Pub Date : 2023-10-29DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2260909
Kate V Morland, Dermot Breslin
The build quality of new UK homes is negatively affected by poor quality management practices during the construction process. By implementing stringent quality management (QM) standards, housebuilders can improve build quality but implementing these organization-wide changes relies on housebuilder staff, designers and sub-contractors learning new working practices. This paper explores the tensions which emerge within housebuilders, as they implement new QM procedures. A longitudinal qualitative case study was conducted, where time was spent with housebuilder staff in three regional offices, two years apart. Methods include participant observation, semi-structured interviews and a review of organizational documentation. The findings highlight several learning paradoxes which arise at different stages of the housebuilding process and show how actors manage (or cope with) these paradoxes through their daily practices. This includes processes of simplifying and applying, improvising and problem-solving and aggregating and analyzing. Whilst these either-or approaches enable staff to resolve the immediate tensions that arise from different organizational processes, they often fail to meet longer-term learning objectives, detrimentally affecting build quality over time. Without structural changes to the way volume housebuilders annually report to both the UK Government and their shareholders, organizations in the UK housebuilding sector face challenges in reconciling different learning processes.
{"title":"Resolving learning paradoxes within a UK new-build housebuilder","authors":"Kate V Morland, Dermot Breslin","doi":"10.1080/01446193.2023.2260909","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2023.2260909","url":null,"abstract":"The build quality of new UK homes is negatively affected by poor quality management practices during the construction process. By implementing stringent quality management (QM) standards, housebuilders can improve build quality but implementing these organization-wide changes relies on housebuilder staff, designers and sub-contractors learning new working practices. This paper explores the tensions which emerge within housebuilders, as they implement new QM procedures. A longitudinal qualitative case study was conducted, where time was spent with housebuilder staff in three regional offices, two years apart. Methods include participant observation, semi-structured interviews and a review of organizational documentation. The findings highlight several learning paradoxes which arise at different stages of the housebuilding process and show how actors manage (or cope with) these paradoxes through their daily practices. This includes processes of simplifying and applying, improvising and problem-solving and aggregating and analyzing. Whilst these either-or approaches enable staff to resolve the immediate tensions that arise from different organizational processes, they often fail to meet longer-term learning objectives, detrimentally affecting build quality over time. Without structural changes to the way volume housebuilders annually report to both the UK Government and their shareholders, organizations in the UK housebuilding sector face challenges in reconciling different learning processes.","PeriodicalId":51389,"journal":{"name":"Construction Management and Economics","volume":"48 5","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136134144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-27DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2264969
Lizet Kuitert, Jannes Willems, Leentje Volker
Sustainable urban development requires the integration of diverse values to achieve multi-functional goals. Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) projects can be considered as pioneers in value integration. By combining bureaucratic innovations (BI) and social innovations (SI) these BGI projects are able to reach a more holistic development that is characterised as a value-driven approach for sustainability transitions. In this study on BGI projects, we aim to learn how to deliver multi-functional projects through different interpretation of four factors, i.e. professional culture, governance level, geographical space, and time conception, in various constellations of BI and SI. Results of our cross-case study of four BGI projects in three European countries (the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden) indicate that project with higher degrees of value integration balance BI and SI in following four ways: (i) heterogeneity in professions in value-decision-making, (ii) multi-level governance embedded in institutional frameworks, (iii) connecting city-wide and neighbourhood levels by boundary spanners, and (iv) having a dynamic time conception. Our findings imply that social innovation experiences on projects has to fit into the bureaucratic environment to achieve true value integration.
{"title":"Value integration in multi-functional urban projects: a value driven perspective on sustainability transitions","authors":"Lizet Kuitert, Jannes Willems, Leentje Volker","doi":"10.1080/01446193.2023.2264969","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2023.2264969","url":null,"abstract":"Sustainable urban development requires the integration of diverse values to achieve multi-functional goals. Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) projects can be considered as pioneers in value integration. By combining bureaucratic innovations (BI) and social innovations (SI) these BGI projects are able to reach a more holistic development that is characterised as a value-driven approach for sustainability transitions. In this study on BGI projects, we aim to learn how to deliver multi-functional projects through different interpretation of four factors, i.e. professional culture, governance level, geographical space, and time conception, in various constellations of BI and SI. Results of our cross-case study of four BGI projects in three European countries (the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden) indicate that project with higher degrees of value integration balance BI and SI in following four ways: (i) heterogeneity in professions in value-decision-making, (ii) multi-level governance embedded in institutional frameworks, (iii) connecting city-wide and neighbourhood levels by boundary spanners, and (iv) having a dynamic time conception. Our findings imply that social innovation experiences on projects has to fit into the bureaucratic environment to achieve true value integration.","PeriodicalId":51389,"journal":{"name":"Construction Management and Economics","volume":"247 2","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136234590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-19DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2270080
Christopher Görsch, Olli Seppänen, Antti Peltokorpi, Rita Lavikka
Production planning and control are critical to project success. They are conventionally understood as linking planning and production by coordinating tasks prior to installation work. However, research has highlighted workers as autonomous and decentralized planners of installation work, which challenges conventional management perspectives. Performing task-level planning and control requires resources and effort, reducing the time spent on installation work. This study explores workers’ planning practices by examining the use of higher-level plans and other information sources and by analyzing workers’ information needs and the factors determining them. A survey of Finnish construction workers was conducted. The results show that some workers prefer planning tasks before arriving at the construction site, while others prefer planning tasks during on-site work preparation. Trade- and crew-specific factors influence planning earlier or later and determine the extent to which centralized and decentralized sources and practices are used. Decentralized sources and practices are most often used to meet workers’ information needs, although centralized sources and practices are also used. These findings may help construction stakeholders better understand the information sources and practices used by workers. Thus, task planning and control activities can better meet workers’ information needs, allowing for more time for installation work.
{"title":"Task planning and control in construction: revealing workers as early and late planners","authors":"Christopher Görsch, Olli Seppänen, Antti Peltokorpi, Rita Lavikka","doi":"10.1080/01446193.2023.2270080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2023.2270080","url":null,"abstract":"Production planning and control are critical to project success. They are conventionally understood as linking planning and production by coordinating tasks prior to installation work. However, research has highlighted workers as autonomous and decentralized planners of installation work, which challenges conventional management perspectives. Performing task-level planning and control requires resources and effort, reducing the time spent on installation work. This study explores workers’ planning practices by examining the use of higher-level plans and other information sources and by analyzing workers’ information needs and the factors determining them. A survey of Finnish construction workers was conducted. The results show that some workers prefer planning tasks before arriving at the construction site, while others prefer planning tasks during on-site work preparation. Trade- and crew-specific factors influence planning earlier or later and determine the extent to which centralized and decentralized sources and practices are used. Decentralized sources and practices are most often used to meet workers’ information needs, although centralized sources and practices are also used. These findings may help construction stakeholders better understand the information sources and practices used by workers. Thus, task planning and control activities can better meet workers’ information needs, allowing for more time for installation work.","PeriodicalId":51389,"journal":{"name":"Construction Management and Economics","volume":"69 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135778727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-13DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2267137
Samuel Frimpong, Riza Yosia Sunindijo, Cynthia Changxin Wang, Elijah Frimpong Boadu, Ayirebi Dansoh, Carol K. H. Hon, Tak Wing Yiu
The post-modern approach to improving young peoples’ mental health emphasizes the need to promote positive mental health. However, research on young construction workers’ mental health has focused mainly on negative mental health, e.g. depression, suicidal ideation, and anxiety, and given far less attention to positive mental health. The aim of this research was to identify the reason for this trend and to propose an agenda for change. Based on the initial assumption that theory-use has contributed to this trend, we utilized the PICO and PRISMA-ScR frameworks to critically review the theoretical and conceptual models in published research on young construction workers’ mental health. Out of 367 articles retrieved, fourteen studies published between 2010 and 2023 qualified for inclusion. Eighteen different theories and frameworks were identified. Generally, studies focused on measuring the prevalence of symptoms of negative mental health. Theories and conceptual frameworks were mostly used to guide the identification of variables associated with negative mental health (e.g. age, workplace stressors, autonomy, etc.) and to explain the relationships among them. The identified theories and conceptual frameworks did not offer a positive conceptualisation of mental health, and as a result, no study theorized positive mental health. We offer a matrix for evaluating theory-use in research. We also identify and discuss the strengths and limitations of the current use of theory in published studies and provide recommendations on how theory-use can be improved to reorient construction research towards the promotion of positive mental health.
{"title":"Promoting positive mental health among young construction workers: the role of theory","authors":"Samuel Frimpong, Riza Yosia Sunindijo, Cynthia Changxin Wang, Elijah Frimpong Boadu, Ayirebi Dansoh, Carol K. H. Hon, Tak Wing Yiu","doi":"10.1080/01446193.2023.2267137","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2023.2267137","url":null,"abstract":"The post-modern approach to improving young peoples’ mental health emphasizes the need to promote positive mental health. However, research on young construction workers’ mental health has focused mainly on negative mental health, e.g. depression, suicidal ideation, and anxiety, and given far less attention to positive mental health. The aim of this research was to identify the reason for this trend and to propose an agenda for change. Based on the initial assumption that theory-use has contributed to this trend, we utilized the PICO and PRISMA-ScR frameworks to critically review the theoretical and conceptual models in published research on young construction workers’ mental health. Out of 367 articles retrieved, fourteen studies published between 2010 and 2023 qualified for inclusion. Eighteen different theories and frameworks were identified. Generally, studies focused on measuring the prevalence of symptoms of negative mental health. Theories and conceptual frameworks were mostly used to guide the identification of variables associated with negative mental health (e.g. age, workplace stressors, autonomy, etc.) and to explain the relationships among them. The identified theories and conceptual frameworks did not offer a positive conceptualisation of mental health, and as a result, no study theorized positive mental health. We offer a matrix for evaluating theory-use in research. We also identify and discuss the strengths and limitations of the current use of theory in published studies and provide recommendations on how theory-use can be improved to reorient construction research towards the promotion of positive mental health.","PeriodicalId":51389,"journal":{"name":"Construction Management and Economics","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135855257","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-12DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2260903
Guy H. Walker, Simona Foscarin-Kosmetatou, Simon Marr, Stephen Gillies, Paul Lindsay
The Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme is the UK’s largest ever. The cultural value, funding model, risk profile, and fragility of the building exposes an uncomfortable truth. Construction business-as-usual has become an enterprise risk. Current levels of productivity, health, and wellbeing are not acceptable on a project of such high national importance. The Programme joins calls made in the Farmer Review, Project 13, the Construction Play Book , and now the Building Safety Bill for transformative change. It is in the unique position of being able to proactively drive this change. It is an exemplar project intended to deliver a learning legacy for the sector at large. It is also the first project to show an interest in a new approach called Sociotechnical Construction. The focus of this new approach is the joint optimization of socio/human and technical/organizational factors. The evidence points to these being instrumental in resolving the construction sector’s long-standing productivity and wellbeing paradox. This critical essay describes and defines Sociotechnical Construction, sets out the call to action, and presents the case for why it is needed now.
{"title":"Critical essay: sociotechnical construction","authors":"Guy H. Walker, Simona Foscarin-Kosmetatou, Simon Marr, Stephen Gillies, Paul Lindsay","doi":"10.1080/01446193.2023.2260903","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2023.2260903","url":null,"abstract":"The Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme is the UK’s largest ever. The cultural value, funding model, risk profile, and fragility of the building exposes an uncomfortable truth. Construction business-as-usual has become an enterprise risk. Current levels of productivity, health, and wellbeing are not acceptable on a project of such high national importance. The Programme joins calls made in the Farmer Review, Project 13, the Construction Play Book , and now the Building Safety Bill for transformative change. It is in the unique position of being able to proactively drive this change. It is an exemplar project intended to deliver a learning legacy for the sector at large. It is also the first project to show an interest in a new approach called Sociotechnical Construction. The focus of this new approach is the joint optimization of socio/human and technical/organizational factors. The evidence points to these being instrumental in resolving the construction sector’s long-standing productivity and wellbeing paradox. This critical essay describes and defines Sociotechnical Construction, sets out the call to action, and presents the case for why it is needed now.","PeriodicalId":51389,"journal":{"name":"Construction Management and Economics","volume":"120 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136014214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-11DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2266760
Roope Nyqvist, Antti Peltokorpi, Olli Seppänen
In recent decades, uncertainty management has increasingly elicited attention in construction management research due to increasing project complexity. However, existing management methods have not been able to solve the issues around risk and uncertainty, and regardless of the proposed network-based risk modeling approaches, there are insufficiencies in contemporary methods, such as their practical applicability. This study examined the current state and issues of uncertainty and risk management and proposed a novel uncertainty network model (UNM) as a solution. The uncertainty network model was designed and validated using design science methodology (DSM), drawing on literature and empirical data from interviews, questionnaires, case observations, and case testing. The UNM visually presents project risks, uncertainties, and their interconnections and criticality transforming project stakeholders’ tacit knowledge into an explicit, systematic representation of a project’s uncertainty and risk architecture. Applied to a real-world construction project, the model received positive feedback, demonstrating its effectiveness in enhancing practitioners’ understanding of networked risks and the potential to guide cost-effective risk-control activities by applying a systemic lens to project management. This practical validation showcases the model’s potential in addressing the shortcomings of existing methods and improving construction project risk management.
{"title":"Uncertainty network modeling method for construction risk management","authors":"Roope Nyqvist, Antti Peltokorpi, Olli Seppänen","doi":"10.1080/01446193.2023.2266760","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2023.2266760","url":null,"abstract":"In recent decades, uncertainty management has increasingly elicited attention in construction management research due to increasing project complexity. However, existing management methods have not been able to solve the issues around risk and uncertainty, and regardless of the proposed network-based risk modeling approaches, there are insufficiencies in contemporary methods, such as their practical applicability. This study examined the current state and issues of uncertainty and risk management and proposed a novel uncertainty network model (UNM) as a solution. The uncertainty network model was designed and validated using design science methodology (DSM), drawing on literature and empirical data from interviews, questionnaires, case observations, and case testing. The UNM visually presents project risks, uncertainties, and their interconnections and criticality transforming project stakeholders’ tacit knowledge into an explicit, systematic representation of a project’s uncertainty and risk architecture. Applied to a real-world construction project, the model received positive feedback, demonstrating its effectiveness in enhancing practitioners’ understanding of networked risks and the potential to guide cost-effective risk-control activities by applying a systemic lens to project management. This practical validation showcases the model’s potential in addressing the shortcomings of existing methods and improving construction project risk management.","PeriodicalId":51389,"journal":{"name":"Construction Management and Economics","volume":"248 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136097729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-10DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2267140
Jemma Bridgeman, Martin Loosemore
AbstractDespite widespread claims about the benefits of social procurement, there is little robust evidence that emerging social procurement policies are achieving their intended outcomes. Addressing this gap in research, this paper presents a case study of a theoretically informed and methodologically robust evaluative social return on investment (SROI) analysis of a construction training initiative developed in Wales to reduce the risk of youth homelessness. Utilising Sen and Nussbaum's Capability Empowerment Approach, the results contribute to social procurement research by providing much needed empirical legitimacy to an under theorised field. Ensuring that new social procurement initiatives developed by the construction industry are theoretically and empirically sound is critical to ensure they are transparent, robust, testable, reliable and replicable in achieving the social outcomes they purport to deliver.Keywords: Social procurementsocial valuesocial impactsocial return on investment (SROI)employmentyoung peoplehomelessnesscorporate social responsibility Data availability statementThe participants of this study did not give written consent for their data to be shared publicly, so due to the sensitive nature of the research supporting data is not available.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
{"title":"Evaluating social procurement: a theoretically informed and methodologically robust social return on investment (SROI) analysis of a construction training initiative developed to reduce the risk of youth homelessness in Wales","authors":"Jemma Bridgeman, Martin Loosemore","doi":"10.1080/01446193.2023.2267140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2023.2267140","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractDespite widespread claims about the benefits of social procurement, there is little robust evidence that emerging social procurement policies are achieving their intended outcomes. Addressing this gap in research, this paper presents a case study of a theoretically informed and methodologically robust evaluative social return on investment (SROI) analysis of a construction training initiative developed in Wales to reduce the risk of youth homelessness. Utilising Sen and Nussbaum's Capability Empowerment Approach, the results contribute to social procurement research by providing much needed empirical legitimacy to an under theorised field. Ensuring that new social procurement initiatives developed by the construction industry are theoretically and empirically sound is critical to ensure they are transparent, robust, testable, reliable and replicable in achieving the social outcomes they purport to deliver.Keywords: Social procurementsocial valuesocial impactsocial return on investment (SROI)employmentyoung peoplehomelessnesscorporate social responsibility Data availability statementThe participants of this study did not give written consent for their data to be shared publicly, so due to the sensitive nature of the research supporting data is not available.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.","PeriodicalId":51389,"journal":{"name":"Construction Management and Economics","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136293227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-29DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2260907
Paul J. Hickey, Qingbin Cui
AbstractThis study delves into the professional trajectories of 20 women leaders Vice President (VP) and above in the U.S. Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector. These accomplished women, carefully selected from Engineering News Record’s (ENR's) Top 400 firms, shared their personal stories, discussing both triumphs and challenges influencing their journey to senior corporate positions. This collection of experiences provides valuable insights to identify the root causes of women’s underrepresentation in the industry. Moreover, this investigation aims to create a career roadmap that supports early and mid-career women in their pursuit of success within AEC. Success factors contributing to these women’s rise include a supportive partner, receiving early mentoring and possessing a genuine passion for their projects. Companies seeking to stand out and benefit from innovative outcomes that diversity offers should consider implementing diversity programs and fostering the growth of women throughout their careers. This may involve actively recruiting young women and providing funding for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs and scholarships for pre-college girls. Identified initiatives hold the potential to increase the number of women entering the industry and reduce the rate of early departures, thus helping to close the workforce shortage gap in the construction sector.Keywords: Genderdiversitycareer pathleadershipconstruction industry AcknowledgementsPrimary author extends special thanks to the doctoral committee: Dr. Qingbin Cui (chair), Dr. Hugh Bruck, Dr. Georgina Dodge, Dr. Hui Liao and Dr. Melissa L. Rocco. Their continued support solidified the foundation, analysis methodology, and overall quality of the research. In particular, Dr. Rocco’s insight infused qualitative research expertise into earlier drafts. In addition, authors appreciate the constructive suggestions from Construction Management and Economics editors and referees to further strengthen the concepts and contributions of the manuscript.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementPublicly available information sources guided candidate pool selection. Due to the sensitivity of the individual responses coupled with University of Maryland IRB requirements, raw data and data profile are subject to confidentiality protection per those restrictions.
摘要本研究探讨了20位美国建筑、工程和建设(AEC)行业副总裁及以上职位的女性领导者的职业轨迹。这些成功女性是从《工程新闻记录》(ENR)的400强公司中精心挑选出来的,她们分享了自己的个人故事,讨论了影响她们晋升到公司高级职位的成功和挑战。这些经验为确定女性在行业中代表性不足的根本原因提供了宝贵的见解。此外,本调查旨在创建一个职业路线图,以支持早期和中期职业女性在AEC中追求成功。促成这些女性崛起的成功因素包括一个支持她们的伴侣、接受早期指导以及对她们的项目拥有真正的热情。寻求脱颖而出并从多元化带来的创新成果中受益的公司应该考虑实施多元化计划,并在整个职业生涯中促进女性的成长。这可能包括积极招募年轻女性,为科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)项目提供资金,并为上大学前的女孩提供奖学金。已确定的举措有可能增加进入该行业的妇女人数,减少过早离职率,从而有助于缩小建筑部门劳动力短缺的差距。主要作者特别感谢博士委员会:崔庆斌博士(主席)、Hugh Bruck博士、Georgina Dodge博士、廖慧博士和Melissa L. Rocco博士。他们的持续支持巩固了研究的基础、分析方法和整体质量。特别是,Rocco博士的洞察力将定性研究的专业知识注入到早期的草案中。此外,作者感谢《建设管理与经济》编辑和审稿人提出的建设性意见,以进一步加强稿件的概念和贡献。披露声明作者未报告潜在的利益冲突。数据可用性声明公开可用的信息来源指导候选人池的选择。由于个人回复的敏感性以及马里兰大学内部审查委员会的要求,原始数据和数据概要受到这些限制的保密保护。
{"title":"Tracing the career trajectories of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) women leaders","authors":"Paul J. Hickey, Qingbin Cui","doi":"10.1080/01446193.2023.2260907","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2023.2260907","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractThis study delves into the professional trajectories of 20 women leaders Vice President (VP) and above in the U.S. Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector. These accomplished women, carefully selected from Engineering News Record’s (ENR's) Top 400 firms, shared their personal stories, discussing both triumphs and challenges influencing their journey to senior corporate positions. This collection of experiences provides valuable insights to identify the root causes of women’s underrepresentation in the industry. Moreover, this investigation aims to create a career roadmap that supports early and mid-career women in their pursuit of success within AEC. Success factors contributing to these women’s rise include a supportive partner, receiving early mentoring and possessing a genuine passion for their projects. Companies seeking to stand out and benefit from innovative outcomes that diversity offers should consider implementing diversity programs and fostering the growth of women throughout their careers. This may involve actively recruiting young women and providing funding for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs and scholarships for pre-college girls. Identified initiatives hold the potential to increase the number of women entering the industry and reduce the rate of early departures, thus helping to close the workforce shortage gap in the construction sector.Keywords: Genderdiversitycareer pathleadershipconstruction industry AcknowledgementsPrimary author extends special thanks to the doctoral committee: Dr. Qingbin Cui (chair), Dr. Hugh Bruck, Dr. Georgina Dodge, Dr. Hui Liao and Dr. Melissa L. Rocco. Their continued support solidified the foundation, analysis methodology, and overall quality of the research. In particular, Dr. Rocco’s insight infused qualitative research expertise into earlier drafts. In addition, authors appreciate the constructive suggestions from Construction Management and Economics editors and referees to further strengthen the concepts and contributions of the manuscript.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementPublicly available information sources guided candidate pool selection. Due to the sensitivity of the individual responses coupled with University of Maryland IRB requirements, raw data and data profile are subject to confidentiality protection per those restrictions.","PeriodicalId":51389,"journal":{"name":"Construction Management and Economics","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135246044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-28DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2260906
Sulafa Badi
AbstractIn the construction industry context, misalignments in the supply chain pose significant challenges, hindering successful project delivery. To address these issues, blockchain technology emerges as a promising IT-based solution for achieving supply chain alignment. A conceptual model is developed based on the service-dominant logic theory that explores the impact of blockchain on supply chain alignment and co-created value outcomes within the Business-to-Business (B2B) construction context. Through a questionnaire-based approach, data were collected from 324 respondents in the global construction industry, which was then analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings demonstrate the positive impact of implementing blockchain technology on competency, behavioural, process, and expectations alignment among supply chain partners. These improvements in alignment collectively contribute to the realization of supply chain value outcomes. These results emphasize the importance of a comprehensive approach combining technology with alignment efforts to realize blockchain-enabled value co-creation in construction supply chain management.Keywords: Blockchainsupply chain managementalignmentvalue co-creationvalue outcomesconstruction industry Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementThe data supporting this study’s findings are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.Notes1 Blockchain systems can be classified as permissioned (e.g. Hyperledger Fabric) or permissionless (e.g. Ethereum) depending on their consensus mechanism. A permission-less public network with no central authority, a permissioned private network controlled by one authority, and a permissioned consortium controlled by a group are just a few examples of the various organizational structures that could be used for blockchain platforms (Sheth and Dattani Citation2019).
{"title":"The role of blockchain in enabling inter-organisational supply chain alignment for value co-creation in the construction industry","authors":"Sulafa Badi","doi":"10.1080/01446193.2023.2260906","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2023.2260906","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractIn the construction industry context, misalignments in the supply chain pose significant challenges, hindering successful project delivery. To address these issues, blockchain technology emerges as a promising IT-based solution for achieving supply chain alignment. A conceptual model is developed based on the service-dominant logic theory that explores the impact of blockchain on supply chain alignment and co-created value outcomes within the Business-to-Business (B2B) construction context. Through a questionnaire-based approach, data were collected from 324 respondents in the global construction industry, which was then analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings demonstrate the positive impact of implementing blockchain technology on competency, behavioural, process, and expectations alignment among supply chain partners. These improvements in alignment collectively contribute to the realization of supply chain value outcomes. These results emphasize the importance of a comprehensive approach combining technology with alignment efforts to realize blockchain-enabled value co-creation in construction supply chain management.Keywords: Blockchainsupply chain managementalignmentvalue co-creationvalue outcomesconstruction industry Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementThe data supporting this study’s findings are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.Notes1 Blockchain systems can be classified as permissioned (e.g. Hyperledger Fabric) or permissionless (e.g. Ethereum) depending on their consensus mechanism. A permission-less public network with no central authority, a permissioned private network controlled by one authority, and a permissioned consortium controlled by a group are just a few examples of the various organizational structures that could be used for blockchain platforms (Sheth and Dattani Citation2019).","PeriodicalId":51389,"journal":{"name":"Construction Management and Economics","volume":"58 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135385197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-28DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2259015
Gulnaz Aksenova, Kwadwo Oti-Sarpong
The UK government’s recent transformation agenda focused on a Platform approach to Design for Manufacture and Assembly (P-DfMA) has attracted interest from the construction sector. A closer examination of the P-DfMA agenda raises questions about its origins and implications. This paper critically analyses grey sector literature, policy and government-supported reports on P-DfMA to discuss how it has been conceptualised, and the implications for the growing “platformania” in the UK construction sector. To this end, firstly platform conceptualisations are synthesised, and distinctions between product platforms and DfMA are highlighted. Secondly, based on an analysis of policy and related documents, five areas critical to driving the platformisation agenda are identified: Product platform development; digitally designed components; platform leadership and ownership; platform governance; and business models. The critical analysis suggests that product platformisation in the UK construction sector requires two distinct types of platform approaches: the product platform; and a transaction platform or a marketplace for buyers and sellers of the components of product platforms. The implications of both for the strategic organising of construction firms, and the five areas identified, are discussed and synthesised with the evidence from management literature. Practical and policy implications for sector stakeholders are outlined, along with questions for future research on product platformisation in the construction sector.
{"title":"Beyond “platformania” in the construction sector: Conceptualisations and implications of product platformisation in the UK","authors":"Gulnaz Aksenova, Kwadwo Oti-Sarpong","doi":"10.1080/01446193.2023.2259015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2023.2259015","url":null,"abstract":"The UK government’s recent transformation agenda focused on a Platform approach to Design for Manufacture and Assembly (P-DfMA) has attracted interest from the construction sector. A closer examination of the P-DfMA agenda raises questions about its origins and implications. This paper critically analyses grey sector literature, policy and government-supported reports on P-DfMA to discuss how it has been conceptualised, and the implications for the growing “platformania” in the UK construction sector. To this end, firstly platform conceptualisations are synthesised, and distinctions between product platforms and DfMA are highlighted. Secondly, based on an analysis of policy and related documents, five areas critical to driving the platformisation agenda are identified: Product platform development; digitally designed components; platform leadership and ownership; platform governance; and business models. The critical analysis suggests that product platformisation in the UK construction sector requires two distinct types of platform approaches: the product platform; and a transaction platform or a marketplace for buyers and sellers of the components of product platforms. The implications of both for the strategic organising of construction firms, and the five areas identified, are discussed and synthesised with the evidence from management literature. Practical and policy implications for sector stakeholders are outlined, along with questions for future research on product platformisation in the construction sector.","PeriodicalId":51389,"journal":{"name":"Construction Management and Economics","volume":"63 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135387045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}