Forman, M and Haugbølle, K (2011) The role of clients/end-users in innovation of standardised detached houses. In: Egbu, C and Lou, E C W (eds.) Proceedings of 27th Annual ARCOM Conference, 5-7 September 2011, Bristol, UK.
Abstract
Intensified innovation has for long been discussed as a means to improve productivity and quality in construction. In recent years, user-driven innovation and clients as change agents have been promoted as drivers of innovation. In particular the concept of lead users by von Hippel has featured prominently as inspiration. Still, it is not particularly clear what role users can play in the development of construction. The standardised detached house segment is the market segment in the construction sector that is closest to the end-user as private families are both clients and residents of the house. This paper explores the interaction of innovation between companies selling standardised detached houses and end-users. Based on OECD's definition of innovation, the study applied a quantitative web-based survey of companies operating in the mass market for standardised detached houses. The main result of the study is that within the past three years, innovation of products has dominated, but companies have also to some extent made process, organisation and marketing innovations. The study also showed that the typical drivers of innovation are legal requirements, meeting customer demands and improving quality. The main sources of innovation are the employees of the companies along with private clients and the delivery system.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | client; industrialisation; user; user-driven innovation |
| Index terms: | agent, interaction, construction sector, marketing, survey, productivity, industrialization, market segment |
| Subjects: | economic development, management, industry analysis, behavioral psychology, market analysis, practitioner, data collection methods, business |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Sustainability, Business Strategy, Research Practice |
| 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