Loosemore, M; Higgon, D and Osborne, J (2020) Managing new social procurement imperatives in the Australian construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 27(10), pp. 3075-3093. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: This paper responds to the need for more construction project management research in the emerging field of social procurement. It contributes by exploring the potential value of cross-sector collaboration and project-based intermediation in meeting new social procurement imperatives. Design/methodology/approach: A thematic exploratory case study analysis is presented of seventy-three interviews undertaken with stakeholders involved in a unique project-based intermediary developed by a major Australian construction company to leverage the power of cross-sector collaboration in response to social procurement imperatives on its projects, based on semi-structured interviews with 33 disadvantaged job seekers, 40 organisational stakeholders (employment agencies; not-for-profits, Indigenous, disability and refugee support organisations; training organisations; subcontractors; government agencies and departments; community organisations) and observational and documentary data over the duration of a unique project-based intermediary called a Connectivity Centre, developed by a major Australian contractor to deliver on its emerging social procurement requirements. Findings: The results show that cross-sector collaboration within the construction industry can produce highlight numerous cognitive, behavioural, health, situational and affective social impacts for the project community and shared-value benefits for the range of organisations involved. However, it is found that cross-sector collaboration through project-based intermediation in a construction context is challenging due to the fragmented and dynamic nature of construction project teams and the communities they have to engage with. Encouraging people and organisations to collaborate who operate in industries and organisations with different and sometimes competing institutional logics and objectives (even if they are linked by common values) requires a set of knowledge, competencies and relationships not recognised in current global project management competency frameworks. Originality/value: This research contributes new insights to the emerging but embryonic body of research into construction social procurement by demonstrating the value of emerging theories of social procurement, social value, cross-sector collaboration and intermediation in enhancing our currently limited understanding of the complex challenges involved in responding to new social procurement requirements in the construction industry. It explores and documents the potential value of project-based intermediaries in developing and managing the new cross-sector relationships, roles, relational competencies and practices, which are required to effectively respond to and measure the impact of emerging social procurement policies in the construction industry. These findings have a potentially significant social impact by providing new insights for policymakers and the construction industry, to optimise the industry’s response to emerging social procurement policies.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | collaboration; intermediary; social innovation; social procurement; social value |
| Index terms: | case study, construction project team, employment, social innovation, refugee, social value, construction project management, duration, construction industry, social impact, intermediary, procurement policy, institutional logic, connectivity, interview, government agency, project management competency, construction company, profit, methodology, collaboration, documents, agency, disability, subcontractor |
| Subjects: | health conditions and diseases, sociology, networking, demography, project controls, administrative law, communities and social development, industry analysis, research methods, theoretical framing, management, professional development, project management theory and practice, public policy, project delivery, economic analysis, business, organization, data collection methods, practitioner |
| Topics: | Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Governance, Health and Safety, Business Strategy, Information Management, Project Management, Research Practice, Organizational Design, Time Control, Digital Applications, Urban Studies, Legal Issues, Human Resources |
| 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