Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Jaime Klein

Abstract

Approximately 160,000 assistant project managers in the construction industry willingly left the U.S. labor workforce in 2018. The cost of replacing an employee could amount up to 200% of the departing employee's annual salary for construction companies. Grounded in Herzberg's two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to investigate effective organizational strategies business leaders used to retain skilled assistant project managers. Six participants were senior project managers from construction companies in Manhattan, New York, with more than 10 years of experience in the commercial construction industry. Data came from semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Yin's 5-step data analysis approach resulted in 3 themes; intrinsic motivation, performance enhancement, and occupational safety. Business leaders could improve intrinsic motivation through job autonomy, simplifying the process, preventing a monotonous work environment, and fair pay. Identified strategies for performance enhancement includes appraisal, job training, reducing work-related stress, and the use of collaborative technology. Safety schemes, such as providing tangible rewards to encourage safety-related practices among employees, could reduce occupational safety. The implication for social change includes the potential for companies’ growth, leading to employment opportunities for local community people, reducing undue financial stress, and improving families' standard of living.

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