Suprun, E V and Stewart, R A (2015) Construction innovation diffusion in the Russian federation: Barriers, drivers and coping strategies. Construction Innovation, 15(3), pp. 278-312. ISSN 1471-4175
Abstract
Purpose - The aim of this study is to explore the current situation in the Russian construction industry and the obstacles, drivers and strategies that affect innovation implementation most significantly. The Russian construction industry is highly conservative and is often criticised for its lack of innovation. Construction firms invest relatively little in innovation adoption, development of new ideas and formal research and development. Design/methodology/approach - This study utilised an extensive literature review followed by a questionnaire survey incorporating some post hoc interviews with 52 experts from the Russian architecture, engineering and construction industry to identify the most significant drivers, enablers, barriers and strategies related to innovation diffusion in construction. Findings - Findings indicated that economic and financial difficulties, as well as inappropriate legislation, are the most significant barriers to innovation. Financial incentives, legislative improvements and the promotion of alternative construction procurement methods were viewed as the most critical strategies to improve the current lacklustre rate of innovation diffusion. Originality/value - While there is anecdotal evidence that the Russian construction industry is lagging in terms of technological advancement, its closed nature means that there is still little reported evidence on what are the main barriers to innovation diffusion in this country. Hence, there is a lack of focus on innovation diffusion rates in different construction sectors, such as building and civil infrastructure and limited consideration on how effectively the research and development sector contributes to innovation.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | barriers,russian federation,innovation diffusion,construction,strategies,drivers |
| Index terms: | construction procurement, coping, implementation, construction industry, innovation adoption, promotion, Russian Federation, questionnaire, evidence, methodology, research and development, construction innovation, construction sector, financial incentive, interview, legislation, innovation diffusion, survey, construction firm, strategy, literature review |
| Subjects: | sociology, research management, building construction, industry analysis, behavioral psychology, management, research methods, Geography, legal systems, contractual arrangements, data analysis and analytics, economic analysis, evaluation and assessment methods, data collection methods, organization, innovation studies |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Geographical Context, Engineering Principles, Business Strategy, Procurement, Human Resources, Legal Issues |
| 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