Poirier, E; Forgues, D and Staub-French, S (2016) Collaboration through innovation: Implications for expertise in the AEC sector. Construction Management and Economics, 34(11), pp. 769-789. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
Collaboration is key for successful delivery of building projects in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector. Innovative project delivery approaches developed over the past two decades envision new ways of collaborating and specifically aim at improving the performance of and value generated by this key economic sector. Collaboration, however, remains an ill-defined and highly amorphous concept. This makes it difficult to investigate and consequently develop a body of knowledge, which is central to defining a field of expertise in this area. The aim of this investigation is to explore the notion of an expertise in collaboration in the AEC sector and the implications of these innovative project delivery approaches on this expertise. The concept of collaboration is developed across five core entities: structure, process, agents, artefacts and context. These entities are then framed through a critical realist lens to lay the groundwork for a body of knowledge of collaboration in the AEC sector. The impact of the current shift to these innovative approaches is investigated within this framing. The findings set a course of action to develop a body of knowledge and a field of expertise on collaboration in the AEC sector.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building information modelling; collaboration; critical realism; expertise; innovation; integration |
| Index terms: | agent, building information modelling, integration, artefact, collaboration, critical realism, framing, project delivery, investigation, body of knowledge |
| Subjects: | management, project delivery, theoretical framing, knowledge management, information systems, conceptual models, practitioner, data collection methods, organizational analysis, sociology |
| Topics: | Information Management, Digital Applications, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Procurement, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
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