Erbil, Y; Akincitürk, N and Acar, E (2013) Inter-organizational context of the innovation process and the role of architectural designers as system integrators: Case evidence from Turkey. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 9(2), pp. 77-94. ISSN 1745-2007
Abstract
The construction industry is characterized as a complex product system industry. Complex product system projects require the temporary coalitions of organizations, efforts of which are coordinated by a specific type of organization called the 'system integrator'. Although the traditional construction innovation literature assumes that the system integrator role is shared between the principal designer and principal contractor in a typical project, the complexity of built products may require the contribution of different types of system integrators, the roles of which may coincide over the life cycle of a project. An exploratory study was conducted to understand the extent to which architectural designers fulfil their system integrator role in the innovation process. In particular, the innovation-related information exchanges between architectural designers and other actors in their networks were the focus of interest. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted to gather data from the owners/partners of 13 leading architectural design firms in Turkey. The findings suggest that based on the project delivery system and the contractual relationships, various actors can be system integrators at the different phases of a project, while a system integrator's role may also evolve over time. The core capabilities, the tools and routines, the stakeholders and the sources of complexity for a particular system integrator may depend on the client and market characteristics. The early collaboration of various system integrators within a project appears to be key to develop innovative design solutions.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | architectural designers; complex product systems; innovation; inter-organizational relationships; system integrators |
| Index terms: | project delivery, complexity, architectural design, construction industry, evidence, collaboration, contractual relationship, information exchange, designer, exploratory study, principal contractor, face, life cycle, owner, complex product system, Turkey, traditional construction, routine, interview, architectural designer |
| Subjects: | practitioner, value management, profession, data collection methods, evaluation and assessment methods, contractual relationship, data science, innovation and technology management, project delivery, psychology, Geography, design practice, management, research methods, industry analysis, heritage and conservation, systems engineering, sociology |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Procurement, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Project Management, Contract Administration, Organizational Design, Digital Applications, Design 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