).
National Research Council. (2015). Advancing the competitiveness and efficiency of the US
construction industry. National Academies Press.
Oladinrin, T. O., & Ho, C. M. F. (2014). Strategies for improving codes of ethics implementation
in construction organizations. Project management journal, 45(5), 15-26.
Othman, I., Idrus, A., & Napiah, M. (2013, September). Effectiveness of Human Resource
Management in Construction project. In National Postgraduate Conference (NPC),
2011 (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
Othman, I., Idrus, A., & Napiah, M. (2013). Human resource management in the construction of
a sustainable development project: towards successful completion. WIT Transactions on
Ecology and the Environment, 162, 169-180.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 12
Othman, I., Napiah, M., & Potty, N. S. (2014). Case study analysis for the successful completion
and sustainable construction of infrastructure projects. WIT Transactions on Ecology and
the Environment, 181, 373-384.
Shahhosseini, V., & Sebt, M. H. (2016). Competency-based selection and assignment of human
resources to construction projects. Scientia Iranica, 18(2), 163-180.
Siew, R. Y. J. (2014). Human resource management in the construction industry–Sustainability
competencies. Construction Economics and Building, 14(2), 87-103.
Wilkinson, A., Johnstone, S., & Townsend, K. (2013). Changing patterns of human resource
management in construction. Construction Management and economics, 30(7), 507-512.