Phua, F T T and Rowlinson, S (2004) Operationalizing culture in construction management research: A social identity perspective in the Hong Kong context. Construction Management and Economics, 22(9), pp. 913-925. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
A prevailing trend of opinion in construction management research revolves around the importance of instilling a positive partnering culture in order to improve overall project performance. Indeed, the culture part of the equation has often been taken as a given and this has led to many normative and, at best, prescriptive claims about culture's consequences in terms of individual behaviours and practices. Despite this trend, no systematic empirical work has so far been undertaken to objectively operationalize or test the real effects of culture. This study aims to fill this research gap. Grounded in the social identity framework, this study proposes an alternative approach for operationalizing and examining culture's effects using data derived from 398 local and foreign senior managers from construction firms in Hong Kong. Results suggest that the relationships between culture and individual behaviours are far more complex than alluded to by simple normative generalizations. The study underscores an urgent need for future research to adopt a more comprehensive framework for defining and measuring culture in construction management research.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | co-operation; culture; Hong Kong; individualism-collectivism; social identity theory |
| Index terms: | construction firm, management research, culture in construction, manager, social identity, social identity theory, partnering, Hong Kong, project performance |
| Subjects: | research design and methodology, organization, practitioner, social psychology, project management theory and practice, Geography, sociology, partnership management |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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