Influence Of Cultural Diversity Among Artisans On Construction Sites In Abuja-Nigeria

Abstract

Migration of people from one place to the other nationally and internationally has given rise to diverse workforce which have added more value to many organisations including construction firms. Construction firms should be realistic about the diversity of different tribes on site and explore adequate measures aimed at effective management of this diversity. There are varied distributions of tribes on construction sites. This varied distribution affects the behaviour and effectiveness of site workers. Hence, this study appraises cultural diversity in construction sites in Abuja through combination of personal observations and structured interviews at twenty construction sites. Twenty sites were carefully observed and ten managers were interviewed for this study. The findings show the level of mixture of tribes on the construction sites, the languages of expression among the varied site workers and their interaction with one another as they interact and work together. It is very important for the construction firms to put measures in place to explore the advantages of diverse workforce as well as mitigate on the minuses to boost productivity. It is therefore expedient for the construction firms to create cultural awareness on sites translating the safety slogans, sign posts in different languages that are representative of the workforce in order to have optimum productivity