Walter, L and Styhre, A (2013) The role of organizational objects in construction projects: The case of the collapse and restoration of the Tjörn Bridge. Construction Management and Economics, 31(12), pp. 1172-1185. ISSN 1466433X
Abstract
The construction industry immutably produces built environments that directly influence the everyday lives of human beings. Nevertheless, materiality, defined as intransient physical matter socially enacted in the form of artefacts and objects as well as built constructions, is often overlooked and simply regarded as passive and inert matter. In contrast, a growing body of literature recognizes the agency of materiality and examines how materiality and agency are co-produced. When examining a spectacular event like the collapse of the Tjörn Bridge on Sweden's west coast, it is argued that organizational objects are capable of interpellating various actors, thus enabling informed and adequate action. The concepts of the organizational object and interpellation are thus useful analytical terms when examining construction project organization, helping scholars of the construction industry and practising managers to rethink the role of materiality as something that both acts and is acted upon.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | bridge construction; civil engineering; interpellation; materiality |
| Index terms: | restoration, agency, bridge construction, construction project, artefact, manager, materiality, construction industry, built environment, Sweden |
| Subjects: | practitioner, sociology, infrastructure and transport systems, industry analysis, renovation and retrofit, production management, Geography, infrastructure engineering |
| Topics: | Business Strategy, Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Roles and Professions, Urban Studies |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
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