Exploring the Grit personality in a construction management program

Construction organisations appear to place a high value on graduates who possess what has been recently labelled as the Grit personality in their hiring. Grit is defined as a combination of passion and perseverance. This paper explores this personality characteristic and its utility in an undergraduate construction management program. Currently, Grit is a popular subject amoung educational researchers and appears to be a valuable trait for the student and the employer. Many studies have predicted long-term success in a career, but it does not significantly improve academic success. This paper is a beginning examination of the possibility of growing the Grit personality and awareness of its utility in construction management students. The data collection began in mid-2021, making the sample size small but growing. The researchers measured Grit with a well-accepted instrument via an anonymous survey. We have taken a starting sample, and it is a snapshot of the effect of academic and employment intensity. The results conclude that there is no significant effect regardless of employment intensity and study hours while matriculating through a construction management program. This paper proposes developing a teaching and assessment approach for increasing Grit in a construction management program. The researchers also recommend that discipline leaders continue to build a culture that promotes a passion for construction with a personal commitment to excellent work. This readily connects to the industry's desire for "gritty" minded graduates.