Boyd, D and Kerr, E (1998) An analysis of developer-clients' perception of consultants. In: Hughes, W (ed.) Proceedings of 14th Annual ARCOM Conference, 9-11 September 1998, Reading, UK.
Abstract
Commercial developers provide an important source of business activity in the construction sector. In this they are powerful stakeholders who command the fates of organizations and also a high profile commentary on the industry. In the latter, they have presented a criticism of both consultants and contractors who they consider do not perform well in their tasks. A small set of interviews were conducted with a range of senior people who have the role of clients for major developers. The aim of these interviews was to improve understanding of client thinking so that a more productive relationship between them and consultants could be initiated for the benefit of both parties. The results showed a problem in communications that occurred because of the different ways that each viewed the world. A model of developer-client and consultant interaction is presented which shows how different perceptions and expectations affect the working relationship and how these perceptions are reproduced. Awareness of this should enable consultants to understand the needs and actions of developer clients better and for each to be more reflective on their practice.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | client; communication; perception; relationship |
| Index terms: | construction sector, interaction, interview |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, behavioral psychology, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 CTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here