Thayaparan Gajendran

Integration of information and communication technology: Influence of the cultural environment

Purpose – Although the deployment of information and communication technology (ICT) in the construction industry is widespread recent research indicates that the surrounding contextual issues hinder its successful application in many project settings. This paper aims to develop a framework for the analysis of organisational culture in respect of ICT implementation across an organisation in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approach – An re‐analysis of critical success factors (CSF) for ICT integration, identified through data from a Delphi study of industry experts and a questionnaire survey of ICT users, using Martins three‐perspective framework applying both the functional and non‐functional approaches to cultural analysis was conducted.Findings – The research revealed the theoretical dimensions and properties of organisational culture that influence CSFs for ICT integration in construction projects teams. This paper concludes by highlighting the influence of the organisations culture, mani...

Using a case study approach to identify critical success factors for alliance contracting

Purpose – There has been a significant increase in the use of relationship contracting in the global construction industry, with strategies such as Partnering, Alliancing and Public-Private Partnerships all used. These approaches were introduced to the Australian construction industry in the 1990s in an attempt to overcome the adversarial nature of traditional contracting methods. The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors that influence the successful implementation of Project Alliancing by means of a case study approach focusing on the procurement of a large water treatment plant. The research findings identify critical success factors (CSFs) both from literature and the case study project. Design/methodology/approach – The research traces the origins of Alliancing and identifies CSFs by reviewing literature and analysing a current case study project. The paper first identifies CSFs on a global scale by establishing a theoretical framework of CSFs and then compares this to the case study projec...

Deconstructing dynamic capabilities: the role of cognitive and organizational routines in the innovation process

A better understanding of innovation processes might lead to productivity improvements. By focusing on a specific, economically relevant sector (construction) and on a specific type of firm (small to medium-sized enterprises, SMEs), the dynamic capabilities framework is extended by clarifying the roles of cognitive and organizational routines in organizational innovation processes. Insights generated from an in-depth case study of a medium-sized construction firm reveal that dynamic capabilities might diminish the relevance of an explicit innovation focus, because such capabilities have the potential to trigger emergent, incremental innovations. Accordingly, for construction SMEs, a development, rather than research, mode of innovation appears relatively more critical, as manifested in conscious cognitive routines and functional/integrative organizational routines.

Cultural consciousness and the effective implementation of information and communication technology

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how culture, influenced by the project setup and contextual issues, impacts on information and communication technology (ICT) engagement, through a multiple perspective approach to cultural assessment. A “cultural lens” is used to understand the level of ICT engagement in project organisations.Design/methodology/approach – Cultural analysis (CA) is employed as the overarching research methodology. The CA investigates the conflicts between the “espoused values” and “actual beliefs” of members to understand culture. A pre‐existing CA framework with established “espoused values” for ICT implementation is used in this study. Ethnographic interview in a case study setup is employed to extract actual cultural beliefs. These beliefs are then analysed through the CA framework to explain cultural environment and its impact on ICT implementation.Findings – The ICT‐related behaviour of the project team members is contextual to a project environment. This implies that...

IT Uptake and Integration Across a Temporary Project Organisation in the Construction Industry

The case study, funded by the Co-operative Research Centre for Construction Innovation (CRC-CI) in Australia, examines the adoption and integration of IT to facilitate supply-chain activities by a temporary project organisation that was assembled to complete a portion of a major construction project in New Zealand. It consisted of a number of consultants, suppliers, and contractors from three different countries operating in a fourth country, which delivered the major architectural feature for an award-winning building. The case study explores both the interplay between IT and its various users, and its impact on business relationships in an industry traditionally characterised by its litigious, short-term, project focus.

Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Policy in Australia

Abstract Disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change (CC) are pressing fields of action for scholars, practitioners and policy-makers to promote a sustainable level of wellbeing for local communities and to increase the resilience of communities coping with multi-origin hazards. Unfortunately, in the case of Australia, there is evidence to suggest that disaster risk reduction and climate-change policy is highly fragmented and politicised (von Meding et al., 2013). The main focus of this paper is, therefore, to develop a deep understanding of the underpinning factors of local, regional and national policies in Australia. In terms of policy and multilevel integration of policies, we will particularly focus on the risk of failure to adapt to climate change in Australia. The national and local Australian context will be analysed in terms of its recent past experiences in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation policies, stressing on the changes through the years, investigating key terminology, frameworks and goals. These will be described and critically analysed in a multilevel context, beginning with national government objectives and working through to the local dimension of these policies. A clear and comprehensive analysis of the evolution of local, regional and national policy in Australia, as well as a critique on the past and current effectiveness of implementation, will pave the way for further research to take place towards DRR and CCA action.

Value through innovation in long‐term service delivery : Facility management in an Australian PPP

Purpose – Public‐private partnerships (PPPs) and other innovative procurement mechanisms are frequently used to deliver both an asset and a public service over a protracted period. The value streams to the parties involved can be complex, but generally arise from the satisfactory provision of infrastructure that is fit for purpose throughout its life. This research aims to investigate the effectiveness of the facility management (FM) function in delivering long‐term value to both the client and consortium.Design/methodology/approach – This paper describes a case study of a PPP in Australia that delivered social infrastructure in multiple locations to a state government. Drawing upon multiple perspectives from within the consortium, it utilises inductive principles to identify the influences on value generation through innovation by the FM function.Findings – The ability of an Australian FM contractor to provide value within a PPP context has been shown to reflect some of the attributes described in litera...

Collaboration in public sector projects: unearthing the contextual challenges posed in project environments

Collaboration is seen as an essential business trait in the construction industry for effective project delivery. Collaboration occurs in two stages: stage one is the development of a collective identity engaged through discursive practices, followed by stage two, where the collective identity translates the conversations into synergistic action. The antecedent dimensions that foster collaboration are: shared direction, collective action, competence of the members, power distribution and equality, and trust and communication. The research methodology employed ethnographic interviews within a single case study of a healthcare facility construction project. The findings of the case study suggest that contextual issues arising from the public project set-up had profound negative impact on collaboration; specifically the development of a collective identity and discursive practices. It was identified that the approach to the service provider selection, hierarchical governance mechanisms and the political land...

Contextual, structural and behavioural factors influencing the adoption of industrialised building systems: a review

ABSTRACT The adoption of industrialised building systems (IBS) technology, with its focus on off-site prefabrication and modularisation, offers a significant reduction in environmental degradation, while simultaneously achieving significant productivity gains, decreasing labour requirements and improving working conditions. IBS technology is now one of the prevalent and growing building technologies in developed and developing countries. Policy approaches in some countries have thus concentrated on providing tailored support to encourage IBS technology adoption. Despite the obvious benefits of IBS technology, the adoption is very slow. This paper reviews literature aimed at understanding the different influences impacting on IBS adoption. The aim of the paper is to categorise and synthesis factors identified in the literature that explicitly or implicitly impact on IBS adoption decision-making. It specifically focuses on how emerging (a) contextual factors (e.g. economics conditions, technology development, government involvement, sustainability feature and stakeholders participation), (b) structural factors (e.g. Project condition, procurement setup, management approach, communication process and decision-making style) and (c) behavioural factors (e.g. experience, bounded Rationality, awareness and attitude) influence IBS adoption. Hence, identifying influencing factors on the decision to adopt IBS in construction provides support in terms of better understanding and facilitating the increased use of IBS technology and thus, improving levels of sustainability and competitiveness in the construction industries.

Relational Contracting in the Construction Industry: Mapping Practice to Theory

There has been an increasing interest in the concept of relational contracting (RC) in the construction industry. The performance of RC approaches in construction projects, especially in highly complex and/or time-constrained infrastructure construction projects, is not very satisfying, although there have been sporadic improvements. Hence, this paper aims to map the practices of three main RC contractual arrangements (i.e. project partnering, alliance contracting, and integrated project delivery) to Relational Contract Theory (RCT). The comparative analysis of these three RC contractual arrangements is undertaken to illustrate how different arrangements are weighted in different key elements derived from RCT. Following this study researchers can proceed to investigate situational variables that will make a particular RC approach most suitable. Industrial practitioners can use the findings as a description of the concept and a starting point to facilitate the RC practices at the procurement phase of a RC project.