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- Björnström, Johan, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Role of action research in dealing with a traditional process
- 2009
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Ingår i: Performance Improvement in Construction Management. - 9781135998363 ; , s. 102-114
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Effective strategic management is becoming an increasingly important issue both for practitioners and management scholars. Not only is the process of formulating and implementing strategies given higher priority, but the role and meaning of strategies are also changing (Price, 2003). In the construction industry, however, relatively few companies seem, as yet, to have established a formal strategy process, even though there is considered to be greater awareness of the importance of effective strategic management to enhance performance and profitability (Junnonen, 1998). In the purportedly conservative construction industry, actors prefer adhering to the ‘business as usual’ mindset, which often results in a drift of strategic meanings and ultimate blurring of the organization’s strategic position (Johnson et al., 2005). Following a number of reports of companies’ failure to implement strategies (see, for example, Allio, 2005; Corboy and O’Corrbui, 1999; Kaplan and Norton, 2001), the attention of practitioners and researchers is now shifting from the formulation process to implementation dilemmas (Aaltonen and Ikavalko, 2002). The already growing body of research into strategy implementation seems to agree that one of the main reasons for failure is ineffective organizational communication caused by a lack of consideration of the social environment at the strategy execution level of the organization (Miniace and Falter, 1996). Yet, what is meant by the term ‘communication’ is not defined, and just a few studies have focused on the discursive and rhetorical aspects of strategy communication (Fairhurst et al., 1997; Johansson, 2003; Müllern and Stein, 1999). These studies typically describe managerial strategic communication as being transactional rather than interactional, monologic rather than dialogic and top-down rather than bottom-up. They also characterize strategic rhetoric at the top level of management as abstract rather than concrete, idealistic rather than realistic and distanced rather than proximal. To our knowledge, no such studies have been carried out in the construction industry. The overall purpose of this chapter is, therefore, to report preliminary results from a longitudinal case study of the strategy work carried out in a large Swedish construction company during a period of organizational change. Our concern here is the ways in which the new strategies are communicated down the chain of command in the company: from top management levels via middle management to project management. We focus on the face-to-face communications used by the different managerial levels to disseminate the corporate strategy and the implications this has on the ways in which the strategies are interpreted and understood. Of particular interest in these interactions are the underlying reasons for the different approaches toward strategy implementation. We hope to contribute some insights into the complexity of communicative processes and practices and argue that organizations need to view discursive processes and practices as an integral part of organizing.
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| 3. |
- Chan, Paul, et al.
(författare)
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Informality and emergence: Editorial
- 2009
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Ingår i: Construction Management and Economics. - 1466-433X .- 0144-6193. ; 27:10, s. 907-912
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 4. |
- Gluch, Pernilla, 1968, et al.
(författare)
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Interactional perspective on environmental communication in construction projects
- 2009
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Ingår i: Building Research and Information. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1466-4321 .- 0961-3218. ; 37:2, s. 164-175
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Drawing on theories of social interaction, a critical discourse analysis approach is used to examine the resources and constraints on environmental-communication practices in four construction projects in Sweden. The assumption is that talk and action work together to construct, maintain and change organizational structure, social practices, and contractual arrangements. The empirical data were collected through in-depth interviews and field observations where photo documentation was extensively used. The study showed mismatches between information and action, both within the project and between the project and its stakeholders. The mismatches were not caused by a lack of information, but rather by inconsistencies between the communication cultures, the status of the communicator, and the tools used to mediate the information, e.g. the media, discourses and genres used. These discrepancies resulted in a lack of engagement in environmental work in the projects. If environmental and other performances in construction projects are to be improved, more effort needs to be exerted on understanding the dynamics of the social context, human interaction, and the mediating tools used to communicate. This paper suggests an approach that can enhance such an understanding.
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| 5. |
- Gluch, Pernilla, 1968, et al.
(författare)
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What tensions obstruct an alignment between project and environmental management practices?
- 2012
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Ingår i: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management. - : Emerald. - 1365-232X .- 0969-9988. ; 19:2, s. 127-140
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using an activity theory lens, this paper aims to examine the interrelationships between project practice and environmental management. It also aims to focus on tensions that occur between human agents and material objects within a motivedirected, historicallysituated activity system, namely that of managing environmental issues in projects. Case studies of two large infrastructure projects were conducted 20032004 and 2008. The studies comprised onsite observations, text analyses, 20 semistructured interviews and one group interview. Time was spent on the construction site to become familiarized with the context and the practices of the project community. A total of 15 weekly environmental site inspections were monitored and photodocumented. The findings show how new and emergent environmental management practices and routines were inherently contradictory to the situated and established culture within the projects. In fact project practices seemed to amplify the contradictions between environmental management and project management rather than mitigating them. As a result project members and organization members strove toward different goals and foci. It is argued that management needs to create arenas where members from the two units can align practices and merge routines. Aligning the permanent structures of the organization with the temporary organizing of practices and operational activities in projects is a challenge for the construction industry. A prevalent lack of fit between the organization and its projects causes contradictions which negatively affect the way in which longterm environmental strategies and goals are understood and implemented in the project settings. The system theoretical lens adopted in this study enables a holistic interpretation of complex and dynamic activities and the linking of the micro, the individual, to the macro, the organizational structure. By indicating some inherent and emergent contradictions between project practice and corporate environmental management, this paper contributes to an emergent field of research that focuses on social practice in construction. © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
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| 6. |
- Gunnarson, Sven, 1949, et al.
(författare)
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Att verka i en multiprojekt miljö: Metoder för att begripliggöra
- 2008
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Ingår i: I Stjernberg, T.; Söderlund, J.; Wikström, E. (red.) "Projektliv – villkor för uthållig projektverksamhet". Studentlitteratur, Lund. - 9789144052243 ; , s. 141-158
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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