Optimizing the Performance of HK Construction Professionals in Mainland China via a Stress Management Model

Following the recent economic boom in Mainland China (MC), the Chinese construction industry has undergone continuous expansion. As a result, an increasing number of Hong Kong (HK) construction professionals (CPs) have been required to work in MC (denoted hereafter as HK-CPs-M). Taking a cross-border assignment in MC involves challenging adjustment to the distinct social environment (e.g., socialism, semi-marketization, suboptimal living standards, etc.), complex construction projects (e.g., mega project size, complicated building design, very tight time frame, different construction standards, etc.) and difficult personal networking (e.g., home-work conflict, language barriers, difficulty in cooperating with local workers, etc.). Ignorance of the intra-national cultural variations between HK and MC can mean that HK-CPs-M are unaware of their stressors and fail to manage them, which can escalate their stress levels.Clinical studies show that a reasonable level of stress can stimulate an individual’s output; however, excessive stress may seriously worsen performance. The proposed research thus aims to improve the performance of HK-CPs-M by taking a stress management (SM) approach. The objectives are (1) to identify the stressors of HKCPs- M; (2) to identify performance indicators for HK-CPs-M; (3) to establish relationships between stressors, stress and performance for HK-CPs-M; and (4) to develop a comprehensive SM model to improve performance via the appropriate management of stressors. It is envisaged that the data collected in pursuit of these objectives (stage I) will help in devising an organizational SM model for future use with HK-CPs-M (stage II).