Skip to main content

The Challenges with Developing and Applying Knowledge, Skills and Competences (KSC) in the Nigerian Engineering and Construction Industry (NECI)

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Construction in 5D: Deconstruction, Digitalization, Disruption, Disaster, Development

Abstract

In Nigeria, the construction industry contributes over 3% of the annual gross domestic product and is the fourth highest employer of labour in Nigeria. Despite its contributions and the huge potential of the Nigerian Engineering and construction industry (NECI), inadequate attention is given to its significance in driving the Nigerian economy. Knowledge, skills, and competences are the main critical success factor of the construction industry. Several challenges are responsible for sloth of the NECI. This study explored these challenges evident in developing and applying knowledge, skills, and competences (KSC) in management of the NECI. The NECI employs an extremely diverse range of workers from extensive and various backgrounds, who are deployed to be managed and supervised. Ineffective management caused by lack of updated KSC, has been identified in academic literatures as a major setback in the NECI. This study identified and extensively discussed these challenges through a review of literature and data from the NECI. The data, on which this study was based, was sourced from 155 completed and usable survey questionnaires and 30 semi-structured interviews with registered engineering and construction professionals in Nigeria. Participants were drawn from membership database of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, practicing in both private and public sectors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Abankwa DA, Rowlinson S, Adinyira E (2019) Conceptualizing team adaptability and project complexity: a literature review. Int J Innov Manage Technol 10(1)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Abidoye RB, Chan AP (2016) Critical determinants of residential property value: professionals’ perspective. J Facil Manage 14(3):283–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Ahmed S (2015) Public and private higher education financing in Nigeria. Euro Sci J ESJ 11(7)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Almatrooshi B, Singh SK, Farouk S (2016) Determinants of organizational performance: a proposed framework. Int J Product Perform Manage 65(6):844–859

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Argyris C (2017) Integrating the individual and the organization Routledge. Eng Constr Arch Manage 17(6):536–548

    Google Scholar 

  6. Arif M, Al Zubi M, Gupta AD, Egbu C, Walton RO, Islam R (2017) Knowledge sharing maturity model for Jordanian construction sector. Eng Constr Archit Manage 24(1):170–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Banihashemi S, Hosseini MR, Golizadeh H, Sankaran S (2017) Critical success factors (CSFs) for integration of sustainability into construction project management practices in developing countries. Int J Project Manage 35(6):1103–1119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Barrett GV, Bass BM (1972) Cross-cultural issues in industrial and organizational psychology (No. TR-45). Rochester University NY Management Research Center

    Google Scholar 

  9. Bashkarev A (2015) Social aspects of specialist training in the construction industry. Proc Eng 117:60–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Bendix R (2017) Nation-building and citizenship: studies of our changing social order. Routledge

    Google Scholar 

  11. Berr (2007) Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

    Google Scholar 

  12. Bhattacharyya S (2010) Shaping a sustainable energy future for India: management challenges. Energy Policy 38(8):4173–4185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Bielefeld B (2017) Basics construction scheduling. Birkhäuser

    Google Scholar 

  14. Blake RR, Mouton JS (1985) The managerial grid III: the key to leadership excellence

    Google Scholar 

  15. Bolden R (2016) Leadership, management and organisational development. In: Gower handbook of leadership and management development, pp 143–158. Routledge

    Google Scholar 

  16. Borkovskaya V, Bardenwerper W, Roe R (2018) Interactive teaching of risk management in the Russian construction industry. IOP Conf Ser Mater Sci Eng 365(6)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Bratton J, Gold J (2017) Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave

    Google Scholar 

  18. Bridges KMB (2017) The social and emotional development of the pre-school child. Routledge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  19. Briscoe G, Dainty A, Millett S (2001) Construction supply chain partnerships: skills, knowledge and attitudinal requirements. Euro J Purchasing Supply Manage 7:243–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Bromley P, Meyer JW (2017) “They are all organizations”: the cultural roots of blurring between the non-profit, business, and government sectors. Admin Soc 49(7):939–966

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Camilleri E (2016) Project success: critical factors and behaviours. Routledge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  22. Cheche SG, Muathe S, Maina SM (2019) Employee engagement, demographic characteristics and performance of state research and training corporations in Kenya. IUP J Organ Behav 18(1)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Chipulu M, Neoh JG, Ojiako U, Williams T (2013) A multidimensional analysis of project manager competences. IEEE Trans Eng Manage 60(3):506–517

    Google Scholar 

  24. Choy J, McCormack D, Djurkovic N (2016) Leader-member exchange and job performance: the mediating roles of delegation and participation. J Manage Dev 35(1):104–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Conchie SM, Taylor PJ, Charlton A (2011) Trust and distrust in safety leadership: mirror reflections? Saf Sci 49(8):1208–1214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Cullen JB, Parboteeah KP (2013) Multinational management. Cengage Learning

    Google Scholar 

  27. DeBerry-Spencea B, Elliotb E (2012) African micro entrepreneurship: the reality of everyday challenges. J Bus Res 65(12):1665–1673

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. DeCenzo DA, Robbins SP, Verhulst SL (2016) Fundamentals of human resource management, binder ready version. Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  29. Dhurup M, Surujlal J, Kabongo DM (2016) Finding synergic relationships in teamwork, organizational commitment and job satisfaction: a case study of a construction organization in a developing country. Proc Econ Fin 35:485–492

    Google Scholar 

  30. Doh JP, Stumpf SA (2007) Executive education: a view from the top. Acad Manage Learn Educ 6(3):388–400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Doppelt B (2017) Leading change toward sustainability: a change-management guide for business, government and civil society. Routledge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  32. Durmuşoğlu SS, Barczak G (2011) The use of information technology tools in new product development phases: analysis of effects on new product innovativeness, quality, and market performance. Ind Mark Manage 40(2):321–330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Fellows R, Liu A (2015) Sense-making in the cross-cultural context of projects. Int J Project Manage 34:246–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Hampson I, Junor A, Barnes A (2009) Articulation work skills and the recognition of call centre competences in Australia. J Ind Relat 51(1):45–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Freedy J, Hobfoll SE (2017) Conservation of resources: a general stress theory applied to burnout. In: Professional burnout, pp 115–129

    Google Scholar 

  36. Gamil Y, Rahman IA (2018) Identification of causes and effects of poor communication in construction industry: a theoretical review. Emerg Sci J 1(4):239–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Gokpinar B, Hopp W, Iravani S (2010) The impact of misalignment of organizational structure and product architecture on quality in complex product development. Manage Sci 56(3):468–484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Hardison D, Behm M, Hallowell MR, Fonooni H (2014) Identifying construction supervisor competencies for effective site safety. Saf Sci 65:45–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Hewstone M, Stroebe W, Jonas K (2016) An introduction to social psychology. Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  40. Hofstede GH (1984) Culture’s consequences—international differences in work-related values. In: Abridg (ed) Sage Publications, Newbury Park, Calif, London

    Google Scholar 

  41. Hong J, Shen GQ, Li Z, Zhang B, Zhang W (2018) Barriers to promoting prefabricated construction in China: a cost–benefit analysis. J Clean Prod 172:649–660

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Hou et al (2017) A framework of innovative learning for skill development in complex operational tasks. Autom Constr 83:29–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Hu Q, Kapucu N (2016) Information communication technology utilization for effective emergency management networks. Public Manage Rev 18(3):323–348

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Hwang B, Ng W (2013) Project management knowledge and skills for green construction: overcoming challenges. Int J Project Manage 31(2):272–284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Inuwa II, Napoleon Daniel Usman ND, Dantong JS (2015) The effects of unethical professional practice on construction projects performance in Nigeria. Afr J Appl Res (AJAR) 1(1)

    Google Scholar 

  46. Iyer KC, Banerjee PS (2016) Measuring and benchmarking managerial efficiency of project execution schedule performance. Int J Project Manage 34(2):219–236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Izatul LJ, Faridah I, Nur MA, Nurul AJ (2013) Construction manager’s competency in managing the construction process of IBS projects. Soc Behav Sci 105:85–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Jimoh R, Oyewobi L, Suleiman S, Isa R (2017) Influence of supervision on labour productivity on construction sites in Abuja-Nigeria. Independent J Manage Prod 8(1)

    Google Scholar 

  49. Johnston MW, Marshall GW (2016) Sales force management: leadership, innovation, technology. Routledge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  50. Jumah L, Sulo T (2018) Influence of job assignment on employee turnover in selected medium sized hotels in Kisumu city

    Google Scholar 

  51. Kaufmann W (2017) Going by the book: the problem of regulatory unreasonableness. Routledge

    Google Scholar 

  52. Kelly JG (2017) Adolescent boys in high school: a psychological study of coping and adaptation. Routledge

    Google Scholar 

  53. Kerzner H, Kerzner HR (2017) Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. Wiley

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  54. Kim MS (2017) Culture‐based conversational constraints theory. In: The international encyclopedia of intercultural communication, pp 1–10

    Google Scholar 

  55. Kimani JW (2014) Principles and practice of effective accounts receivable management in Kenya: a case of selected manufacturing firms in Thika municipality (Doctoral dissertation)

    Google Scholar 

  56. Koivula M, Paunonen-ilmonen M (2001) Ward sisters’ objectives in developing nursing and problems with development. J Nurs Manage 9(5):287–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. Kozlo AV, Shemshurina SA (2018) Fostering creativity in engineering universities: research activity and curriculum policy. Int J Instr 11(4):93–106

    Google Scholar 

  58. Kubba S (2010) Green construction project management and cost oversight. Butterworth-Heinemann

    Google Scholar 

  59. Lidelöw H, Simu K (2015) Understanding construction contractors and their operations strategies. Proc Econ Fin 21:48–56

    Google Scholar 

  60. Lingard L, Vanstone M, Durrant M, Fleming-Carroll B, Lowe M, Rashotte J, Tallett S (2012) Conflicting messages: examining the dynamics of leadership on interprofessional teams. Acad Med 87(12):1762–1767

    Article  Google Scholar 

  61. Lu W, Wang J (2017) The influence of conflict management styles on relationship quality: the moderating effect of the level of task conflict. Int J Project Manage 35(8):1483–1494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Macomber M, Eller K, Dolan A (2018) Teamwork-engineering, operations, and procurement working together for reliable treatment facilities. Proc Water Environ Fed 9:4466–4479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Madanayake U, Egbu C (2019) Critical analysis for big data studies in construction: significant gaps in knowledge. Built Environ Project Asset Manage 9(4):530–547

    Google Scholar 

  64. Manuele FA (2008) Advanced safety management focusing on Z10 and serious injury prevention. Wiley

    Book  Google Scholar 

  65. Megginson LC, McCann EC (1965) Applicability of management principles in underdeveloped economies. International handbook of management. McGraw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  66. Mitkusa S, Mitkusa T (2014) Causes of conflicts in a construction industry: a communicational approach. Soc Behav Sci 110:777–786

    Article  Google Scholar 

  67. Mittal S, Dhar RL (2015) Transformational leadership and employee creativity: mediating role of creative self-efficacy and moderating role of knowledge sharing. Manage Decis 53(5):894–910

    Article  Google Scholar 

  68. Mumford MD, Gustafson SB (1988) Creativity syndrome: integration, application, and innovation. Psychol Bull 103(1):27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  69. Nixon P, Harrington M, Parker D (2012) Leadership performance is significant to project success or failure: a critical analysis. Int J Product Perform Manage 61(2):204–216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  70. Noe RA, Hollenbeck JR, Gerhart B, Wright PM (2017) Human resource management: gaining a competitive advantage. McGraw-Hill Education, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  71. Nowotny H, Scott PB, Gibbons MT (2013) Re-thinking science: knowledge and the public in an age of uncertainty. Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  72. Nwosu JC, Makinde OG (2014) Conflict management in an organization. Kuwait Chap Arabian J Bus Manage Rev 3(6):28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  73. Ogunyomi P, Bruning NS (2016) Human resource management and organisational performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria. Int J Human Resour Manage 27(6):612–634

    Article  Google Scholar 

  74. Osei-Kyei R, Chan AP, Yu Y, Chen C, Dansoh A (2019) Root causes of conflict and conflict resolution mechanisms in public-private partnerships: comparative study between Ghana and China. Cities 87:185–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  75. Owolabi JD, Amusan LM, Oloke CO, Olusanya O, Tunji-Olayeni PF, Dele O, Peter NJ, Omuh IO (2014) Causes and effect of delay on project construction delivery time. Int J Educ Res 2(4):197–208

    Google Scholar 

  76. Palmer R (2009) Skills development, employment and sustained growth in Ghana: sustainability challenges. Int J Educ Dev 29(2):133–139

    Google Scholar 

  77. Piedras S, Pouey J, Moraes P, Cardoso D (2006) Lethal concentration (CL50) of un-ionized ammonia for pejerrey larvae in acute exposure. Sci Agricola 63(2):184–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  78. Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (2018) Key Statistics for Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report (Expenditure and Income Approach) Arrears of 2018. http://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/

  79. Reason J (2016) Managing the risks of organizational accidents. Routledge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  80. Renault BY, Agumba JN, Balogun OA (2016) Drivers for and obstacles to enterprise risk management in construction firms: a literature review. Proc Eng 164:402–408

    Article  Google Scholar 

  81. Riebe L, Jackson D (2014) The use of rubrics in benchmarking and assessing employability skills. J Manage Educ 38(3):319–344

    Article  Google Scholar 

  82. Riza Yosia S, Bonaventura H, Ogunlana S (2006) Emotional intelligence and leadership styles in construction project management. J Manage Eng 23(4)

    Google Scholar 

  83. Rogers C (2017) A social psychology of schooling: the expectancy process. Routledge

    Google Scholar 

  84. Sanghi S (2016) The handbook of competency mapping: understanding, designing and implementing competency models in organizations. SAGE Publications India

    Google Scholar 

  85. Schuh SC, Zhang XA, Morgeson FP, Tian P, van Dick R (2018) Are you really doing good things in your boss’s eyes? Interactive effects of employee innovative work behavior and leader–member exchange on supervisory performance ratings. Hum Resour Manage 57(1):397–409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  86. Senaratne S, Ruwanpura M (2016) Communication in construction: a management perspective through case studies in Sri Lanka. Arch Eng Des Manage 12(1):3–18

    Google Scholar 

  87. Shalleya C, Gilson L (2004) What leaders need to know: a review of social and contextual factors that can foster or hinder creativity. Leadersh Quart 15(1):33–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  88. Singh R, Kumar N, Puri S (2017) Thought self-leadership strategies and sales performance: integrating selling skills and adaptive selling behaviour as missing links. J Bus Ind Market 32(5):652–663

    Article  Google Scholar 

  89. Söderlunda J, Maylor H (2012) Project management scholarship: relevance, impact and five integrative challenges for business and management schools. Int J Project Manage 30(6):686–696

    Article  Google Scholar 

  90. Sommer A, Dukovska-Popovska I, Steger-Jensen K (2014) Barriers towards integrated product development—challenges from a holistic project management perspective. Int J Project Manage 32:970–998

    Google Scholar 

  91. Sun JD, Wang XC, Shen LF (2017) Chinese construction workers’ behaviour towards attending vocational skills trainings: evolutionary game theory with government participation. J Differ Equations Appl 23(1/2):468–485

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  92. Swuste P, Frijters A, Guldenmund F (2012) Is it possible to influence safety in the building sector? A literature review extending from 1980 until the present. Saf Sci 50(5):1333–1343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  93. Tagaza E, Wilson JL (2004) Green buildings: drivers and barriers e lessons learned from five Melbourne developments. Report prepared for building commission by University of Melbourne and Business Outlook and Evaluation

    Google Scholar 

  94. Tang H, Hammack C, Ogden SC, Wen Z, Qian X, Li Y, Yao B, Shin J, Zhang F, Lee EM, Christian KM (2016) Zika virus infects human cortical neural progenitors and attenuates their growth. Cell Stem Cell 18(5):587–590

    Article  Google Scholar 

  95. Thompson M (2018) Cultural theory. Routledge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  96. Thundiyil TG, Chiaburu DS, Li N, Wagner DT (2016) Joint effects of creative self-efficacy, positive and negative affect on creative performance. Chin Manage Stud 10(4):726–745

    Article  Google Scholar 

  97. Unsworth CA (2001) The clinical reasoning of novice and expert occupational therapists. Scandinavian J Occup Therapy 8(4):163–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  98. Viswanathan M, Rosa JA, Ruth JA (2010) Exchanges in marketing systems: the case of subsistence consumer–merchants in Chennai, India. J Market 74(3):1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  99. Wang X, Wang X, Huang Y (2019) Chinese construction worker reluctance toward vocational skill training. J Eng Des Technol 17(1):155–171

    Google Scholar 

  100. Weisinger D (2016) Construction IT: industry lags all others in technology spend. Eng Data Manage Form

    Google Scholar 

  101. Zhang S, Zhao C, Wang S, Wang F (2017) Pseudo time-slice construction using a variable moving window k nearest neighbour rule for sequential uneven phase division and batch process monitoring. Ind Eng Chem Res 56(3):728–740

    Article  Google Scholar 

  102. Zhu H, Feng J, Wang M, Xu F (2017) Sustaining regional advantages in manufacturing: skill accumulation of rural–urban migrant workers in the coastal area of China. Sustainability 9(1):1–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Obas John Ebohon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Onyia, U., Egbu, C., Ebohon, O.J. (2023). The Challenges with Developing and Applying Knowledge, Skills and Competences (KSC) in the Nigerian Engineering and Construction Industry (NECI). In: Haupt, T.C., Akinlolu, M., Simpeh, F., Amoah, C., Armoed, Z. (eds) Construction in 5D: Deconstruction, Digitalization, Disruption, Disaster, Development. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 245. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97748-1_31

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97748-1_31

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-97747-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-97748-1

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics