An exploration of management styles used in Ghanaian construction firms

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Date
NOVEMBER, 2016.
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Abstract
Management styles have been known over the years to influence the output of employees in various fields of human endeavour of which the construction industry is no exception. The aim of this study is to identify the various management styles popular amongst construction firms in the Accra metropolis and factors affecting their selection. The objectives outlined by the study to help achieve this aim were to identify the major management styles from literature, to identify the popular management styles in construction firms in the Accra metropolis and lastly to identify the important factors managers should consider when choosing management styles. Widespread literature was reviewed and data collected through the use of questionnaire and interview. Respondents consisted of construction managers mainly from registered building contractors in the registration category of D1K1. Relative importance index was the main statistical tool used to analyse data gathered. The study revealed that the respondents had in-depth knowledge on all the management styles under study, it however settled on the participative and the bureaucratic styles as the two most popular styles in the metropolis which could be attributed to the all-inclusive nature of the participative style and the formal procedures that characterise the bureaucratic style. It also emanated from the study that productivity of workers and discipline were the leading factors to consider amongst the seventeen factors reviewed. Attributed to this finding could be the use of employee output as a measure of a firm’s performance. The study concludes by admonishing managers to focus on the desirable characteristics of the management styles rather than use the style wholly. It also recommends further studies on the influence of the ranking factors on management styles.
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A dissertation submitted to the Department of Building Technology, College of Art and Built Environment in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science,
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