1. IS TRAINING THE SOLUTION? A QUALITATIVE STUDY EXPLORING AN
INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO ADDRESS THE SKILLED-CRAFT
WORKFORCE SHORTAGE AT PRIDE INDUSTRIES
A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Management in Organizational Development and Change
By
Lonny Wright
Colorado Technical University
August 20, 2014
5. ii
Abstract
This qualitative, exploratory study examines initiatives being implemented by PRIDE
Industries, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create jobs for people with
significant disabilities. Under the AbilityOne program, PRIDE Industries is required to
maintain a workforce 75% of which consists of individuals with disabilities. Workforce
shortages continue to emerge across construction and facility maintenance industries, and
organizations such as PRIDE Industries are affected by these challenges. Qualitative
research is particularly appropriate for studying disability issues because it is accurate
and provides reactions about an issue of interest—quickly. By using one-on-one semi-
structured investigative interview methods, the researcher employed a theme
identification process to capture the real experience and reveal the root cause of the
problem. The researcher used NVivo Qualitative Software to code and analyze the data
obtained, discover themes, and find meaning through the exploratory approach. The data
were analyzed for emerging themes derived from rich and descriptive data provided
directly by the study participants through interview dialogue. The themes are presented
and interpreted here.
6. iii
Dedication
I dedicate this dissertation to my wife, Linda, and my daughter Vanessa, without
whom I would not have had the encouragement, support, and love to finish the course set
before me. I also dedicate this dissertation to both my mother, Gweneth Stegner, and my
father- and mother-in-law, Glenn and Maria Willer, without whom I would not have had
the perseverance, drive, or courage to even begin the DM journey. They reinforced the
foundation of my self-discipline and work ethic. I am thankful they were here to share in
this achievement.
7. iv
Acknowledgments
There are so many people I would like to thank for helping me during my doctoral
journey. First, I would like to thank the chair of my dissertation committee, Dr. Danetra
Quarterman, for her mentorship, guidance, and feedback during my dissertation journey.
She was always there when I needed help. I cannot thank you enough. Also, thanks to Dr.
Jaime Sampayo, for your invaluable insight and encouragement during this most
academically trying time in my life. You were my teacher and guide. I also thank Dr.
Asefaw Indrias for his reassurance and academic insight, which were instrumental in the
final stages of my dissertation journey.
I would be remiss if I did not thank my dear friends and colleagues, Mazen Barba
and James Keith Johnson, who were my biggest supporters and who also endured this
journey alongside me in the trenches. Gentlemen, we did it! My thanks also go to all my
DM professors, who paved the way for my learning and who provided critical insight and
advice during the doctoral process. To my entire cohort—Cohort 30—thank you kindly
for putting up with me and always providing your different perspectives and insight that
help shape me into the person I have become. Finally, last but not least, I thank Michael
Ziegler, Peter Berghuis, and Jeff Belles for their leadership and support, both professional
and personal; thank you, gentlemen.
8. v
Table of Contents
Abstract...............................................................................................................ii
Dedication..........................................................................................................iii
Acknowledgments.............................................................................................. iv
Table of Contents................................................................................................ v
List of Tables ...................................................................................................... x
List of Figures.................................................................................................... xi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION..................................................................... 1
Background......................................................................................................... 1
Problem Statement.............................................................................................. 4
Purpose Statement............................................................................................... 4
Research Question(s) .......................................................................................... 5
Theoretical Perspectives/Conceptual Framework............................................... 6
Researcher’s Assumptions.................................................................................. 6
Significance of the Study.................................................................................... 7
Delimitations....................................................................................................... 8
Limitations.......................................................................................................... 8
Definition of Terms............................................................................................. 9
Research Design Overview............................................................................... 11
9. vi
Summary and Organization of the Study.......................................................... 12
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW....................................................... 14
The Construction Industry ................................................................................ 14
The Construction Skilled-Craft Labor Shortage............................................... 16
Transitioning the Workforce............................................................................. 19
Gap in Literature............................................................................................... 21
Changes in the Types of Jobs That Are in Demand...................................... 22
Educational Attainment Is Lagging .............................................................. 22
The High School Student.............................................................................. 23
The Transition Center ................................................................................... 25
Leveraging Learning Investments Effectively.............................................. 26
Methodology..................................................................................................... 28
Summary of Literature...................................................................................... 29
CHAPTER THREE: METHODS......................................................................... 32
Research Tradition(s)........................................................................................ 32
Research Question ............................................................................................ 34
Research Design................................................................................................ 34
Research Setting............................................................................................ 34
Population and Sample ................................................................................. 34
11. viii
Presentation of the Data.................................................................................... 47
Themes.......................................................................................................... 47
PRIDE’s Training Initiative Report.............................................................. 49
Presentation and Discussion of Findings .......................................................... 50
NVivo Process .............................................................................................. 50
Interview Findings: Themes ......................................................................... 51
Summary of Chapter......................................................................................... 69
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION ......................................... 71
Findings and Conclusions................................................................................. 71
Limitations of the Study.................................................................................... 75
Implications for Practice................................................................................... 77
Implications of Study and Recommendations for Future Research.................. 79
Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 81
References............................................................................................................. 83
APPENDIX A: PARTICIPATION REQUEST EMAIL...................................... 92
APPENDIX B: FOLLOW-UP EMAIL ................................................................ 94
APPENDIX C: REMINDER EMAIL .................................................................. 95
APPENDIX D: INFORMED CONSENT ............................................................ 96
APPENDIX E: SCRIPT...................................................................................... 100
12. ix
APPENDIX F: INTERVIEW FORM................................................................. 106
APPENDIX G: IRB APPROVAL MEMORANDUM....................................... 110
APPENDIX H: AUTHORIZATION LETTER.................................................. 111
APPENDIX I: EXPLORING PERCEPTION OR PROGRAM EVALUATION
PROCESS.................................................................................................... 112
13. x
List of Tables
Table 4.1 Location Demographics
Table 4.2 Themes
Table 4.3 Module Completion Report (May 19, 2014)
14. xi
List of Figures
Figure 1. Number of construction employees (BLS, 2011)
Figure 2. Forecasting change: Year 2014 versus current state 2010
15. 1
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
As workforce shortages continue to emerge across construction and facility
maintenance industries, organizations such as PRIDE Industries, in which 75% of the
workforce must consist of people with significant disabilities, are especially affected by
these challenges. To address these issues, AbilityOne organizations must devise and
implement innovative approaches, not only to eliminate their workforce shortages but
also to meet their quota requirements under the federal AbilityOne program. This study
delves into the PRIDE Industries initiatives instituted to help relieve its extreme shortage
of skilled-craft workers who have significant disabilities. Chapter 1 outlines the general
framework of the study, including its background, problem statement, purpose, research
question, theoretical perspective, assumptions, significance, delimitation, limitations,
definition of terms, and research design. The chapter concludes with the organization of
the remainder of the study.
Background
For the past 20 years, the construction and facility maintenance industry has
identified increasing shortages of skilled-craft workers. However, despite this awareness,
the support needed across the industry to address and resolve the problem has not
appeared. Although some associations within the construction and facility maintenance
industry, such as the Associated General Contractors (AGC) and the Associated Builders
and Contractors (ABC), along with some progressive contractors, have helped the
industry make strides in attracting and training new workers, the problem is far from
solved (NCCER, 2013). In fact, it will only intensify in the coming years, as noted in a
16. 2
2005 U.S. Department of Labor Research Council Report, which identified a need for 2
million skilled-craft workers by the year 2017. The causes of this growing shortage
include the general economic recession, retirements, and the lack of population growth
within the millennial generation (NCCER, 2013). The Construction Labor Research
Council (CLRC) predicts that 185,000 new workers will be needed annually for the next
decade (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], 2011). A skilled workforce is essential to
safe, productive, and sustainable construction and maintenance activities—which, in turn,
are critical to the nation’s economic future (Whyte, 2013). Quality comprehensive craft
training is fundamental to the development of a skilled workforce that meets these critical
requirements (NCCER, 2013).
Many different initiatives, including training and recruiting programs, have been
developed to help address this shortage, but they have generally focused on only one or
two aspects of the problem and have achieved varied results (Whyte, 2013). This study
takes a perspective in which the focus and scope are varied and broad. In this perspective,
the term workforce diversity expands beyond single dimensions (e.g., age, race, sex)
(Shore et al., 2009).
PRIDE Industries, which participates in the AbilityOne program, has
implemented initiatives that it believes will address its needs for a diverse skilled-craft
workforce and help reduce the skilled-craft shortage in the construction and facility
maintenance industry. In the United States, the AbilityOne program is the largest single
provider of jobs for people who are blind or have other significant disabilities. The
AbilityOne program uses the purchasing power of the federal government to buy
products and services from participating community-based nonprofit agencies across the
17. 3
nation that are dedicated to training and employing individuals with disabilities. This
program was designed to provide people who are blind or who have other significant
disabilities with the opportunity to acquire job skills and training, earn good wages and
benefits, and gain greater independence and quality of life. The program enables people
with disabilities to enjoy full participation in their community and market their
AbilityOne-learned skills into other public- and private-sector jobs (AbilityOne, 2013).
An individual with a significant disability is defined as one who has a severe physical or
mental impairment. These are individuals whose ability to function independently in the
family or community or whose ability to obtain, maintain, or advance in employment is
substantially limited. For this special group of people, the delivery of independent living
services will improve the ability to function, continue functioning, or move toward
independent function in the family or community or to continue in employment.
The current state of skilled-craft workforce development within the construction
and facility maintenance industry has failed to meet the demands the shortages impose.
Though improvements have been made, no innovative programs targeting the disabled
population have been developed to help meet these needs. Education programs for young
adolescents also provide opportunity, especially for students with disabilities, by
leveraging programs designed to help develop and build the necessary skills to obtain
employment opportunities. Organizations have to tear down the barriers that prevent
them from changing by investing in training and education.
The development of a diverse skilled-craft workforce requires that business
leaders know and understand the impact at the various levels of their organizations:
intergroup, group, and individual. PRIDE Industries has realized the importance of
18. 4
having an atmosphere of integration, and has attracted a diverse population that is
supported by a culture which encourages an innovative approach to building a strong
workforce for its future.
Problem Statement
To create a new strategy that addresses the growing need for a diverse skilled-
craft workforce, management needs to expand its knowledge and understanding of
different innovative approaches to help organizations resolve this challenge in terms of
theory and model application, among other components. PRIDE Industries is one of the
organizations that is faced with the challenge of finding skilled-craft workers who have
significant disabilities in order to meet coding/screening requirements in accordance with
the Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act under the AbilityOne program. Given these requirements,
organizations like PRIDE Industries should consider innovative approaches, especially
those related to training, through conducting community outreach programs or
developing their own internal programs. Because of the lack of such programs and
initiatives, the skilled-craft workforce shortage gap continues to increase as both the
construction and the facility maintenance industries continue to grow. However,
significant barriers to change exist: the fear of losing a contract bid due to added training
costs, of losing employees after having invested in training, and of working with an
unproven program; the lack of employee acceptance of traditional training programs; and
underappreciation of the improved productivity achieved by training; these must all be
overcome (Whyte, 2013).
Purpose Statement
This qualitative research study was intended to discover whether PRIDE
Industries’ initiatives positively affect the emerging skilled-craft workforce shortage.
19. 5
Qualitative exploitative methodology supports a strategy that allowed the researcher to
employ an exploratory inquiry for this study. The focus of this study was to discover if
PRIDE Industries’ innovative approach and outreach initiatives could be a preferred
method to help address the growing shortage of skilled-craft workers within the
construction and facility maintenance industries. It further considered PRIDE’s approach
to leveraging the disabled population and providing them with individualized training
that develops the skills required to gain employment and career opportunities. This
approach directly addresses barriers to employment, especially for individuals with
disabilities, by providing learning and personal development training opportunities such
as:
Individualized instruction
Special educational services
Work-based learning
Competencies and skills development
Research Question(s)
The main research question addressed was: “What initiatives can organizations
such as PRIDE Industries implement to address a growing shortage of skilled-craft
workers?” To help answer this central, overarching study question, the researcher also
posed the following additional inquiries:
Can an innovative approach to training help meet the need for skilled-craft
workers?
What other initiatives should PRIDE Industries consider to help address the
shortage of skilled-craft workers?
20. 6
Theoretical Perspectives/Conceptual Framework
The value and contribution of this transformational approach are reflected in
Reason and Torbert’s assertion that after the linguistic turn of postmodernism, it is now
time for the “action turn” where the researcher can re-vision the nature and purpose of
social science and “forge a more direct link between the intellectual knowledge and
moment-to-moment personal and social action, so that inquiry contributes directly to the
flourishing of human persons, their communities and the ecosystems of which they are
part” (2001, p. 6). The researcher leveraged a phenomenology approach (Creswell, 1998,
p. 52) as the foundation for exploring the understanding and experiences closely related
to the context of the phenomenon being studied.
The researcher utilized qualitative methodology that allows development of
inductive themes that are drawn from and founded on systematically gathered and
analyzed data. This methodology permits an exploratory approach that consists of
different phases, which include deciding on a research problem, framing the research
question, collecting data, coding and analyzing data, and developing themes relating to
the phenomenon being studied. This approach allows the researcher to draw from
personal and professional experiences, knowledge of the study sites and materials, and
level of sophistication brought to the analytical process without allowing perceptions to
interfere with critical thinking and discovery.
Researcher’s Assumptions
The objective of this research was to investigate PRIDE Industries’ innovative
training approach and initiatives to resolve its growing need for a diverse skilled-craft
workforce, with the particular focus of targeting the needs of people with disabilities. A
close assessment was conducted to determine if the concept is effective within a diffusion
21. 7
model being used to introduce a new strategy in support of community, corporate, and
family/individual initiatives. The researcher’s assumption is that such a model, like the
one being used by PRIDE Industries, could help support future studies and the
development of a theory that would guide similar organizations in implementing and
diffusing innovative training initiatives within their internal networks. Using systems and
network analysis methods, the researcher observed the introduction and use of PRIDE’s
options and initiatives that provide creative means for community, corporate, and family
and individual networks to address both employment needs and workforce shortages.
This study further tested the researcher’s assumptions by verifying that PRIDE’s
approach addresses each individual’s needs while achieving training requirements, and
that its innovative approach to training does support various needs within its own and
similar organizations.
Significance of the Study
The researcher’s goal was to capture the impacts of innovative means or
initiatives being used by PRIDE Industries to address its skilled-craft workforce
shortages. These means consisted of implementing a program that delivers a basic skills
curriculum to a very diverse workforce that includes people with disabilities, each with
their own needs and accommodations, simultaneously without having to segregate them
and without having to change the standards of the course. It is believed that PRIDE’s
approach addresses each individual’s needs so each person can achieve the course
standards and employ learned skills the same as their counterparts who do not have
special needs.
This study further investigated the initiatives PRIDE Industries has taken for
working with school transition programs, which address the needs of high school
22. 8
graduates with disabilities. Such programs could significantly assist in addressing the
shortages experienced throughout the industry while providing opportunities to students
to learn the skills needed to become skilled-craft workers; thus, these programs merit
serious study. Although both PRIDE program initiatives are in their early stages,
assessing the impacts of such efforts can help refine and improve those initiatives and
suggest additional approaches that both the construction and facility maintenance
industries can use.
Delimitations
The study population consisted of 20 research participants who have supervised
others for at least 3 years; the participants were drawn from a pool of managers,
supervisors, or lead technicians serving at one of PRIDE’s Integrated Facilities Service
(IFS) locations: Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Joint
Base-McGuire Dix Lakehurst (JB-MDL), New Jersey; Los Angeles Air Force Base
(LAAB), California; Blue Grass Station, Kentucky; and Administration Office of the
Courts (AOC), California. Some of these locations required special authorizations, such
as a security clearance, to gain access and thus potentially limited the researcher’s ability
to move within the facility or job location. The study used a qualitative, exploratory
methodology to obtain rich and descriptive information from research participants’
descriptions of their management experiences.
Limitations
This study was subject to limitations evolving from the researcher’s analysis of
the project’s validity, credibility, and reliability. Time constrained the researcher’s ability
to observe the initiatives introduced by PRIDE Industries from start to finish. PRIDE’s
program is based on a three-year implementation model that was developed in support of
23. 9
its initiative; the model included an Innovation Phase, a Pilot Program Development and
Implementation Phase, and an Evaluation and Confirmation Phase. This study was based
on observations and interviews done after PRIDE’s first year of its pilot program
implementation phase. Because of this timing, not all IFS sites had implemented
PRIDE’s initiatives, thereby limiting the number of locations and sample size available
for the study.
The researcher’s current position within PRIDE Industries also limited the ability
to impartially address a possible conflict-of-interest situation. However, it is important to
note that the researcher’s position as the Director of Technical Training and Development
did not include assigned subordinates. For the purpose of the study, the researcher was
reassigned to work directly for and with PRIDE’s chief operating officer (COO) and
senior vice president, as a consultant, to investigate the initiatives being implemented by
PRIDE Industries and to assess the effects of these initiatives on each PRIDE Integrated
Facilities Services (IFS) location and the perspectives of the IFS management team at
each of those locations. The researcher was required to conduct the study within the
limitations prescribed by PRIDE Industries’ human resource and legal departments, and
to conduct site visits based on an approved travel schedule.
Definition of Terms
Diversity: A concept that encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding
that each individual is unique, and recognizing individual differences. These
differences may be in the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual
orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs,
political beliefs, or other ideologies and aspects of personal identity. Diversity
contemplates the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing
24. 10
environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple
tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained
within each individual (ASUO-Multicultural Advocate’s Home Page, 2013).
Diverse skilled-craft worker: A person with a significant disability who has the skills
necessary to work as a technician (such as carpenter, electrician, plumber, or
heavy equipment operator, for example).
Innovative approach: A new delivery method (course design) for those with or without
disabilities.
Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act (JWOD Act): A U.S. federal law requiring that all federal
agencies purchase specified supplies and services from nonprofit agencies
employing persons who are blind or have other significant disabilities. The Javits-
Wagner-O’Day Act is codified as 41 U.S.C. §§ 8501-8506 (AbilityOne, 2013).
Significant disability: “A person with a disability—1) who has a severe physical or
mental impairment which seriously limits one or more functional capacities (such
as mobility, communication, self-care, self-direction, interpersonal skills, work
tolerance, or work skills) in terms of an employment outcome; 2) whose
vocational rehabilitation can be expected to require multiple vocational
rehabilitation services over an extended period of time; and 3) who has one or
more physical or mental disabilities resulting from amputation, arthritis, autism,
blindness, burn injury, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, deafness, head
injury, heart disease, hemiplegia, hemophilia, respiratory or pulmonary
dysfunction, mental retardation, mental illness, multiple sclerosis, muscular
dystrophy, musculo-skeletal disorders, neurological disorders (including stroke
25. 11
and epilepsy), paraplegia, quadriplegia, and other spinal cord conditions, sickle
cell anemia, specific learning disability, end-stage renal disease, or another
disability or combination of disabilities determined on the basis of an assessment
for determining eligibility and vocational rehabilitation needs in support of
employment” (AbilityOne, 2013).
Skilled-craft worker: A worker with average qualifications who is assigned tasks or work
involving a degree of initiative or responsibility. Skilled or craft workers are
usually classified into a subgroup or category (e.g., carpenter, plumber,
electrician, heavy equipment operator), which is in turn divided into various
grades (first, second, etc.) according to occupational skills, the degree of
responsibility involved in the work, or other similar factors.
SourceAmerica: (Formerly known as NISH). Government entity that provides
employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities through federal
contracts for goods and services. The SourceAmerica network supports nearly
550 nonprofit agencies and their federal customers by providing legislative and
regulatory assistance, communications and marketing materials, information
technology support, engineering and technical assistance, and extensive
professional training (SourceAmerica, 2013).
Research Design Overview
This study utilizes Creswell’s characteristics of qualitative study, which include
field research, researcher as a key instrument, multiple data sources, inductive data
analysis focused on participant meaning, emergent design, theoretical lens, interpretive
inquiry, and holistic account (Creswell, 2009, pp. 175-176). Defined qualitative research
is a means to explore and understand the different meanings that individuals give to
26. 12
certain issues or experiences. It is a true-to-life method (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) in which
phenomena are studied in their natural settings and the researcher attempts to give
meaning to what others say about past or present experiences (Creswell, 1998). Through
this qualitative process, questions, processes, and the building of data grow into general
themes derived from and established by conducted interviews.
The researcher’s intent was to leverage qualitative exploratory research to move
beyond description to discovery of a phenomenon (Creswell, 1998, p. 52). Participants in
the study shared their descriptive lived experiences and understanding of PRIDE
Industries initiatives, and the researcher used those experiences to develop a concept of
the phenomenon and provide a framework for further research. The idea is for the
researcher to set aside all prejudgments and to rely on intuition, imagination, and
universal structures to obtain a picture of the experience (Creswell, 1998, p. 52). This
approach leverages qualitative research design, which allowed the researcher to generate
a general concept of PRIDE’s initiatives, approaches, actions, or interactions shaped by
the IFS management team’s perspectives.
Summary and Organization of the Study
This chapter explained the rationale for the study. It included the study
background, justification, and research design. Because there are no studies regarding
approaches to help organizations, such as PRIDE Industries, address the need for a
diverse skilled-craft workforce amidst a continuing and growing workforce shortage
within the construction and facility maintenance industries, a qualitative approach is
appropriate for this study within PRIDE’s IFS locations.
Chapter 2 provides an overview of the construction industry and the shortages of
skilled-craft workers; diversity and the lack of innovative programs that support the
27. 13
development of a diverse skilled-craft workforce; and the need for an innovative
approach to address these problems, and the initiatives being implemented by PRIDE
Industries. Chapter 3 gives the methodological context for the study, using a qualitative
exploratory theory approach in investigating PRIDE Industries initiatives being
implemented to address multiple company needs for a diverse skilled-craft workforce
while the country continues to face workforce shortages within the construction and
facility maintenance industry. Chapter 4 outlines the study results, findings, and data
analysis of the information collected. Chapter 5 describes the implications of the study
results and offers recommendations for future study and use.
28. 14
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Management is realizing the importance of having an atmosphere of integration,
attracting a diverse workforce, and promoting tolerance in the workplace. Schur, Kruse,
and Blanck (2005) and Spataro (2005) have cautioned that corporate culture is crucial in
encouraging or discouraging attitudes and practices that incorporate people with
disabilities. This literature review outlines relevant historical and practice-based literature
with regard to resolving workforce shortages faced by PRIDE Industries, the largest U.S.
employer of people with disabilities.
To create a new strategy that addresses the growing need for a diverse skilled-
craft workforce, management should have an understanding of different innovative
approaches in terms of theory and model application, among other components.
Obtaining a diverse skilled-craft workforce involves knowing and understanding the
impact at different levels of the organization: intergroup, group, and individual levels.
This research shows that management is realizing the importance of having an
atmosphere of integration, attracting a diverse workforce, and promoting tolerance in the
workplace.
The Construction Industry
The construction industry has historically found ways to survive the ups and down
of the national economy. Within the past 30 years, the industry’s ability to retain its
workforce during a recession, and to rehire people after layoffs or downsizing, continues
to be a challenge (Whyte, 2013). Following the 2002 economic downturn and Hurricane
Katrina in 2005, a source at FMI stated, “People in the construction industry are either
unaware of the impact of the situation or bury their heads in the sand to not deal with it”
(Spillane, 2004, p. 22; NCCER, 2013).
29. 15
The construction industry was projected to face a deficit of more than 1.5 million
craft professionals by the year 2014 (FMI, 2010; NCCER, 2013). However, in 2006 the
Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in its Occupational Outlook
Handbook and Career Guide to Industries (2011), stated that there were 7.7 million
Americans in the construction industry, which was and still is considered to be among the
economy’s top 10 largest sources of growth (NCCER, 2013). With this growth, the
Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC) predicted that 185,000 new workers
would be needed annually for the next decade (Whyte, 2013). Of the positions that
currently make up the construction industry, BLS reported that 240,000 trained jobs go
unfilled each year (2011). BLS predicted that from 2006 to 2016, there would be almost 1
million new jobs available in construction (an increase of 10.2%), as the construction
occupations are projected to grow 11% through the year 2016 (BLS, 2011; NCCER,
2013). However, since 2006, the construction industry has lost more than 2 million jobs
due to its inability to fill positions (AGC of America, 2012; see Figure 1). In
nonresidential construction alone, approximately 1 million jobs were lost (BLS, 2011;
NCCER, 2013).
Figure 1. (BLS, 2011)
30. 16
With a diverse workforce consisting of hundreds of skilled-craft workers who
have different capabilities and abilities, it is difficult to capture nationwide requirements
to inform technical skills or training programs that might provide a means to address the
industries’ skilled-craft workforce shortages. Going forward, it is important to note that
the results of a particular study only represent the segment(s) of those that participated in
that study. Comprehensive data for the entire industry, organization, or participants are
rarely available (Tucker et al., 1999; NCCER, 2013).
The Construction Skilled-Craft Labor Shortage
The construction industry continues to experience a shortage of skilled-craft labor
that has increased over the past three decades. Literature has shown that these shortages
are caused by a number of factors, including a working environment that many have
considered undesirable; relatively low pay and benefits; the generally poor image or
perception of the construction industry and its workers; unclear career paths in the
construction, especially in the facility maintenance field; and the transient and temporary
nature of much of the work (Tucker et al., 1999; NCCER, 2013).
According to a 2012 study by the American Institute of Architects (AIA),
McGraw-Hill Construction reports that 69% of architect, engineer, and contractor
professionals expect a shortage of skilled workers over the next 3 years, with 32%
anticipating a shortage of specialty trade contractors by 2014 (McGraw-Hill
Construction, 2012; NCCER, 2013). In addition, 49% of general contractors are
concerned about a shortage of skilled-craft workers by 2017 (McGraw-Hill Construction,
2012; NCCER, 2013). Furthermore, according to the Talent Pressures and Aging
Workforce industry report series conducted by the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at
Boston College, of 58 construction firms surveyed, 50% indicated that the aging of this
31. 17
workforce would “negatively” or “very negatively” affect their business—a figure
significantly higher than other business sectors studied, as reported by an American
Society for Training and Development article (ASTD, 2010; NCCER, 2013).
The 2008 recession had a tremendous impact on the available talent, and
unemployment figures skyrocketed toward 30%, as workers fled the industry in droves
seeking more stable employment in other industries (Whyte, 2013). It is unlikely that
those who succeeded in finding alternate employment will return to the construction
industry in the near future, if at all. Though there are prospects to take their places, few of
those prospects have the skill sets necessary to fill the key roles that are in demand today
(Schultz, 2012). A 2010 workforce survey by Manpower Inc. found that construction
ranked number one in demand for qualified workers and that construction skilled-trade
employment requests are the most difficult to fill (Manpower Inc., 2010; NCCER, 2013).
In a 2010 publication, The Next Big Threat … And It’s Probably Not What You’re
Expecting, FMI conducted detailed craft labor studies that assessed the balance of labor
supply and demand for specific crafts in a given geographical location (Figure 2). These
studies compare the intensity of specific crafts to various types of projects and the design
characteristics of structures being built (NCCER, 2013). By applying these models to the
national construction outlook, a sense of the magnitude and craft segmentation of
potential future shortages is given. Using 2010 as a baseline, it is clear the industry will
need to add 1.5 million workers to successfully install the volume of the work that is
expected in 2014 (FMI, 2010; NCCER, 2013).
32. 18
Figure 2. Forecasting change: Year 2014 versus current state 2010
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012), 10% of the 7 million workers
in the construction industry participate in a formal apprenticeship program (NCCER,
2013). This figure reflects a drop in percentage from 2008. Also according to the BLS
(2012), approximately 7 million craft employees currently work in the construction
industry (NCCER, 2013). Before the 2005 hurricane season, this number was predicted to
grow to 7.8 million by 2012 (NCCER, 2013). The BLS report further estimated that the
construction and facility maintenance industry would lose 1.4 million workers over this
same period due to attrition, promotion, relocation to other industries, and retirement
(NCCER, 2013).
The Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC) predicted that 185,000 new
workers would be needed annually for the next decade (Whyte, 2013). Prior to 2008, it
was estimated that 20% of the current workforce would retire in 3 years (Whyte &
Greene, 2004). Though the stream of departures has slowed over the past few months, the
exits have not stopped. The predictions in 2008 were distressing, but the reality may be
even worse because those same retirements (and other workforce departures) will now
likely occur during a recovering, highly competitive construction market (Whyte, 2013).
The 2011 U.S. Census Bureau reported that the workforce was made up of four
33. 19
generations: Traditionalists/Silents (born 1925–1946; 5%); baby boomers (born 1946–
1963; 45%); generation X (born 1963–1981; 40%); and millennials (born 1981–2000;
10%) (NCCER, 2013). Contributing to these issues is the generally slow population
growth in the United States, which will continue to contribute to the gap until the
millennials begin entering the workforce in larger numbers.
“The combination of baby boomers, immigrants, and working women has helped
swell our workforce by 1.6 percent a year for the past 50 years,” according to the authors
of The Jobs Revolution: Changing How America Works. “But during the coming 50 years
America’s workforce will need to grow by approximately 0.6 percent annually, about
one-third the pace set over the last half-century” (Gunderson, Jones, & Scanland, 2004, p.
27; NCCER, 2013).
The new mix will challenge the industry due to the enormous differences in work
ethics, attitudes, outlooks, behaviors, and abilities or disabilities among the four
generational groups (NCCER, 2013). The construction and facility maintenance industry
workforce of today is diverse not only racially but also in its approach, ability, and
capability; these variances obviously affect the development of a skilled-craft workforce
that is able to offset the shortage that exists today and is projected to continue well into
the future.
Transitioning the Workforce
Justification for this study comes from a “value in diversity” perspective (Cox,
Lobel, & McLeod, 1991), which argues that diversity creates value and benefit for team
outcomes. It is important to recognize that when a role is developed in context, it also
inherits a great deal of potential, which bears on multiple aspects of different situations
that affect how surface- and deep-level diversity improves group and organization
34. 20
success (Shore et al., 2009). Therefore, the value-in-diversity model (e.g., Cox, Lobel, &
McLeod, 1991) can be applied to multiple dimensions of diversity that increase the
opportunity for success (Richard, Ford, & Ismail, 2006). This points to the need for
research that explores what dimensions of diversity are valuable for group effectiveness,
and the roles that managerial and organizational leaders may play in creating contexts in
which such positive diversity effects can be found (Shore et al., 2009).
Use of the overarching term workforce diversity allows the focus and scope of this
research to be both varied and broad while investigating innovative approaches to resolve
workforce shortages in the construction and facility maintenance industries. Most
research typically focuses on a single dimension of diversity (e.g., age, race, sex) in a
U.S. domestic context. In a world of ongoing change, populated by boundaryless and
virtual organizations, it is time to revisit previous theories of diversity and create a new
set of paradigms (Shore et al., 2009). In Shore et al.’s article “Diversity in
Organizations,” the theoretical focus is on paradigms and limitations across the different
dimensions of diversity, with a goal of identifying points of integration and future
development for moving the literature forward. The focus of this study is on the extent to
which current theories adequately represent the potential array of outcomes, from
negative to positive, that exist for individuals, groups, and organizations.
Diversity can and should enhance the way work is accomplished, as well as the
products of that work (Helgesen, 1990; Foreman & Pressley, 1987). Training and
development practitioners must be aware of today’s increasingly diverse workplace and
of the rate at which diversity continues to evolve in the workplace (Schmidt, 2009).
Training should be designed and delivered to meet the needs of all stakeholders.
35. 21
Communities, employers, and employees should perceive that they are being treated
fairly and equitably with regard to the training they receive (Schmidt, 2009).
Seventy-five million baby boomers approached retirement age in 2010, putting
more than half of the U.S. population at more than 50 years old (Cohn & Taylor, 2010).
Over the next 19 years, 10,000 baby boomers will reach the age of 65 every day (Cohn &
Taylor, 2010). Though the quantity of available workers is important, the quality of the
workforce creates an even more critical threat and challenge to industry’s ability to
compete for talent and to succeed financially (Whyte, 2013). This idea is substantiated by
most industry experts, including Towers Perrin, who estimate that 60% of professional
jobs will require skill sets possessed by only 20% of the workforce; these numbers also
apply to the construction and facility maintenance industries (NCCER, 2013). The
number of workers aged 35 to 44 will decrease, causing a widespread shortage of middle
managers, and the youth demographic (age 18 and younger) will shrink in size compared
to the adult population (AARP, 2005; NCCER, 2013). In a 2008 publication, Tolbize
noted that a generationally diverse workforce will require employers to have an
understanding of the value each group places on the work-life balance and to develop
their ability to tap into unused resources (NCCER, 2013).
Gap in Literature
One of the most significant gaps in the literature is the lack of studies addressing
the shortage of disabled skilled-craft workers and the means to help them acquire the
skills needed to enter or remain in the skilled-craft workforce, thereby reducing shortages
within the construction and facility maintenance industries. Although the shortage has
been studied when it comes to nondisabled skilled-craft workers, no studies have focused
on the disabled population. A study such as this one, which investigates different
36. 22
perspectives and innovative approaches, could open new doors for both the construction
and facility maintenance industries to help overcome skilled-craft workforce shortages.
In a 2006 article, the American Society for Training and Development defined the
skills gap as “a significant gap between an organization’s skill needs and the current
capabilities of its workforce. It is the point at which an organization can no longer grow
and/or remain competitive in its industry because its employees do not have the right
skills to help drive business results and support the organization’s strategies and goals”
(Galagan, 2009; NCCER, 2013).
Changes in the Types of Jobs That Are in Demand
The construction and facility maintenance industries have traditionally been
viewed as low tech, and thus hold little appeal for the younger demographics that have
grown up in a technology-rich environment (NCCER, 2013). However, this perception is
inaccurate: Given the industry’s current use of technology, in applications ranging from
high-tech design and modeling to elaborate building processes and materials production,
the craft professionals and supervisors of the new construction and facility maintenance
workforce must be more than just computer literate: They must be computer-proficient
and technologically competent (ASTD, 2006; NCCER, 2013).
Educational Attainment Is Lagging
Education and training are the means whereby a person gains employability skills;
that is, the basic skills necessary for getting, keeping, and doing well on a job. These
skills, attitudes, and behaviors are indicators of potential success in the workplace
(Whyte, 2013). Employability skills are generic in nature and apply to all industry types
(Gunderson, Jones, & Scanland, 2004; NCCER, 2013). Unfortunately, educational
attainment of these skills is lagging.
37. 23
According to the 2007 American Community Survey (ACS), 12.8% of the
civilian noninstitutionalized population aged 21 to 64 years in the United States reported
a disability. This translates to more than 22 million people (Lynn & Mack, 2008).
Regrettably, persons with disabilities often encounter career development difficulties that
preclude meaningful participation in the workforce. It has been noted that, despite the
fact that almost 80% of Americans with disabilities report a preference for working,
approximately 76% are unemployed (Schall, 1998). Hagner et. al. (1996) identified a
variety of interrelated factors that contribute to the high unemployment rate among
persons with disabilities, including: (a) discrimination in employment and other aspects
of life; (b) practical issues (e.g., transportation, nontraditional means of communication)
that make it difficult to seek and secure employment; (c) limited access to the “hidden job
market”; and (d) employer presumptions about the characteristics and abilities of
qualified job applicants (Hagner, Fesko, Cadigan, Kiernan, & Butterworth, 1996).
Though the ACS data represent a wide range of disabilities, individuals with learning
disabilities appear to be the most disadvantaged (Lynn & Mack, 2008).
The High School Student
Today, 50% of high school graduates go to college, but only half of these students
earn a degree (Whyte & Greene, 2004). PRIDE Industries and other organizations have
not found a way to tap into this rich human resource, leaving 75% of high school
graduates, who are seeking jobs that do not require a college degree, still looking (Whyte
& Greene, 2004). Currently, only 26% of high school students and 64% of postsecondary
students who take craft training while in school enter the industry (Whyte & Greene,
2004). The causes of such high nonparticipation rates include the environment, work
conditions, wages, career advancement possibilities, and industry reputation. These
38. 24
statistics support PRIDE Industries’ innovative initiatives that could lead to a joint
program with local school districts and help close the workforce shortage gap, both by
creating employment opportunities for those with disability and by creating ways for
individuals with disabilities to gain the skills needed for employment.
Judy and D’Amico’s study, Workforce 2020: Work and Workers in the 21st
Century (2005), evaluated what types of jobs would be available in 2020, and compared
that to the educational prospects of ninth-graders. Though 28% of those 2005 ninth-
graders will complete a college degree, only 20% of the jobs in 2020 will require a four-
year degree (NCCER, 2013, p. 12). Conversely, 40% of those ninth-graders will have
dropped out of school or will have the skills required for only 15% of the manufacturing
and construction industry jobs (Judy & D’Amico, 2005; NCCER, 2013). The remaining
32% of the population will have the necessary training that 65% of the jobs will require
(Judy & D’Amico, 2005; Whyte, 2013).
According to a National Longitudinal Transition study funded by the National
Center on Education Statistics, almost two-thirds (62%) of students receiving special
education are classified as having a learning disability (Lynn & Mack, 2008). Other
common disabilities include mental retardation, physical and speech impairments,
emotional disturbance, and other health impairments. In accordance with information
from the Center on Education and Work (1995), it is evident that students with
disabilities do not necessarily have the same opportunities as their nondisabled peers to
participate in important activities (e.g., play, chores, extracurricular activities, after-
school jobs, volunteer work) that facilitate the development of occupational interests,
career decision-making skills, and work competencies.
39. 25
A review of research by Hanley-Maxwell et al. (1998), on post-school outcomes,
found that students with disabilities (a) were twice as likely to drop out of school as their
nondisabled peers; (b) experience higher unemployment rates whether they graduate from
high school or not; (c) are less likely to participate in post-high school education
programs compared to their nondisabled peers; (d) receive lower wages; and (e) are
personally affected with respect to independent living and relationship building. The
authors attributed these outcomes to a variety of factors, including method of leaving
school (graduation versus dropping out), special education placement and type of
disability, percentage of time spent in regular classrooms, vocational experiences, and
employment during high school (Hanley-Maxwell, Szymanski, & Owens-Johnson, 1998).
Students should perceive that they are being treated fairly and equitably with regard to
the training they receive (Schmidt, 2009). Fidelity and responsibility, promoting trust
through transition training that is a benefit to the community, taking self-responsibility,
and offering services to others as needed (James, Slater, & Bucknam, 2012, p. 51) are
goals for transition centers.
The Transition Center
The gateway to opportunities for students with disabilities often comes in the
form of apprenticeship-type programs, such as school-to-apprenticeship, youth
apprenticeship, and pre-apprenticeship programs offered as a part of their transition out
of school (Lynn & Mack, 2008). Transition planning for adolescents with disabilities or
special needs begins as early as age 14. Its purpose is to promote successful movement
for those with special needs or a disability from high school to post-school activities such
as employment, postsecondary education, adult services, independent living, and/or
community participation (Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, 1997). Research has
40. 26
shown that post-school outcomes “consistently support the critical need for a connection
between high school employment and post-school employment” (Hanley-Maxwell,
Szymanski, & Owens-Johnson, 1998, p. 143). Therefore, teachers and rehabilitation
professionals need to provide students with transition services that increase their
exposure to work opportunities, enable them to engage in career decision making, and
give access to real work experiences.
However, this argument is supported by the nature of difference-based constructs
(cognitive skill or physical disability); “types of disabilities” is what requires closer
examination, especially when it comes to technical-type training (Harrison & Klein,
2007). Training and development practitioners must be aware of today’s increasingly
diverse workplace, because the rate at which diversity continues to evolve in the
workplace has an impact on transition programs offered by transition centers (Schmidt,
2009). Training offered should be designed and delivered to meet the needs of all
students and future employers (and employers’ organizations). Transition training
programs that embrace diversity from a disability and capability perspective will likely be
more flexible, creative, and innovative (Spataro, 2005). Diversity in transition training
must address the need for training programs (innovation) that support the needs of the
community (networks) to establish the ability for adolescents with disability to obtain
achievable goals in a network of organizations that have a need for them.
Leveraging Learning Investments Effectively
Closing the skills gap is a critical issue for PRIDE Industries as well as other
industries. A Manpower Group’s talent shortage survey, conducted in 2012, surveyed
approximately 40,000 employers across 39 countries and found that the construction and
facility maintenance industry has made very little progress in developing its human
41. 27
capital (NCCER, 2013). “Approximately three-quarters of employers globally cite a lack
of experience, skills or knowledge as the primary reason for the difficulty [in] filling
positions” (Manpower Group, Inc., 2012, p. 4). Today, only one in five
construction/facility maintenance employers is concentrating on training and
development to fill the gap, and only 6% of these same employers are working with
educational institutions to create curricula that close knowledge gaps and build the skills
needed to help fill the diverse “disabled” skilled-craft workforce void that organizations
like PRIDE Industries are experiencing (Manpower Group, Inc., 2012; NCCER, 2013).
According to “Pathways to Prosperity,” a 2011 report by the Harvard Graduate
School of Education, the good news is that “[c]utting-edge CTE [career and technical
education] bears little relationship to the old vocational education programs that were
often little more than [a] dumping ground for students who couldn’t cut it in college
prep” (Symonds, Schwartz, & Ferguson, 2011, p. 29). Today’s best CTE programs do a
better job of preparing many students for college and career than traditional academies-
only programs (Symonds, Schwartz, & Ferguson, 2011; NCCER, 2013). The bad news is
that the Construction Industry Institute’s (CII) publication, An Assessment of Education
and Training Needs among Construction Personnel, states that “[m]ost owners and
contractors do not perceive current construction education and training to be adequate,
particularly in regard to advancing technologies” (1992, p. 1; NCCER, 2013).
A key recommendation in the 1992 CII study was for industry—both owners and
contractors—to become more involved in construction education and training (NCCER,
2013). Because owners in particular are the ultimate beneficiary of craft workforce
development, and owners pay for the lack of training through the costs of low
42. 28
productivity and poor quality, they should invest in training (NCCER, 2013). A 1997
Business Roundtable report, Confronting the Skilled Construction Workforce Shortage—
A Blueprint for the Future, stated: “Owners should only do business with contractors who
invest in training and maintain the skills of their workforce” (cited in Whyte, 2013, p.
34). It further stated that individual contractors should recognize the necessity and
benefits of training their employees and be willing to invest in those efforts (Whyte,
2013, p. 34).
Organizations fail their employees not because they are indifferent, but because
they have focused exclusively on a few narrow pathways to success (Symonds, Schwartz,
& Ferguson, 2011). This is why leadership plays such an important role in creating
innovative programs. “We must forge a national disability policy that is based on three
simple creeds—inclusion, not exclusion; independence, not dependence; and
empowerment, not paternalism” (President Bill Clinton, quoted in NCD, 1996, p. 23).
Methodology
The qualitative research landscape consists of a diverse perspective based on
theories that range from social justice thinking (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005), to ideological
perspectives (Lather, 1991), to philosophical stances (Schwandt, 2000), to systematic
procedural guidelines (Creswell, 2009; Corbin & Strauss, 2007). Given the researcher’s
focus in this study, the availability of all these perspectives in the unfolding model of
inquiry known as qualitative research made this approach an excellent avenue through
which to conduct the research.
This study utilized Creswell’s characteristics of qualitative study, which include
field research, researcher as key instrument, multiple sources of data, inductive data
analysis, focus on participant meaning, emergent design, theoretical lens, interpretive
43. 29
inquiry, and holistic account (2009, pp. 175-176). In this study, the researcher assumed
that “all organizational problems are fundamentally problems involving human
interactions and processes” (Schein, 1999, p. 21). Qualitative research is a means to
explore and understand different meanings that individuals give to certain issues or
experiences. It is a true-to-life method (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) in which phenomena are
studied in their natural settings, and where the researcher attempts to give meaning to
what others say about past or present experiences (Creswell, 1998). In this qualitative
process, the researcher designs questions to create and gather data that lead to the
discovery of general themes. These themes are established based on a series of informal
interviews in which the researcher clarifies questions while seeking narrative answers to
ensure that the participants’ perspectives are captured in the answers (Berg, 2004).
The qualitative interview process is unique in that it allows the use of various
types of inquiries, such as elaboration, clarification, attention, or continuation, as
necessary to gain as much detail as possible (Rubin & Rubin, 2005). This enables the
researcher to focus on individual meanings and break down complex situations into
explainable and descriptive procedures (Creswell, 2009). This methodology is designed
to explore and investigate participants’ perceptions of what they are experiencing
currently and have experienced in the past (Creswell, 1998). This process encourages
collaborative learning and problem solving by creating the opportunity for adopting a
new learning style.
Summary of Literature
The growing gap between the demand for and supply of skilled-craft
professionals is a major problem facing the construction and facility maintenance
industry (NCCER, 2013). The latest projections indicate that, because of attrition and
44. 30
anticipated growth, the construction and facility maintenance industry will have to recruit
185,000 new workers annually for the next decade to meet the expected need (Whyte,
2013). Unfortunately, demographics and poor industry image are working against the
construction and facility maintenance industry as it tries to address this dilemma
(NCCER, 2013).
Decades of literature and research data overwhelmingly acknowledge that this
workforce shortage has become the industry’s biggest current and future challenge
(NCCER, 2013). According to the evidence presented in this literature review,
organizations should consider committing to and investing in craft workforce
development and industry-recognized training programs. This literature review also
addressed diversity and its impact on many different fronts. It highlighted the influence of
corporate culture on the employment of people with disabilities. Diversity is about
change; it is about showing unflagging respect for others. Demonstrating diversity
involves recognizing, valuing, and managing people’s differences. Diversity enriches the
environment.
Literature suggests that programs like those being considered by PRIDE
Industries (training and school-district outreach) can provide the occupational skills
necessary and lead to a credential recognized by employers. Furthermore, the existing
literature indicates that such an innovative approach is a relatively new/small program in
comparison to other nondisabled vocational, training, and college-type programs. The
literature also reveals that youths with disabilities are confronted with career
development difficulties that could place them at a distinct disadvantage when they later
attempt to assume adult roles, particularly that of worker. Both students and adults with
45. 31
disabilities simply do not have access to the same opportunities as their nondisabled
peers.
The lessons drawn from this literature review further highlight career planning
interventions designed specifically to increase vocational/career and technical education
awareness for both employees and students. CTE will enhance their ability to
independently manage their own career development. It is PRIDE Industries’ goal both to
incorporate an organizational employee craft training program and support a student
transition program that provides a guide for those with disabilities in (a) career
exploration and decision making, (b) career planning, (c) job development and
placement, and (d) career maintenance (Szymanski & Hershenson, 1998).
Chapter 3 details the methodology of this study. Specifically, it covers research
setting, participants, materials, apparatus, procedures, and analysis process. The
discussion of procedures explains the specific steps followed by the researcher while
conducting the study; the analysis process portion outlines how the data obtained were
coded and analyzed.
46. 32
CHAPTER THREE: METHODS
This chapter outlines the research methodology used to study the PRIDE
Industries initiatives being leveraged to address skilled-craft workforce shortages at seven
integrated facility services (IFS) locations: Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort
Rucker, Alabama; Joint Base-McGuire Dix Lakehurst (JB-MDL), New Jersey; Los
Angeles Air Force Base (LAAB), California; Blue Grass Station, Kentucky; and
Administration Office of the Courts (AOC), California. The qualitative/social
constructionist approach used in this study provides a useful way of understanding the
three main constructs of organizational culture, emotions, and change, all of which have
been subjected to social constructionist treatments in the literature. It provides the ability
to engage in qualitative inquiry, using diverse strategic means of inquiry, while
leveraging different philosophical assumptions; strategies of inquiry; and methods of data
collection, analysis, and interpretation (Creswell, 2009, p. 173). This chapter gives details
on: (a) research traditions, (b) the research question, (c) the research setting, (d)
population, (e) sampling procedure, (f) instrumentation, (g) validity, (h) reliability, (i)
data collection, and (j) data analysis.
Research Tradition(s)
The qualitative landscape consists of diverse perspectives ranging from social
justice thinking (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005), to ideological perspectives (Lather, 1991), to
philosophical stances (Schwandt, 2000), to systematic procedural guidelines (Creswell,
2009). The researcher’s choice of qualitative methods was based on his organizational
view and ability to conduct qualitative interviews, given prior investigative experiences
while serving in the military. Qualitative methods enable one to leverage a philosophical
worldview by taking a social constructionist perspective that includes emphasizing
47. 33
diverse local worlds, multiple realities, and complexities of particular worlds, views, and
actions (Creswell, 2009). Qualitative research is used to help understand a particular
social situation, event, role, group, or interaction, through an investigative process.
Through qualitative research, the researcher intends to seek out and conceptualize the
latent social patterns and structures of a social phenomenon in order to contrast, compare,
replicate, catalogue, and classify the object of study through a process of constant
analysis and comparison (Creswell, 2009).
This study embraces qualitative exploratory research methodology from a
constructivist perspective while leveraging a simple single process or core category as
described by Creswell (1998). Qualitative research allowed the researcher to embark on a
study in which the social constructivist perspective is key, by emphasizing diverse local
worlds, multiple realities, and the complexities of particular worlds, views, and actions
(Creswell, 1998). Specifically, it enabled the researcher to obtain a holistic picture of
PRIDE Industries’ initiatives, with emphasis on portraying the everyday experiences of
IFS management teams, by observing and interviewing them and others affected by the
initiatives being studied (Creswell, 2009). This study included in-depth interviewing and
ongoing participant observation in order to capture a whole picture that reveals how
PRIDE’s IFS management teams see their world.
A social constructivist is one who assumes that individuals seek understanding of
the world in which they live and work (Creswell, 2009). As a constructivist, the
researcher wanted to understand the impacts that implementing PRIDE Industries’ new
initiatives has had on the organization, IFS locations, management, and change. The
intent was to look for the complexity of participant points of view and meaning via
48. 34
themes on training and the implementation of a program designed to support a very
diverse group of employees. This process required the researcher to rely almost entirely
on the participants’ views of the situation being studied.
Research Question
The research question is included to form the foundation for the chosen study
methodology. Research questions direct inquiry and analysis, so that the answers the
researcher discovers correlate with and bear directly on the study’s purpose.
Research Question: What initiatives can organizations, such as PRIDE Industries,
implement to address a growing shortage of skilled-craft workers?
Research Design
Research Setting
This study took place on site at each of PRIDE Industries’ IFS locations. The
mission of these facilities, and of PRIDE Industries as a whole, is to provide high-quality,
low-cost facility services nationwide, while creating meaningful jobs for people with
disabilities. With more than 2,800 employees with disabilities, PRIDE Industries is
considered the largest nonprofit employer of people with disabilities in the United States.
It is able to accomplish this by providing the support, training, and opportunities
necessary to help people with disabilities overcome obstacles and find meaningful
employment. Upon institutional review board (IRB) approval, the study took place during
a four-month period between January 1, 2014, and May 31, 2014.
Population and Sample
Geographic location.
49. 35
This study was limited to the seven PRIDE IFS locations listed at the beginning of
this chapter: Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, New Jersey, Kentucky, and California (two
locations).
Population.
PRIDE is a nonprofit social enterprise that operates in 13 states and the nation’s
capital. As of November 4, 2013, PRIDE employs and serves more than 4,900 people,
including more than 2,800 people with disabilities. There are approximately 950 total
personnel employed within the PRIDE IFS division. These 950 personnel consist of
technicians, management, logistics, human resource, and administrative direct and
nondirect personnel. Of these employees, the focus in this study was on the management
personnel who have had experience with skilled-craft workforce shortages either at their
current location or in previous employment experiences.
Sampling Procedure
Sample size.
The sample for this study consisted of 20 purposely selected (Patton, 2002)
managers, supervisors, or lead technicians serving at one of the previously specified IFS
locations. This sample was selected because the researcher wanted to capture the
effectiveness of PRIDE’s initiatives and to elicit personal perceptions and opinions from
the participants (Creswell, 2009). Managers, supervisors, or lead technicians were
theoretically chosen (theoretical sampling) because they were likely to be of most help to
the researcher in forming the theory based on their experiences surrounding the issues
being studied. The 20 managers, supervisors, or lead technicians selected for this study
were sufficient for a qualitative, exploratory study (Creswell, 1998).
50. 36
Managers, supervisors, and lead technicians are best able to identify the effects of
the PRIDE initiatives being studied. Thus, out of the 950 IFS personnel, the pool was
narrowed to 25 using the following criteria: (a) two years of managerial or supervisor
experience; (b) serving as a department or shop manager, supervisor, or lead technician
with knowledge and understanding of PRIDE’s initiative; and (c) from any one of the
seven locations. There were no other criteria regarding demographics, previous civilian
work experience, or societal elements. The selection was made by assigning the initial 25
potential participants a number between 1 and 25, based on their names’ alphabetical
order; subsequently selecting the first 20 numbers using a random-number generator
(electronic program designed to produce a random set of numbers; GraphPad, 2005) by
matching the 20 numbers generated against the potential 25 total participants previously
identified; and selecting only 20 of the 25 (with 3 alternates and 2 spare).
Instrumentation
The primary ethical issue in the study was to protect the research participants’
identities, as they may not want their identity known (anonymity), or want it to remain
confidential. Thus, the researcher informed participants of possible risks of
nonconfidentiality, such as including data they may not expect to be used (Creswell,
2009). To protect participant identity, participants’ names were number-coded, and those
numbers replaced the names. The researcher is the only individual who knows the
research participants’ identity. Also, all field notes, transcriptions, audiotapes, and
original signed consent forms were also number-coded, and are kept in a secure lockbox
that only the researcher can access. The researcher will keep all documents for the
duration of the project, plus a period of five years after dissertation publication, in
accordance with research guidelines. After this time period, all documents will be
51. 37
destroyed, and all participant interview data will be deleted from all computer and
recorder databases.
Informed consent.
A critical part of research is protecting human subjects, especially when
requesting their participation in a study. Therefore, the researcher informed participants
verbally, and provided them with a hardcopy form, indicating that they could participate
without coercion, force, fraud, or deceit, and should have the situational awareness to
make an informed decision (Creswell, 2009; Nuremberg Code as quoted in OHSR,
2011). The researcher provided this information in a consent form (Appendix D) for all
participants to read and sign before beginning the surveys or interviews (Creswell, 2009).
The consent form informed the participants of the following: (a) purpose of the
study; (b) reason for being selected; (c) study procedures; (d) benefits of participating; (e)
risks of participating; (f) cost/compensation to participate; (g) contact information; (h)
voluntary participation in the study; (i) confidentiality (assurance that their responses
would not be disclosed to anyone nor tied back to a specific participant); (j) anonymity
(assurance that no one but the interviewer would know their identity, and that their
identity would be number-coded for reference purposes only); (k) that each participant
would be provided with a copy of the consent form for his or her records; (l) that they
would be asked to give an interview lasting 30 to 45 minutes; (m) that all field notes,
taped recordings, and tape-recorded transcripts would be kept in a locked safe at an
undisclosed location to which only the researcher would have access; (n) that all notes
and transcriptions would be destroyed once the final report was completed and five years
52. 38
after dissertation publication, in accordance with Colorado Technical University policies,
IRB guidelines, and the Privacy Act of 1974.
The researcher followed the same procedures for each participant by informing
them of their rights (going over an informed consent form with each participant);
initiating contact with participants by email and following up via email (if necessary);
confirming interview dates, times, and locations via email; beginning interviews with a
greeting and informal discussion; and finally closing interviews by thanking participants
for their time and participation. After participants received the script-in-brief, the
definitions of diversity, skilled-craft worker, and diverse skilled-craft worker were
reviewed; then the interview was conducted.
The researcher interviewed 20 participants during the initial part of the study,
using 8 interview questions that had been verified for reliability and validity. The
researcher obtained the data by leveraging one of the different interview types (e.g., in-
depth interview, focus group interview, survey) and observation techniques, including
participant observation and similar field work, through archival analysis. These
approaches allowed participants to provide their perceptions, which helped the researcher
collect the commonalities and differences of their experiences regarding PRIDE’s
approach in addressing the workforce shortage issues. The intent was to encourage study
participants to disclose personal perceptions, ideas, feelings, emotions, and events related
to PRIDE’s initiatives and the impact on overall performance experiences. This induced
participants to share insights and knowledge about PRIDE’s approach as it pertains to
skilled-craft worker shortages and situations that they participated in or observed. They
also portrayed results of their actions (Creswell, 2009; Patton, 2002). As part of the
53. 39
study’s field notes, the researcher made notes during interviews. This approach allowed
for constant comparison that served to uncover and explain patterns and variations based
on a participant’s responses.
Interview questions.
The researcher conducted a pilot study that involved an independent research
project conducted within PRIDE’s IFS senior staff. The researcher asked various
participants open-ended questions regarding employee training and shortages. Those
questions were designed and used to help finalize the interview questions (Appendix E).
The researcher explained the concept of diversity, and the definitions of skilled-craft
worker and diverse skilled-craft worker, and verified each participant’s knowledge of
PRIDE’s initiatives at the beginning of each interviews.
Observations.
In addition to the interview script, the researcher maintained interview notes for
each interview, in which he recorded observational data regarding the 20 participants’
nonverbal gestures and actions during interviews. The interviews were one-on-one with
only researcher and participant; thus, the researcher annotated how participants
responded, including observed body language, tone, and speech patterns displayed by
participants during the interview process. These notes included the researcher’s thoughts
and impressions as a result of meeting and speaking with study participants. The
researcher kept this more reflective data as additional field notes, as the data included
what the researcher felt during the interview, such as inner feelings, intuitive thoughts,
assumptions, outlook, mindset perceptions, and possible biases (Creswell, 2009).
54. 40
Validity and Reliability
The researcher used two other individuals from the IFS senior staff, selected by
the chief operations officer (COO) and researcher, to help to determine the validity and
reliability of the eight interview questions. They answered all of the questions and
provided informal verbal responses that the researcher annotated as part of the study field
notes. The intent was to determine if the questioned individuals provided similar answers
on the topic (validity). Additionally, the researcher verified that the volunteers’ answers
were consistent, dependable, and applicable for future use in other contexts (reliability).
None of the volunteers who answered the interview questions had specific knowledge
about the subject beforehand (Creswell, 2009; Merriam, 2002).
After refining and testing the interview questions, the researcher met with the
study participants at their workplaces based on approved schedule dates and times
established by the general manager at each participant’s PRIDE IFS locations. During
and after the interviewing process, the researcher reflected on and continuously evaluated
the process for needed adjustments to location, interview techniques, or note taking. The
researcher concluded each interview with a query about whether the participant had any
questions or additions to the study that the researcher might have missed, or that the
participant may have wanted to add regarding the subject matter (Rubin & Rubin, 2005).
Data Collection
The specific procedure of this study included obtaining dissertation committee
and IRB approval to conduct the study; contacting participants via email (Appendices A,
B, and C); having participants sign a consent form (Appendix D); conducting interviews
using an interview script (Appendix E); annotating personal observations on an additional
interview form (Appendix F); reviewing historical/archival data; and leveraging NVivo
55. 41
qualitative data analysis software. Together, these methodological components helped the
researcher discern the true meanings in participants’ narratives regarding PRIDE’s
initiatives for addressing skilled-craft worker shortages.
Initial contact.
Once PRIDE Industries’ legal and human resources (HR) departments reviewed
and approved the researcher’s letter of interest and intent, the COO signed the
authorization letter allowing the study to begin (Appendix H). The dissertation committee
and IRB approved the researcher’s proposal and application (Appendix G), respectively.
The researcher then personally contacted identified participants by email (Appendix A) to
request their participation in the study; this initial email also provided study details.
Interviews.
Initially, the researcher set up interviews by emailing (Appendix A) study
participants, requesting a date, time, and location for the interview. The researcher
allowed five work days for responses. If there was no response within the allocated time,
the researcher followed up with a second email (Appendix B), reminding participants of
their invitation to participate and requesting them to please respond. Twenty-four hours
before the scheduled interview, the researcher sent a reminder email (Appendix C) to the
study participants, reminding them of the interview date, time, and location.
As part of the interviews, the researcher used a script (Appendix E) for asking
questions and for recording data during the qualitative interviews. This script included
the exact process to follow for each participant and interview details (see Appendix E). A
verbal recording device (Apple-iPad recording application and Evernote Software) was
used to capture the verbal interview process.
56. 42
As part of the interview, the researcher used an interview form (Appendix F) to
record demographic data: name (optional); age (optional); gender; ethnicity; name of
organization; current position; number of years at PRIDE Industries; number of years
with managerial experience; and number of employees currently supervised. The form
included each of the interview questions and additional space where the researcher could
annotate the participant’s demeanor and body language. The researcher also annotated
thoughts, feelings, ideas, and general impressions of the interview and the participant.
In order to produce objective and reliable data, the researcher allowed interviews
to flow naturally so that participants would open up and more fully disclose their
opinions, feelings, and experiences. In the interest of producing a solid and naturalistic
study, the researcher also helped create an environment promoting objective responses
through professional and congenial interviews that also minimized researcher bias or
manipulation (Merriam, 2002; Rubin & Rubin, 2005).
Document review.
In addition to surveys, interviews, and personal observations, the researcher
reviewed the organization’s archival documents (qualitative documents) (Creswell,
2009), such as organizational flowcharts, official reports, and other public documents,
some of which are available on the organization’s website. Historical documents provide
specific contextual background information on the organization which participants may
not have been aware of during interviews (Creswell, 2009). The archival documents were
reviewed and used to get a historical and organizational culture perspective of PRIDE
Industries.
57. 43
Data Analysis
The researcher used NVivo qualitative data analysis software to help organize and
analyze all interview transcripts, field notes, journal entries, and official documents.
NVivo is designed to allow the researcher to review all of the data for general ideas and
meaning. The researcher wrote additional notes about interview data, including depth,
credibility, and data use (Creswell, 2009). The researcher then transcribed the data using
a professional transcription service, and converted the transcript to a Microsoft Word
format. This information was then input into NVivo to generate data categories and
themes.
The researcher used NVivo qualitative data analysis software to aid in the coding
process. NVivo allows the researcher to collect, organize, and analyze the content of the
surveys and interviews conducted (NVivo, 2013). The coding process (Appendix I)
began by importing documents, such as the interviews, surveys, observation, field notes,
and any audio-recorded interviews to either explore a participant’s perceptions or
program evaluations; the program then auto-coded to make a node for each question and
gather the response. It also set up case nodes by gathering everything a participant says in
a case node and assigning attributes such as gender, age, and nationality. The next step,
code themes, explored the material and node for each question and coded the emerging
themes. The query-and-visualize stage involved using text search and word frequency to
compare attitudes based on demographic attributes or to explore the connections between
themes. In this phase, the researcher used the software’s ability to make a model to
visualize and tell the story for each participant. Lastly, the memo phase created memos to
record discoveries and ideas, thus summarizing material at each intersection of case and
58. 44
theme to easily compare what each manager and or supervisor said about PRIDE’s
initiatives.
Summary of Chapter Three
This chapter briefly outlined the research methodology the researcher used in the
study. It explained how the researcher conducted the study and collected and analyzed the
data. The study consisted of 20 research participants, each of whom was a manager or
supervisor serving at one of PRIDE’s IFS locations and had supervised others for at least
2 years. The study used a qualitative, exploratory methodology to obtain rich and
descriptive information from research participants’ management experiences.
Overall, the study included personal observations, interview data, and review of
historical and archival data. Given that the study was intended to gain a better overall
understanding of managers’ perceptions of PRIDE’s initiatives and approach to
addressing its skilled-craft workforce shortage, a qualitative and exploratory approach
was determined to be most appropriate.
59. 45
CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS
The purpose of this qualitative research study was to discover whether PRIDE
Industries’ initiatives positively impact skilled-craft workforce shortages, and to
investigate whether PRIDE Industries’ innovative approach and outreach initiatives could
be a preferred method for continuing to address the growing shortage of skilled-craft
workers within the construction and facility maintenance industry. It further considered
PRIDE’s approach to leveraging the disabled population and providing them with
individualized training that develops the skills required to gain employment and career
opportunities. This chapter reports the different descriptions, given by members of
PRIDE’s IFS management team based on their experiences, of the effects the initiatives
have had on the organization, IFS location, management, and change. The varying
descriptions conveyed differing individual meanings, based on study subjects’ individual
perceptions and worldviews.
This qualitative, exploratory study used an interview script, semi-structured
interviews, and eight interview questions to obtain PRIDE IFS management teams’
perceptions and capture the complexity of their points of view and meaning via themes
on training and the implementation of a program designed to support a very diverse group
of employees. The study subjects’ responses were analyzed using NVivo qualitative data
analysis software. Participants were purposely selected from a list consisting of 25
managers, supervisors, or lead technicians from one of the seven PRIDE Industries IFS
locations (Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Joint Base-
McGuire Dix Lakehurst (JB-MDL), New Jersey; Los Angeles Air Force Base (LAAB),
California; Blue Grass Station, Kentucky; and Administration Office of the Courts
(AOC), California). Twenty participants were selected from an initial list of 25 that best
60. 46
matched the following criteria: (a) two-year managerial or supervisor experience; (b)
serving as a department or shop manager, supervisor, or lead technician with knowledge
and understanding of PRIDE’s initiative; and (c) from any one of the seven locations.
After using a random number generator to select the candidates, the researcher traveled
and interviewed the 20 participants during a 5-week period to explore individual
perceptions and their points of view and meaning via themes on training and the
implementation of a program designed to support a very diverse group of employees.
This chapter reviews participant demographics and presents and discusses the data and
findings.
Participant Demographics
Geographic Location
The study was limited to the following PRIDE IFS locations: Fort Bliss, Texas;
Fort Polk, Louisiana; Joint Base-McGuire Dix Lakehurst (JB-MDL), New Jersey; Los
Angeles Air Force Base (LAAB), California; and Administration Office of the Courts
(AOC), California.
Demographics
The participants for this study consisted of 20 purposely selected managers,
supervisors, or lead technicians serving at one of the PRIDE IFS locations and
represented as shown in Table 4.1.
61. 47
Table 4.1 Location Demographics
Fort Bliss, TX Fort Polk, LA LAAFB, CA JB-MDL, NJ AOC, CA
General Manager 1 1 1 1 1
Manager 3 3 1 2 1
Supervisor 1 1 2
Lead Technician 1
Table 4.1 provides a breakdown of IFS locations with the position title and
number of those who participated in the study. This group was comprised of 19 males
and 1 female with an average age of 50 years, an average of 17.65 years of management
or supervisory experience in the construction or facility maintenance industry, and an
average time of employment with PRIDE Industries of 4 years. Combined, they
supervised or managed more than 1,808 employees at the time of the study.
Presentation of the Data
Themes
The researcher read each of the 20 participants’ transcripts in detail and used
NVivo qualitative software to code and identify 7 themes and 3 subthemes. After
reviewing the findings and the study data, the researcher created the themes identified
and summarized in Table 4.2.
62. 48
Table 4.2 Themes
Themes
Subject
Frequency
Percent of
Subjects
1. The management team perceived there was a shortage
of both skilled-craft and diverse skilled-craft workers.
18/20 90%
2. PRIDE’s training initiatives are perceived to address
the skilled-craft worker shortage.
19/20 95%
3. The innovative approach being introduced by PRIDE is
perceived to be the best solution to the diverse skilled-
craft workforce shortage.
20/20 100%
4. The employability of the disabled workforce was
perceived to have improved.
10/20 50%
Subtheme 4.1: Perceived to have knowledge but
lacked the experience.
8/20 40%
Subtheme 4.2: Perceived it is too early to assess
employability.
2/20 10%
5. PRIDE’s initiative is perceived to meet the needs gap. 15/20 75%
6. Based on PRIDE’s outreach initiative, school districts
were perceived to be a solution to help address the
skilled-craft workforce shortage.
20/20 100%
7. The perceived challenges associated with PRIDE’s
initiative.
7/20 35%
Subtheme 7.1: Disability is perceived as a challenge. 3/7 42%
63. 49
PRIDE’s Training Initiative Report
The researcher drew additional information from training statistics for employees
with a disability that are stored in the Automated National Registry (ANR) of the
National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). As seen in Table
4.3, 82 employees have enrolled in PRIDE’s core training program, of which 51 have
successfully completed the core requirements to move on in their skilled-craft training.
Table 4.3 summarizes the report provided to the researcher identifying each course
module and the number of employees who have completed those requirements.
Table 4.3 Module Completion Report (May 19, 2014)
Module Number Module Title Number Completed
00101-09 Basic Safety 82
00102-09 Introduction to Construction Math 51
00103-09 Introduction to Hand Tools 63
00104-09 Introduction to Power Tools 73
00105-09 Introduction to Construction Drawings 51
00107-09 Basic Communication Skills 56
00108-09 Basic Employability Skills 51
00109-09 Introduction to Materials Handling 67
64. 50
Presentation and Discussion of Findings
NVivo Process
Using NVivo qualitative software, the researcher was able to follow the process
identified in Appendix I, “Exploring Perception or Program Evaluation Process.” The
researcher conducted 20 interviews, all of which were transcribed verbatim by a
professional transcription service. The researcher read each of the transcripts and verified
that they were in fact verbatim by comparing the written transcripts against the verbal
recordings.
Import documents. The researcher then created a project using NVivo
qualitative software and imported each of the transcripts into an internal file labeled “Site
Interviews.”
Auto-Code by question or case. The researcher was able to use the “Analyze”
feature in NVivo software to run the auto-code option for all the transcripts. This resulted
in the creation of nodes identified by each question and coded each of the participants’
perceptual responses based on the interview questions. (Nodes can also be manually
created based on participant or attributes.)
Code themes. The researcher then explored the material and questions and coded
emerging themes based on the percentage value associated with each participant’s
response to the questions. This value, along with the researcher’s own individual
assessment, allowed the researcher to verify each theme based on his internal recoding
process.
Query & visualize. The researcher also conducted word-frequency queries to
explore the way participants perceived PRIDE’s initiatives. These inquiries were
65. 51
instrumental in supporting the emerging themes derived from the participant’s
perception.
Memo/Summarize. The researcher then summarized the data for each theme by
creating memos to record discoveries and ideas. This was done by copying the findings
documents based on coded material from NVivo, and reviewing and highlighting to
capture what the researcher felt were the most important perceptions offered by the
participants.
Interview Findings: Themes
There were a total of seven themes and three subthemes. They include the
following.
Theme #1: The management team perceived there was a shortage of both
skilled-craft and diverse skilled-craft workers. Eighteen of 20 participants (90%)
believed there was a shortage of skilled-craft workers; more importantly, they perceived
that there was a shortage of disabled skilled-craft workers. Most participants indicated
that it was getting harder and harder to find qualified disabled candidates due to their lack
of training and skills, but felt that PRIDE’s new training program could help offset these
shortages (P02, P04, P06, P07, P09, P10, P17, P19, P20). According to one manager,
PRIDE’s new initiative is helping:
By having a dedicated training program and leveraging the on-the-job
training and work experience has allowed some of my disabled employees
to learn the skills needed to perform their jobs.
Three participants stated that training and PRIDE’s new program, though in its
early stages of implementation, have really helped to address their shortage issues,
especially with their disabled employees (P12, P15, P18). Specifically, P18 mentioned:
