Managing Diverse Workforce on Construction Sites in Abuja-Nigeria

Abstract

Globalisation of construction has led to the engagement of multicultural workforce on construction projects; progressively making cultural diversity and management strategies salient issues for multicultural construction firms. To this end, management of diverse workforce on construction sites in Abuja (FCT) was assessed through the use of qualitative methodology and analysed using content analysis. Ten managers/supervisors were interviewed using a semi-structured format. The findings show that the current practice of managing multicultural construction workforce is not sufficient to bring about the desired productivity, hence the need to manage the workforce along their dimensions. Although construction firms are benefitting positively from the pool of knowledge associated with diverse workforce, yet the full potentials that will foster effective management for higher productivity is lacking. Based on the result of this study, it is recommended that construction firms adopt and develop multi-cultural training programmes for workers so as improve productivity and minimize interpersonal conflicts.