Emuze, F and Smallwood, J J (2014) Collaborative working in South African construction: Contractors' perspectives. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 12(3), pp. 294-306.
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the level of collaborative working among project partners in South African construction. The construction industry is made up of a plethora of entities trading as consultants, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and manufacturers. The effort and contributions of these entities with the input of clients result in completed projects. However, the performance of the industry has continued to generate more negative, rather than positive, headlines. Typical headlines include defects, rework, delays, injuries and accidents, all of which are mostly blamed on the endemic fragmented nature of the industry. Design/methodology/approach – The assessment was undertaken through a quantitative survey conducted among general contractor (GC) members of the Master Builders South Africa. Findings – Selected findings relative to the research include short-term objectives and price-oriented approach are prevalent in the industry; poor problem-solving mechanisms exist between project partners; poor use of modularisation; significant numbers of irregular clients and rigid adherence to contents of contract data. Research limitations/implication – The research findings provide an insight rather than definitive information due to the limited response rate of the survey. Originality/value – The paper concludes that contractors should embrace collaborative procurement methods to improve performance and promote innovation in the industry.Recommendations include the availability of a consistent work load for the supply chain members as well as the improvement of the relationship between project partners, especially between contractors and their subcontractors/suppliers.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | collaboration; construction; contractors; project partners; supply chain; South Africa |
| Index terms: | project partner, modularization, construction industry, procurement method, methodology, collaboration, subcontractor, South Africa, injury, manufacturer, survey, builder, general contractor, rework |
| Subjects: | research methods, management, Geography, sociology, health conditions and diseases, building construction, industry analysis, data collection methods, practitioner, operations management, contractual arrangements |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice, Health and Safety, Construction Technology, Procurement, Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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