Sergeeva, N (2013) Making sense of innovation in the UK construction sector. In: Smith, S D and Ahiaga-Dagbui, D D (eds.) Proceedings of 29th Annual ARCOM Conference, 2-4 September 2013, Reading, UK.
Abstract
The existing literature on innovation in the construction sector is often oriented towards positivist and quantitative approaches. Research has tended to focus on the means by which innovation can be determined or measured by variables or linear progression of stages. Variable-based approaches are assumed to be the only legitimate basis for theory development and practical explanation. Whilst these approaches may provide indications of averages across large samples, they often ignore multiple perceptions, contexts and time completely or compress them into variables. These approaches have been challenged by other researchers who consider innovation as a narrative mobilised by organisational actors, emphasising multiple perceptions and situational contexts that unfold over time. Building upon and extending this work, the paper explores and explains how identities of construction sector practitioners and contextual circumstances shape the ways in which their narratives of innovation are mobilised. The empirical research of the paper draws from thirty semi-structured interviews with UK construction sector practitioners. Interviewees were engaged with Constructing Excellence and, in some sense, constructed their identities as innovation champions. Different storylines were shared by the interviewees, often taking different perspectives and viewpoints. Applications of Building Information Modelling (BIM) have often been described as innovations. Throughout the course of the interviews, it was evident that enactments of innovations by construction sector practitioners were shaped by their identities and experiences. Grounded in identity construction, a sensemaking perspective is applied as a theoretical lens for explaining how identities of the interviewees and situational contexts shaped the ways in which their narratives were mobilised. The paper discusses the narratives of innovation in the context of project lifecycle. It addresses the research implications and suggests some future research directions.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | context; enactment; identity; narrative; sensemaking |
| Index terms: | narrative, practitioner, identity, construction sector, sensemaking, building information modelling, interview, project lifecycle |
| Subjects: | qualitative and interpretive research, sociology, cognitive psychology, information systems, industry analysis, project completion, data collection methods, practitioner |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Project Management, Research Practice, Digital Applications |
| 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