Performance of Quantity Surveying Firms Using the Strategic Learning Assessment Map (Slam) Framework
Keywords:
Knowledge stocks, learning flows, organizational performance, quantity surveying firms, SLAM framework
Abstract
Organizational learning is of vital importance to business organisations, due to its positive relationship with business performance. Because the performance of quantity surveying firms influences the outcome of construction projects, learning within the organization is essential. The purpose of the study is to assess the performance of quantity surveying firms using Strategic Learning Assessment Map (SLAM) framework. Using the SLAM framework, five constructs of organizational learning were examined and compared with performance measures. Cross-sectional survey approach was used for the administration of questionnaires to quantity surveyors who are employees in quantity surveying firms. The SLAM model was used to examine the knowledge stock-learning-flow-performance (KS-LF-P) in quantity surveying firms. Exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were then used to test the SLAM model. The findings indicate that there is a strong positive relationship between knowledge stocks, learning flows and the performance of quantity surveying firms; and the feed forward learning flow influence the level of individual performance in the organization. The findings demonstrate that facilitating learning at organizational level is valuable for improving performance.
References
Aje, I. O., Odusami, K. T. & Ogunsemi, D. R. (2009). The impact of contractors' management capability on cost and time performance of construction projects in Nigeria. Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction, 14(2), 171-187.
Akinci, C. & Sadler-Smith, E. (2018). Collective intuition: implications for improved decision making and organizational learning. British Journal of Management, 00, 1-20.
Antón, A. J. M., Rodríguez, G. S. and López, A. R. (2011). Financial risks in construction projects. African Journal of Business Management, 5(31), 12325-12328.
Argyris, C. (1996). Overcoming Organizational Defences: Facilitating Organizational Learning. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Bagaya, O. & Song, J. (2016). Empirical study of factors influencing schedule delays of public construction projects in Burkina Faso. Journal of Management in Engineering, 32(5), 05016014-01 – 05016014-10.
Bapuji, H. & Crossan, M. (2004). From questions to answers: reviewing organizational learning research. Management Learning, 35(4), 397-417.
Bontis, N., Crossan, M. M. & Hulland, J. (2002). Managing an organizational learning system by aligning stocks and flows. Journal of Management Studies, 39(4), 437-469.
Bustinza O. F., Molina, L. M. & Arias-Aranda,
D. (2010). Organizational learning and performance: relationship between the dynamic and the operational capabilities of the firm. African Journal of Business Management, 4(18), 4067-4078.
Chan, A. P. C., Scott, D. & Chan, A. P. L. (2004).
Factors affecting the success of a construction project. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 130(1), 153-
155.
Chauhan, N. & Bontis, N. (2004). Organizational learning via groupware: a path to discovery or disaster? International Journal of Technology Management, 27(6/7), 591-610.
Chiang, Y. H., Tao, L., and Wong, F. K. W. (2015). Causal relationship between construction activities, employment and GDP: The case of Hong Kong. Habitat international, 46, 1-12.
Crossan, M. M., Lane, H. W. & White, R. E. (1999). An organizational learning framework: from intuition to institution. Academy of Management Review, 24(3), 522-
537.
De Carvalho, M. M., Patah, L. A. & Bido, D. S. (2015). Project management and its effect on project success: cross-country and cross- industry comparisons. International Journal of Project Management, 33, 1509-1522.
De Menezes, L. M. & Kelliher, C. (2011). Flexible working and performance: A systematic review of the evidence for a business case. International Journal of Management Reviews, 13(4), 452-474.
Dereli, T., Durmuşoğlu, A., Delibaş, D. & Avlanmaz, N. (2011). An analysis of the papers published in Total Quality Management and Business Excellence from 1995 through 2008. Total Quality
Management, 22(3), 373-386.
Dulaimi, M. F. & Ang, A. F. (2009). Elements of learning organizations in Singapore’s quantity surveying practices. Emirates Journal for Engineering Research, 14(1), 83-
92.
Durst, S. & Runar Edvardsson, I. (2012).
Knowledge management in SMEs: a literature review. Journal of Knowledge Management, 16(6), 879-903.
Edwards, M. T. (2016). An organizational learning framework for patient safety. American Journal of Medical Quality, 32(2), 148-155.
Fagbemi, A. O. (2008). Assessment of
Quantity Surveyors’ Service Quality in Lagos State, Nigeria. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria.
Field, A. P. (2005). Discovering Statistics with SPSS (2nd ed.). 627-685 London: Sage Publications,.
Flyvbjerg, B., Skamris Holm, M. K. & Buhl, S.L. (2004). What causes cost overrun in transport infrastructure projects? Transport Reviews, 24(1), 3-18.
Garcia, M. U. & Vano, F. L. (2002). Organizational learning in global market. Health Systems Management, 21(3), 169-
182.
Gareis, R. & Huemann, M. (2000). Project management competences in the project- oriented organization. In: J. R. Turner and S.
J. Simister (Eds.), Gower Handbook of Project Management. Aldershot, United Kingdom: Gower Publishing Limited, pp.709–721.
Goh, S. C., Elliot, C. & Quon, T. K. (2012). The relationship between learning capacity and organizational performance: a meta-analytic examination. The Learning Organization, 19(2), 92-108.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J. & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate Data Analysis (7th ed.). 89-150. New Jersey: Prentice Hall,.
Hamzeh, F. R., Zankoul, E. & Rouhana, C.
(2015). How can ‘tasks made ready’ during
look ahead planning impact reliable workflow
and project duration? Construction
Management and Economics, 33(4), 243-258. Huber, G. P. (1991). Organizational learning: the
contributing processes and the literatures.
Organization Science, 2(1), 88-115.
Hussein, N., Mohamad, A., Noordin, F. & Ishak,
N. A. (2014). Learning organization and its effect on organizational performance and organizational innovativeness: a proposed framework for Malaysian public institutions of higher education. Procedia – Social and Behavioural Science, 130, 299-304.
Huysman, M. H. (2000). Organizational learning or learning organizations. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 9(2), 133-145.
Jarvis, P. (1987). Meaningful and meaningless experience: towards an analysis of learning from life. Adult Education Quarterly, 73(3) 164-172.
Jiang, X. & Li, Y. (2008). The relationship between organizational learning and firms’ financial performance in strategic alliances: a contingency approach. Journal of World Business, 43, 365-379.
Klinge, C. M. (2015) A conceptual framework for mentoring in a learning organization. Adult Learning, 26(4), 160-166.
Lee, H. H. & Lee, C. Y. (2014). The effects of total quality management and organisational learning on business performance: evidence from Taiwanese insurance industries. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, 25(9-10), 1072-1087.
Lopez, S. P., Peon, J. M. M. and Ordas, C. J. V.
(2005). Organizational learning as a determining factor in business performance. The Learning Organization, 12(3), 227-245. Lowe, D. & Skitmore, M. (1994). Experiential
learning in cost estimating. Construction Management and Economics, 12(5), 423-
431.
MacCallum, R. C., Roznowski, M., Mar, C. M. & Reith, J. V. (1994). Alternative strategies for cross-validation of covariance structure models. Multivariate Behavioural Research, 29(1), 1-32.
Matsuo, M. (2005). The role of internal competition in knowledge creation: An empirical study in Japanese firms. New York, USA: Peter Lang Publishers.
Nonaka, I. (1994). A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation. Organization Science, 5(1), 14-37.
Oh, S. Y. (2009). The Relationship between Quality Management, Organizational Learning, and Organizational Performance (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States of America.
Oh, S. Y. & Kuchinke, K. P. (2017). Exploring the role of organizational learning activities in the quality management context. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 38(3), 380-397.
Pallant, J. (2011). SPSS Survival Manual: A Step by Step Guide to Data Analysis using SPSS (4th ed.). China: Everbest Printing Company. Panayides, P. M. (2007). Effects of organizational learning in third-party logistics. Journal of Business Logistics,
28(2), 133-159.
Popova-Nowak, I. V. & Cseh, M. (2015). The meaning of organizational learning: a meta- paradigm perspective. Human Resource Development Review, 14(3), 299-331.
Priven, V. & Sacks, R. (2016). Impacts of the social subcontract and last planner system interventions on the trade-crew workflows of multi-story residential construction projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 142(7), 04016013-1 –
040016013-14
Rameezdeen, R. & Ramachandra, T. (2008). Construction linkages in a developing economy: the case of Sri Lanka. Construction Management and Economics, 26(5), 499-
506.
Real, J. C., Leal, A. and Roldán, J. L. (2006). Information technology as a determinant of organizational learning and technological distinctive competencies. Industrial Marketing Management, 35(4), 505-521.
Real, J. C., Roldán, J. L., and Leal, A. (2014). From entrepreneurial orientation and learning orientation to business performance: analysing the mediating role of organizational learning and the moderating effects of organizational size. British Journal of Management, 25(2), 186-208.
Santoso, D. S. and Soeng, S. (2016). Analyzing delays of road construction projects in Cambodia: causes and effects. Journal of Management in Engineering, 32(6), 05016020-1 – 05016020-11
Siebenhüner, B. (2005). The role of social learning on the road to sustainability. In U. J. Petschow, J. Rosenau and E. U. von Weiszäcker (Eds). Governance and Sustainability: New Challenges for States, Companies and Civil Society, 85-99. Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf Publishing,
Senge, P. (1999). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organisation. New York: Doubleday/Currency.
Shaw, J. D. (2011). Turnover rates and organizational performance review, critique, and research agenda. Organizational Psychology Review, 1(3), 187-213.
Shokri-Ghasabeh, M. & Chileshe, N. (2014). Knowledge management: barriers to capturing lessons learned from Australian construction contractors’ perspective. Construction Innovation, 14(1), 108-134.
Sweis, R. J., Bisharat, S. M., Bisharat, L. &
Sweis, G. (2014). Factors affecting contractor performance on public construction projects. Life Science Journal,11((4s), 28-39.
Tabachnick, B. G. & Fidell, L. S. (2007). Using Multivariate Statistics (5th Ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.
Toor, S, R. & Ogunlana, S. O. (2010). Beyond the ‘iron triangle’: stakeholders’ perception of key performance indicators (KPIs) for large- scale public sector development projects. International Journal of Project Management, 28, 228-236.
Theriou, G.N. & Chatzoglou, P. (2014). The impact of best HRM practices on performance–identifying enabling factors. Employee Relations, 36(5), 535-561.
Van der Heijden, K. (2004). Can internally generated futures accelerate organizational learning? Futures, 36(3), 145-159.
Venkatraman, N. & Prescott, J. E. (1990). Environment-strategy coalignment: an empirical test of its performance implications. Strategic Management Journal, 11(1), 1-23.
Waggoner, D. B., Neely, A. D. & Kennerley, M.
P. (1999). The forces that shape organisational performance measurement systems: an interdisciplinary review. International Journal of Production Economics, 60, 53-60.
Walker, D. H. T. & Johannes, D. (2001). Organizational Learning Intentions and Joint Ventures in Hong Kong Infrastructure Projects: A Pilot Study. In: A. Akintoye (Ed.), Proceedings of the 17th Annual Association of Researchers in Construction Management Conference, Vol. 1, 567-576. Salford, UK, 5-7 September.
Wu, C. H. & Fang, K. (2010). Improving project performance through organisational learning: an empirical study in Taiwan. Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, 22(2), 261-276.
Zhou, S., Battaglia, M. & Frey, M. (2018). Organizational learning through disasters: a multi-utility company’s experience. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 27(2), 243-254.
Akinci, C. & Sadler-Smith, E. (2018). Collective intuition: implications for improved decision making and organizational learning. British Journal of Management, 00, 1-20.
Antón, A. J. M., Rodríguez, G. S. and López, A. R. (2011). Financial risks in construction projects. African Journal of Business Management, 5(31), 12325-12328.
Argyris, C. (1996). Overcoming Organizational Defences: Facilitating Organizational Learning. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Bagaya, O. & Song, J. (2016). Empirical study of factors influencing schedule delays of public construction projects in Burkina Faso. Journal of Management in Engineering, 32(5), 05016014-01 – 05016014-10.
Bapuji, H. & Crossan, M. (2004). From questions to answers: reviewing organizational learning research. Management Learning, 35(4), 397-417.
Bontis, N., Crossan, M. M. & Hulland, J. (2002). Managing an organizational learning system by aligning stocks and flows. Journal of Management Studies, 39(4), 437-469.
Bustinza O. F., Molina, L. M. & Arias-Aranda,
D. (2010). Organizational learning and performance: relationship between the dynamic and the operational capabilities of the firm. African Journal of Business Management, 4(18), 4067-4078.
Chan, A. P. C., Scott, D. & Chan, A. P. L. (2004).
Factors affecting the success of a construction project. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 130(1), 153-
155.
Chauhan, N. & Bontis, N. (2004). Organizational learning via groupware: a path to discovery or disaster? International Journal of Technology Management, 27(6/7), 591-610.
Chiang, Y. H., Tao, L., and Wong, F. K. W. (2015). Causal relationship between construction activities, employment and GDP: The case of Hong Kong. Habitat international, 46, 1-12.
Crossan, M. M., Lane, H. W. & White, R. E. (1999). An organizational learning framework: from intuition to institution. Academy of Management Review, 24(3), 522-
537.
De Carvalho, M. M., Patah, L. A. & Bido, D. S. (2015). Project management and its effect on project success: cross-country and cross- industry comparisons. International Journal of Project Management, 33, 1509-1522.
De Menezes, L. M. & Kelliher, C. (2011). Flexible working and performance: A systematic review of the evidence for a business case. International Journal of Management Reviews, 13(4), 452-474.
Dereli, T., Durmuşoğlu, A., Delibaş, D. & Avlanmaz, N. (2011). An analysis of the papers published in Total Quality Management and Business Excellence from 1995 through 2008. Total Quality
Management, 22(3), 373-386.
Dulaimi, M. F. & Ang, A. F. (2009). Elements of learning organizations in Singapore’s quantity surveying practices. Emirates Journal for Engineering Research, 14(1), 83-
92.
Durst, S. & Runar Edvardsson, I. (2012).
Knowledge management in SMEs: a literature review. Journal of Knowledge Management, 16(6), 879-903.
Edwards, M. T. (2016). An organizational learning framework for patient safety. American Journal of Medical Quality, 32(2), 148-155.
Fagbemi, A. O. (2008). Assessment of
Quantity Surveyors’ Service Quality in Lagos State, Nigeria. (Unpublished master’s thesis). Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria.
Field, A. P. (2005). Discovering Statistics with SPSS (2nd ed.). 627-685 London: Sage Publications,.
Flyvbjerg, B., Skamris Holm, M. K. & Buhl, S.L. (2004). What causes cost overrun in transport infrastructure projects? Transport Reviews, 24(1), 3-18.
Garcia, M. U. & Vano, F. L. (2002). Organizational learning in global market. Health Systems Management, 21(3), 169-
182.
Gareis, R. & Huemann, M. (2000). Project management competences in the project- oriented organization. In: J. R. Turner and S.
J. Simister (Eds.), Gower Handbook of Project Management. Aldershot, United Kingdom: Gower Publishing Limited, pp.709–721.
Goh, S. C., Elliot, C. & Quon, T. K. (2012). The relationship between learning capacity and organizational performance: a meta-analytic examination. The Learning Organization, 19(2), 92-108.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J. & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate Data Analysis (7th ed.). 89-150. New Jersey: Prentice Hall,.
Hamzeh, F. R., Zankoul, E. & Rouhana, C.
(2015). How can ‘tasks made ready’ during
look ahead planning impact reliable workflow
and project duration? Construction
Management and Economics, 33(4), 243-258. Huber, G. P. (1991). Organizational learning: the
contributing processes and the literatures.
Organization Science, 2(1), 88-115.
Hussein, N., Mohamad, A., Noordin, F. & Ishak,
N. A. (2014). Learning organization and its effect on organizational performance and organizational innovativeness: a proposed framework for Malaysian public institutions of higher education. Procedia – Social and Behavioural Science, 130, 299-304.
Huysman, M. H. (2000). Organizational learning or learning organizations. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 9(2), 133-145.
Jarvis, P. (1987). Meaningful and meaningless experience: towards an analysis of learning from life. Adult Education Quarterly, 73(3) 164-172.
Jiang, X. & Li, Y. (2008). The relationship between organizational learning and firms’ financial performance in strategic alliances: a contingency approach. Journal of World Business, 43, 365-379.
Klinge, C. M. (2015) A conceptual framework for mentoring in a learning organization. Adult Learning, 26(4), 160-166.
Lee, H. H. & Lee, C. Y. (2014). The effects of total quality management and organisational learning on business performance: evidence from Taiwanese insurance industries. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, 25(9-10), 1072-1087.
Lopez, S. P., Peon, J. M. M. and Ordas, C. J. V.
(2005). Organizational learning as a determining factor in business performance. The Learning Organization, 12(3), 227-245. Lowe, D. & Skitmore, M. (1994). Experiential
learning in cost estimating. Construction Management and Economics, 12(5), 423-
431.
MacCallum, R. C., Roznowski, M., Mar, C. M. & Reith, J. V. (1994). Alternative strategies for cross-validation of covariance structure models. Multivariate Behavioural Research, 29(1), 1-32.
Matsuo, M. (2005). The role of internal competition in knowledge creation: An empirical study in Japanese firms. New York, USA: Peter Lang Publishers.
Nonaka, I. (1994). A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation. Organization Science, 5(1), 14-37.
Oh, S. Y. (2009). The Relationship between Quality Management, Organizational Learning, and Organizational Performance (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States of America.
Oh, S. Y. & Kuchinke, K. P. (2017). Exploring the role of organizational learning activities in the quality management context. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 38(3), 380-397.
Pallant, J. (2011). SPSS Survival Manual: A Step by Step Guide to Data Analysis using SPSS (4th ed.). China: Everbest Printing Company. Panayides, P. M. (2007). Effects of organizational learning in third-party logistics. Journal of Business Logistics,
28(2), 133-159.
Popova-Nowak, I. V. & Cseh, M. (2015). The meaning of organizational learning: a meta- paradigm perspective. Human Resource Development Review, 14(3), 299-331.
Priven, V. & Sacks, R. (2016). Impacts of the social subcontract and last planner system interventions on the trade-crew workflows of multi-story residential construction projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 142(7), 04016013-1 –
040016013-14
Rameezdeen, R. & Ramachandra, T. (2008). Construction linkages in a developing economy: the case of Sri Lanka. Construction Management and Economics, 26(5), 499-
506.
Real, J. C., Leal, A. and Roldán, J. L. (2006). Information technology as a determinant of organizational learning and technological distinctive competencies. Industrial Marketing Management, 35(4), 505-521.
Real, J. C., Roldán, J. L., and Leal, A. (2014). From entrepreneurial orientation and learning orientation to business performance: analysing the mediating role of organizational learning and the moderating effects of organizational size. British Journal of Management, 25(2), 186-208.
Santoso, D. S. and Soeng, S. (2016). Analyzing delays of road construction projects in Cambodia: causes and effects. Journal of Management in Engineering, 32(6), 05016020-1 – 05016020-11
Siebenhüner, B. (2005). The role of social learning on the road to sustainability. In U. J. Petschow, J. Rosenau and E. U. von Weiszäcker (Eds). Governance and Sustainability: New Challenges for States, Companies and Civil Society, 85-99. Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf Publishing,
Senge, P. (1999). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organisation. New York: Doubleday/Currency.
Shaw, J. D. (2011). Turnover rates and organizational performance review, critique, and research agenda. Organizational Psychology Review, 1(3), 187-213.
Shokri-Ghasabeh, M. & Chileshe, N. (2014). Knowledge management: barriers to capturing lessons learned from Australian construction contractors’ perspective. Construction Innovation, 14(1), 108-134.
Sweis, R. J., Bisharat, S. M., Bisharat, L. &
Sweis, G. (2014). Factors affecting contractor performance on public construction projects. Life Science Journal,11((4s), 28-39.
Tabachnick, B. G. & Fidell, L. S. (2007). Using Multivariate Statistics (5th Ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.
Toor, S, R. & Ogunlana, S. O. (2010). Beyond the ‘iron triangle’: stakeholders’ perception of key performance indicators (KPIs) for large- scale public sector development projects. International Journal of Project Management, 28, 228-236.
Theriou, G.N. & Chatzoglou, P. (2014). The impact of best HRM practices on performance–identifying enabling factors. Employee Relations, 36(5), 535-561.
Van der Heijden, K. (2004). Can internally generated futures accelerate organizational learning? Futures, 36(3), 145-159.
Venkatraman, N. & Prescott, J. E. (1990). Environment-strategy coalignment: an empirical test of its performance implications. Strategic Management Journal, 11(1), 1-23.
Waggoner, D. B., Neely, A. D. & Kennerley, M.
P. (1999). The forces that shape organisational performance measurement systems: an interdisciplinary review. International Journal of Production Economics, 60, 53-60.
Walker, D. H. T. & Johannes, D. (2001). Organizational Learning Intentions and Joint Ventures in Hong Kong Infrastructure Projects: A Pilot Study. In: A. Akintoye (Ed.), Proceedings of the 17th Annual Association of Researchers in Construction Management Conference, Vol. 1, 567-576. Salford, UK, 5-7 September.
Wu, C. H. & Fang, K. (2010). Improving project performance through organisational learning: an empirical study in Taiwan. Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, 22(2), 261-276.
Zhou, S., Battaglia, M. & Frey, M. (2018). Organizational learning through disasters: a multi-utility company’s experience. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 27(2), 243-254.
Published
2020-05-23
How to Cite
FAMAKIN, I. O., OSHODI, O. S., & IBIRONKE, O. T. (2020). Performance of Quantity Surveying Firms Using the Strategic Learning Assessment Map (Slam) Framework. Journal of Construction Innovation and Cost Management, 1(1), 4-18. Retrieved from https://jcicm.unilag.edu.ng/article/view/2749
Section
Articles
