Case Study Investigating the Relationship Between Construction Craft Workers' Emotional Intelligence and Productivity on Jobsites

Abstract

Many variables affect commercial construction projects. Some of these are related to the soft sciences of construction laborers on construction projects. Past research studied Emotional Intelligence (EI) of construction managers and provided data used to predict construction project success. This research studied construction laborers instead of construction managers. The Percent Planned Complete (PPC) of the Last Planner System (LPS) was used to determine the predictability of four subcontractors on a multi-family housing project with a thirteen-week schedule in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Emotional Intelligence score of forty-nine construction laborers was collected using the SSEIT and the relationship with their PPC was analyzed. The results provide new knowledge to the understanding of construction worker's productivity showing higher EI scores could have a negative impact on workplace productivity. With this new knowledge construction managers can understand the role EI plays with construction laborers' productivity.