Osborne, A N (2005) Social conflict in construction-related inter-organizational collectives: A comparative analysis and structural equation model. PhD thesis, Northumbria University, UK.
Abstract
Irrespective of the groundswell of interest in construction industry conflict during the last two decades, there has been comparatively little research conducted that attempts to investigate the association between social conflict and ineffective construction industry inter-organizational relationships. This is despite the growing recognition that conditions conducive to effective social relationships between interdependent organizations contribute towards improved industrial productivity. This doctoral thesis contributes to the existing literature and empirical database on construction industry conflict by reporting the findings of a research project designed to explore the comparative organizational properties that encourage interdependence and the emergence of inter-organizational conflict during the construction process. The investigation builds upon and moderates an earlier comparative analysis of inter- organizational conflict by Molnar and Rogers (1979) in order to formulate a novel structural equation model. It includes as its database six case studies of medium- to large-scale new-build construction projects, selected from the north-eastern region of England, from which the networks of social relationships within the collectivities of construction-related organizations were examined from the perspective of the exogenous and endogenous comparative organizational properties. Primary data were collected during semi-structured interviews with twenty-three boundary role representatives of the twelve construction-related organizations responsible for the design and construction of the observed projects. The resultant structural equation model provides insight into the occurrence of inter-organizational conflict within the UK construction industry, in addition to explaining the key factors that influence the occurrence of ineffective construction industry inter-organizational relationships. In essence, this doctoral investigation has demonstrated the potential ability to predict the likelihood that social conflict will arise between interdependent construction- related organizations. Furthermore, it has paved the way for additional studies to be conducted to further understand the complex and intriguing aspects of construction industry inter-organizational relationships by presenting an accurately specified theoretical framework and an appropriately grounded methodological approach.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Greenwood, D |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | emergence; construction project; productivity; England; UK; case studies; interview |
| Index terms: | interview, comparative analysis, construction process, construction project, emergence, case study, England, database, productivity, structural equation model, design and construction, investigation, interdependence, construction industry |
| Subjects: | management, Geography, production management, building construction, data management, organizational analysis, statistical analysis, systems engineering, industry analysis, data collection methods, contractual arrangements, data analysis and analytics |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Organizational Design, Site Management, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Geographical Context, Procurement |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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