T. Michael Toole

Mixed Method Research: Fundamental Issues of Design, Validity, and Reliability in Construction Research

The fact that people play key roles in nearly all aspects of construction suggests that effective construction research requires proper application of social science research methods. This is particularly true for researchers studying topics that involve human actions or behavior in construction processes, such as leadership, innovation, and planning. In social science research, no single method of data collection survey, experiment, participant observation, or unobtrusive research is ideal. Each method has inherent strengths and weak- nesses. Careful attention to the methodological ABCs of the design process, as discussed here, can enhance the validity and reliability of a given study. Combining quantitative and qualitative approaches in research design and data collection, however, should be considered whenever possible. Such mixed-methods research is more expensive than a single method approach, in terms of time, money, and energy, but improves the validity and reliability of the resulting data and strengthens causal inferences by providing the opportunity to observe data convergence or divergence in hypothesis testing. DOI: 10.1061/ASCECO.1943-7862.0000026 CE Database subject headings: Research; Methodology; Measurement; Data analysis; Construction management. Author keywords: Research methods; Mixed methods; Social science; Concept measurement; Data analysis.

The Trajectories of Prevention through Design in Construction

INTRODUCTION Construction Hazards Prevention through Design (CHPtD) is a process in which engineers and architects explicitly consider the safety of construction workers during the design process. Although articles on CHPtD have appeared in top construction journals, the literature has not addressed technical principles underlying CHPtD to help designers better perform CHPtD, to facilitate the development of additional CHPtD tools, and to predict the future path of CHPtD. METHOD This theoretical paper uses the existing literature on CHPtD and current action research associated with several CHPtD workgroups to analyze how CHPtD will likely evolve over the coming decades. RESULTS There are four trajectories along which CHPtD will progress. (a) Designs will increasingly facilitate prefabricated construction; (b) designers will increasingly choose materials and systems that are inherently safer than alternatives; (c) designers will increasingly perform construction engineering; and (d) designers will increasingly apply spatial considerations to reduce worker hazards. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY By understanding how CHPtD may be manifested in the engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) industry, practitioners can better prepare for adopting CHPtD within their organizations and construction and engineering educators can better prepare their graduates to perform CHPtD.

A tool for enhancing innovation in construction organizations

A 12-person-sponsored research team consisting of three academic researchers and nine experienced practitioners conducted a three-year investigation into ways to enhance innovation within engineering-procurement-construction organizations. Data from the literature combined with over 150 surveys of active practitioners were used to identify and classify factors that influence an organizations ability to generate and implement new ideas that improve business performance. The salient factors were then identified and their relative impact was rated using the nominal group technique. Finally, these data were organized into a maturity model tool that was pilot tested on four active construction organizations. The results of this study can be used by construction organizations to identify and respond to their innovation-related weaknesses. The hundreds of hours of discussions of the 12-member research team and the fairly large set of empirical data collected by the team confirm the value of the existing constru...

A Tool for Improving Construction Organizations' Innovation Capabilities

Nearly 200 interviews and surveys collected by a Construction Industry Institute research indicate that innovation is valued within large engineering-procurementconstruction (EPC) organizations but is hindered by organizational factors such as lack of resources allocated to innovation efforts; low risk tolerance; and a failure to establish innovation-enhancing processes. To enable EPC organizations to evaluate and improve their innovation capabilities, the team created an Innovation Maturity Model (IMM) that evaluates an organization in each of 61 innovation-related attributes. The IMM, which is based on the data collected and a review of relevant innovation literature, includes a macro-enabled spreadsheet that aggregates the individual survey data, identifies the ten attributes offering the greatest opportunity for improvement, and provides the recommendations for improving these ten attributes. The IMM was pilot tested using six large EPC organizations and will be available through the Web.

BUILDING PERFORMANCE ENGINEERING DURING CONSTRUCTION

Exploratory research was performed into the hypothesis that a substantial number of building performance engineering tasks on design-bid-build projects are typically provided by entities associated with the construction phase, not with the AE of Record. The project specifications, drawings, and submittals were analyzed and employees from key project participants were interviewed for five

Owner Perceptions of Barriers to Prevention through Design Diffusion

5-45M building construction projects. Twenty four building performance engineering tasks were required by the project specifications to be performed by entities associated with the construction of the buildings. Many of these tasks had to be completed by a licensed engineer retained by subcontractors or material suppliers. This large number of delegated design tasks indicates the increasing fragmentation of the design and construction process, which has implications for design-bid-build, design-build and lean construction processes. The shift in engineering from AEs to construction entities is proposed to result from decreased design time and profit margins, attempts to minimize liability, increased specialization and increased prefabrication. The compelling preliminary findings suggest additional research is warranted.

Construction Site Safety Roles

AbstractPrevention through design (PtD) is an emerging concept for reducing safety hazards and preventing worker injuries and fatalities. Existing literature suggests that diffusion of PtD faces se...