Frode Drevland

Ethical behaviour in the design phase of AEC projects

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on studies on the ethics in the design phase in Norwegian construction projects. The ambition is to establish a descriptive picture of ethical challenges practitioners meet in the design phase in order to raise awareness among them. Design/methodology/approach In addition to a literature review and a document study of ethical frameworks within the industry, interviews with key participants were carried out according to a qualitative approach. The study was undertaken in order to address framework conditions for handling ethically challenging situations, challenges of an ethical nature practitioners commonly encounter in the design phase and finally the structural (systemic) reasons for such challenges. Findings This research finds indications of actors manoeuvring in the design phase for own benefit at the expense of other actors. The findings equally indicate that the design phase poses significant challenges in light of tender documents pricing and exploiting cost reimbursement contracts. In some of the projects examined, participants shifted loyalty after novation contracting and they actively tried to steer the decision processes in their own favour. Originality/value There does in fact seem to be perceptions of a room of manoeuvre between what is unlawful and what is ethically sound in this phase.

Ethical Dilemmas in Value Delivery: Theoretical Conditions

Delivering value for the customer is one of the core tenets of lean construction. However, anyone who is affected by a project is considered a customer of the project. Often, different customers of a project will be at odds with each with regards to what constitutes value for them. This could potentially lead to ethical dilemmas for the project delivery team. This is a subject that has so far been given little attention in literature. In this paper we set forth a theoretical framework for investigating ethical dilemmas in value delivery that will form the basis for future empirical research on ethical issues related to value delivery. More precisely we examine fundamental reasons for ethical dilemmas occurring in the context of value delivery. We theorize that ethical dilemmas in construction projects typically arises when there is misalignment of value between project stakeholders.