The Management of Productivity and Resources: A Case Study in a Culturally Diverse Environment

By Kasim Randeree and Abdul Ghaffar Abdul Haq Chaudhry.

Published by The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society

Format	Price
Article: Print	$US10.00
Article: Electronic	$US5.00

Growing competition in the construction industry has forced key players to focus on maintaining high quality and performance within their firms. An engineering consultant has a vital role in the construction market as he represents a client and facilitates the contractor during construction (Turner, 2003). This paper presents a case study of an engineering consultancy firm in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is having a problem in maintaining the productivity rate of its computer-aided design (CAD) department whilst dealing with diversity issues within the organization as a whole.

The research focused on identifying the causes of the problems through analysis of reports and interviews. Firstly, the policies and incentive mechanisms of the firm were reviewed. Secondly, a series of interviews were conducted with key players within the process, including the Market Sector Manager, Head of the CAD department, Design Engineer and CAD personnel. Thirdly, the productivity rate of the CAD department was calculated from the archived project reports. Through analysis, it was found that the main causes for the decrease in the productivity of CAD department were the improper development of teams due to cultural biases, lack of clear and precise instructions on tasks undertaken and the rigidity of functional structure of the organization.

Keywords:	Management, Productivity, Culture, Diversity, Change, Construction

The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society, Volume 3, Issue 2, pp.79-86. Article: Print (Spiral Bound). Article: Electronic (PDF File; 574.692KB).

Dr. Kasim Randeree

Lecturer, Programme Director, Institute of Engineering, The British University in Dubai, Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dr Kasim Randeree is Programme Director and Lecturer for the MSc in Project Management programme at The British University in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Dr Randeree has an academic career spanning the past 15 years, with experience both in the United Kingdom and the Middle East. He is dedicated to the development of contemporary Middle Eastern society and has worked in the past at the United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, The American University in Dubai as well as conducting research across parts of the Arabian Gulf and North Africa. He has a broad portfolio of research with related current interests in the legacy of early Muslim practitioners to contemporary management and the advancement of Arab women in the Middle East. A number of postgraduate research students are active in these areas under Dr Randeree’s supervision. He has numerous supporting publications both internationally and across the region.

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