Construction work and the worker : a comparative study of craft & mass scale technologies in building construction

Pathirage, CP; Rameezdeen, R

Abstract

During the twentieth century the construction industry, its products and technology have changed drastically. Studies carried out on the same or equivalent products of construction have showed clear differences in the nature of technology used in the production process. The construction industry is inherently labour intensive and many challenges arise through a need to maintain a skilled and competitive workforce. Two distinct forms of construction, the ancient craft-oriented form and modern mass scale form are commonly deployed within the construction industry. This comparative study, in respect of these two technologies, upon the nature of work and the worker, has revealed some differences in number of parameters such as skills, experience, supervision, rules and regulations, autonomy, deference and aggression. For these parameters there is a close relationship between the nature of work and the worker personality. Craft workers have more autonomy, which result in more skill, experience and responsibility in the work process. The dominating personality traits of deference and aggression in Mass Scale technology facilitate more management influence through supervision and rules and regulations.

Citation

Pathirage, C., & Rameezdeen, R. (2006). Construction work and the worker : a comparative study of craft & mass scale technologies in building construction. Built Environment Sri Lanka, 3(1), 3-10. https://doi.org/10.4038/besl.v3i1.7636

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2006
• Deposit Date: Oct 11, 2010
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 7, 2021
• Journal: Built Environment Sri Lanka
• Print ISSN: 1391-5983
• Publisher: Ubiquity Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 3-10
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4038/besl.v3i1.7636
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/besl.v3i1.7636
• Related Public URLs: http://besl.sljol.info/