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Title: Jobsite Characteristics that Influence Improvised Decision-making on Construction Sites
Creator: Kleps, Stephen M., Menches, Cindy
Date: 2013-10-07, 2013-10-07
Description: This article examines the relationship between specific construction project characteristics and the degree and speed that the foremen are...
Show moreThis article examines the relationship between specific construction project characteristics and the degree and speed that the foremen are able to improvise in response to disruptive events on the jobsite. Specifically, characteristics such as the number of crew members working under the supervision of a foreman, the occupancy status of the project (i.e., occupied or unoccupied) during construction, the stage of completion of the project, and the levels of turbulence, time pressure, cooperation, collaboration, and organization, were examined. Using a multilevel regression modeling approach, an analysis of 244 disruptions reported by 50 foremen was conducted to determine whether the construction project characteristics could predict more or less improvisation and faster or slower improvisation by the foreman. The findings indicate that on construction projects that are rated by the foremen as more organized, the foremen can make more modest improvised decisions to resolve a disruption, but that on construction projects that were rated by the foremen as more collaborative (i.e., involved joint decision-making), a greater degree of improvisation was deployed. In addition, it was found that on sites that were rated by the foremen as more cooperative (i.e., involved greater willingness to help each other), the foremen required more time to improvise their decisions.
Sponsorship: National Science Foundation
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Title: A diary study of the disruption experiences of crew members on a jobsite (Working Paper)
Creator: Menches, Cindy L., Chen, Juan
Date: 2012-06-01, 2012-06-01
Description: This article demonstrates the use of a diary technique in a construction setting. The advantage of a diary study over other methods for...
Show moreThis article demonstrates the use of a diary technique in a construction setting. The advantage of a diary study over other methods for capturing subjective experience is its ability to capture the thoughts, decisions, actions, and emotions of individuals in situ – while they are working in their natural setting – at multiple points in time during an individual’s workweek. Hence, the diary method is uniquely designed to answer questions about group-level trends as well as individual behavior. The specific goal of the study reported in this article was to derive an understanding of the types of fast decisions and actions that are made following a workflow disruption and how the disruption impacts the worker’s state of mind. The analyses revealed that there was a group-level positive correlation between experiencing a disruption and initiating a fast improvised decision and action. However, some workers tended to improvise frequently when disrupted while others did not. The analyses also revealed that the workers’ emotions fluctuated throughout the week, and two emotions – determined and interested – tended to decline following a disruption. But, some of the workers also experienced increases in their negative emotions while others did not, suggesting that not all workers react in the same way to disruptions. Consequently, the diary technique provides a novel way to identify the impact of disruptive events on worker decision-making and performance.
Sponsorship: National Science Foundation
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Title: NSF Annual Report 2012 on Flexible Decision-making in Response to Disruptive Events on Construction Sites
Creator: Menches, Cindy L., Chen, Juan
Date: 2012-06-29, 2012-06-29
Description: This 2012 annual research report submitted to the National Science Foundation describes: (1) involved people, (2) research activities, (3)...
Show moreThis 2012 annual research report submitted to the National Science Foundation describes: (1) involved people, (2) research activities, (3) research findings, (4) training and development, (5) outreach activities, (6) publications, and (7) contributions for rant number CMMI-1100514, Flexible Decision-making in Response to Disruptive Events on Construction Sites.
Sponsorship: National Science Foundation Award Number: CMMI-1100514
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Title: Using ecological momentary assessment to understand a construction worker’s daily disruptions and decisions (Working Paper)
Creator: Menches, Cindy L., Chen, Juan
Date: 2012-06-01, 2012-06-01
Description: Capturing the momentary decisions and actions made by construction workers in response to workflow disruptions is challenging because, until...
Show moreCapturing the momentary decisions and actions made by construction workers in response to workflow disruptions is challenging because, until now, there has not been a minimally-disruptive data collection method that allows workers to identify their decision process “in the moment.” However, an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) method – designed to capture momentary work experiences in natural settings – can provide researchers with detailed information about the daily challenges experienced by workers during the course of performing their tasks. An explanation of the method is provided, along with examples of the types of research questions that can be addressed and appropriate analysis techniques. The EMA method is being used on a federally-funded research program in the United States that is investigating how construction workers adapt to workflow disruptions by improvising their decisions and actions. Consequently, this article demonstrates the use of the method by presenting an idiographic study of William, an electrical construction worker. The evaluation of William’s disruptions, decisions, and actions elucidated an important relationship: every one of William’s disruptions required an improvisational action in order to continue working. The EMA method opens the door to the development of new theories about rapid decisions and subsequent actions on construction sites.
Sponsorship: National Science Foundation
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Title: HEURISTIC DECISION-MAKING MODEL FOR ELECTRICAL FOREMEN WHEN WORKFLOW IS DISRUPTED
Creator: Pandey, Arjun R.
Date: 2016, 2016-05
Description: The decision-making process used by construction foremen at a job site when the workflow is disrupted was investigated in this study. The...
Show moreThe decision-making process used by construction foremen at a job site when the workflow is disrupted was investigated in this study. The foremen’s decision-making process was mapped and then modeled to a heuristic model. This study focuses on cognitive decision or psychological heuristic models. The study shows that construction foremen use a heuristic decision model in their decision-making. The capability of heuristic to yield fast decision is very useful in construction because it is common for a construction foreman to experience several disruptions during the course of a single workday. With heuristic decision-making, a work-around decision can be rapidly and effectively made following a construction site disruption. Understanding the ability of heuristics to facilitate rapid and effective decision-making will help the construction industry to save time and increase productivity. Research was conducted in order to map a decision process that foremen were using in their decision-making and to develop a model for a heuristic decision-making process. Interviews were conducted with 22 construction foremen in the electrical trade in 88 real disruption cases in order to understand how decisions were made after disruptions occurred. Interviews were subsequently conducted with 10 additional industry foremen in 10 real disruption cases to validate the data. Using this data, a heuristic decision-making model was developed. To validate this model, a survey was conducted with another 11 industry foremen. The findings indicate that construction foremen currently use a heuristic decision-making model known as “determinant decision attribute” (referred to as DDA) heuristics model. This DDA heuristic model was compared to the similar model with equal weighing and elimination by aspects (referred to as EW/EBA) to assess the performance of the heuristic. The DDA heuristic model correctly predicted, on average, 91% of the time what foremen’s decisions were as to which decision task to choose to assign or re-assign to crew members. Whereas, the EW/EBA model correctly predicted, on average, 82% of the time, the foremen’s decisions. A computer program was also developed for DDA heuristic model to help foremen expedite the process of their decision-making.
Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, May 2016
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Title: Capital Design: The Role of Design in Institutional Capital Allocation
Creator: Ostapchuk, Jordan
Date: 2024
Description: There is a paradox within the $100 trillion institutional investment industry: the more choices an institutional investor has, the more...
Show moreThere is a paradox within the $100 trillion institutional investment industry: the more choices an institutional investor has, the more challenging it becomes to make investment decisions. This paradox is significant because capital is one of the most transformational elements of the 21st century, driven by financialization, universal ownership, and increasing systemic risks. The direction of capital flows significantly influences the approach to addressing climate change, aging populations, and the transition to sustainable energy, in addition to supporting the essential physical and social infrastructure supported by institutional capital. This research proposes and substantiates a novel hypothesis: design can significantly influence capital allocation in institutional investment contexts. Through an institutional case study, expert interviews, workshops with master’s level design students, and systems-informed reflective practice, this research identifies asset classes as an important and changeable lens through which institutions engage with the future. It explores how these asset classes shape choices in the capital allocation process and identifies eight design capabilities particularly suited for institutional investment contexts. In doing so, it introduces a framework termed Capital Design. This framework illustrates how design can influence institutional capital allocation by integrating these design capabilities with investment tools through informational lenses within a choice/knowledge map. As a result, Capital Design offers an innovative approach for investors and investees to reorient toward emergent asset categories that directly meet the most urgent societal needs.
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Title: Capital Design: The Role of Design in Institutional Capital Allocation
Creator: Ostapchuk, Jordan
Date: 2024
Description: There is a paradox within the $100 trillion institutional investment industry: the more choices an institutional investor has, the more...
Show moreThere is a paradox within the $100 trillion institutional investment industry: the more choices an institutional investor has, the more challenging it becomes to make investment decisions. This paradox is significant because capital is one of the most transformational elements of the 21st century, driven by financialization, universal ownership, and increasing systemic risks. The direction of capital flows significantly influences the approach to addressing climate change, aging populations, and the transition to sustainable energy, in addition to supporting the essential physical and social infrastructure supported by institutional capital. This research proposes and substantiates a novel hypothesis: design can significantly influence capital allocation in institutional investment contexts. Through an institutional case study, expert interviews, workshops with master’s level design students, and systems-informed reflective practice, this research identifies asset classes as an important and changeable lens through which institutions engage with the future. It explores how these asset classes shape choices in the capital allocation process and identifies eight design capabilities particularly suited for institutional investment contexts. In doing so, it introduces a framework termed Capital Design. This framework illustrates how design can influence institutional capital allocation by integrating these design capabilities with investment tools through informational lenses within a choice/knowledge map. As a result, Capital Design offers an innovative approach for investors and investees to reorient toward emergent asset categories that directly meet the most urgent societal needs.
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