Gluch, P and Räisänen, C (2009) Aligning the practices of the permanent with those of the temporary. In: Dainty, A R J (ed.) Proceedings of 25th Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2009, Nottingham, UK.
Abstract
Aligning the permanent structures of the organisation with the temporary organising of practices and operational activities in projects is a challenge for the construction industry. A prevalent lack of fit between the organisation and its projects causes tensions which negatively affect the way in which long-term environmental strategies and goals are understood and implemented in the project settings. Using the results from a qualitative interview study as an illustrative example, this paper highlights discrepancies between the organisational and social mechanisms that influence the interplay between environmental management and project management practices. Findings show that both research and practice amplify existing in-built tensions between environmental management and project management rather than mitigating them. As a result different units within organisations strive toward diverging goals and foci. Informed by recent reviews of the literature within the two areas of study, it is argued that top management needs to join forces with project management to create arenas where members from the two units can align and join forces.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | project management; project-based organising; sustainable development; organisational structure; social practices |
| Index terms: | environmental management, project management, construction industry, social practice, top management, sustainable development, strategy, organizational structure, interview, project management practice |
| Subjects: | sustainability assessment, management, project management theory and practice, social theory, health safety and environment, sociology, industry analysis, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Project Management, Health and Safety, Business Strategy, Sustainability, 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