Tuuli, M M; Rowlinson, S and Koh, T Y (2010) Dynamics of control in construction project teams. Construction Management and Economics, 28(2), pp. 189-202. ISSN 1466433X
Abstract
Control is pervasive in construction project environments. The management of projects through various planning and control tools has therefore been described essentially as rebureaucratization which increases control over individuals, teams and organizations through ideologies of efficiency and performativity. Yet certain characteristics of the project setting make it an ideal climate for the empowerment of individuals and teams. The manifestations of control in five construction project management teams involved in two ongoing construction projects in Hong Kong are examined. The interpretive and exploratory focus of the study favoured the use of a qualitative research design and the case study approach in particular. Control is viewed as all devices and systems employed to ensure that acts, behaviours, outcomes and decisions of individuals, teams and organizations are consistent with meeting organizational or project goals, objectives and strategies. The findings indicate that a portfolio of control modes is implemented in project teams comprising both formal (i.e. behaviour- and outcome-based) and informal (i.e. clan- and self-based) control mechanisms which are not necessarily incompatible. While formal control remains the primary control mode, a portfolio of control appears necessary to augment the inadequacies of formal control due to the evolving nature of the project environment.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | empowerment; formal control; Hong Kong; informal control; portfolio of control |
| Index terms: | project team, construction project management, dynamics, case study, performativity, construction project team, Hong Kong, efficiency, qualitative research, construction project, strategy, empowerment |
| Subjects: | social theory and frameworks, project delivery, data collection methods, research design and methodology, systems engineering, production management, Geography, project management theory and practice, management, performance management |
| Topics: | Human Resources, Quality Management, Business Strategy, Project Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Engineering Principles |
| 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