Learning Styles and Preferences of Field Managers in U.S. Non-residential Construction

Abstract

Construction is the largest U.S. industry, in which there are many current trends in the adoption of new project delivery strategies, management practices, and complex applications of information technology. As part of the management team on construction sites, superintendents are looked upon to provide leadership in the means and methods during construction, often taking responsibility for the coordination of labor, materials, equipment, and others resources. Many of these individuals are in the Baby Boomer generation and will soon retire, requiring construction firms to replace them with members of Generations X and Y. This shift will require consideration of properly training for and managing the dynamically changing advancements and technology in the industry. To accomplish this, construction firms could benefit from a better understanding of the learning styles and preferences of the managerial workforce, so that continuing education and training can be optimally developed and delivered. This study investigated those preferences, targeting current superintendents, assistant superintendents, foremen, and related field managers of commercial construction firms in the southeastern U.S., whose representative employers were of size. Voluntary anonymous responses provided data for analysis to determine by what learning styles they prefer, and also for analysis based on independent variables of age, frequency of training, and level of education.