Holt, G D (2016) Historical British antecedents of innovative construction project organisation and social structures. Construction Innovation, 16(1), pp. 46-66. ISSN 1471-4175
Abstract
Purpose - This paper aims to present examples of historical British antecedents of innovative construction procurement, project organisation and social structures, through an historical case study and highlight how contemporary innovative “newness” can sometimes be preceded by historical antecedents. Design/methodology/approach - This paper used informal analysis of extant literature and historical archives, to synthesise those antecedents presented and reflect on these in light of contemporary construction practice and innovation. Findings - The case study project, capturing the period c.1894-1904, demonstrates numerous historical but significant innovations relating to project organisation and social structures. The extent of these may result from more lax regulation and workplace controls of the time. The case also epitomises how a publicly accountable authority, can realise a high-quality, constructed product in good time, using direct labour and without recourse to competitive procurement. Research limitations/implications - The blending of historical construction research with contemporary construction innovation (CI) thinking may open new academic opportunities in both fields. Practical implications - The findings suggest that a less regulatory-constrained environment appears conducive to incremental and process-oriented CI activity. Originality/value - There is a dearth of construction history research; its application to CI is unique.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | organisation,social structure,construction innovation,historical antecedents,project control,workers |
| Index terms: | project control, social structure, construction procurement, historical antecedent, case study, construction history, construction innovation, regulation, methodology, construction project, project organization |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, control systems, architectural and construction history, contractual arrangements, research methods, social theory, production management, organizational theory, building construction, political science |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Project Management, Governance, Procurement, Design Practice |
| 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