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1.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Knowledge sharing in construction partnering - projects – redundancy, boundary objects and brokers
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: International Journal of Project Organisation and Management. - 1740-2891 .- 1740-2905. ; 5:1/2, s. 156-175
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • This article adopts practice-based theory for understandinginter-organisational knowledge work and extends it with a discussion of the role of redundancy. In this view, a constellation of firms is a multiple configuration of communities of practices, characterised by overlappingpractises, multiple memberships and different levels of participation, and accompanied by a governance frame. The paper discusses central mechanisms for coordinating knowledge in such a complex construction project. Theknowledge relations are conceptualised through focusing on redundancy,understood as negotiated common assignment of meaning, brokers (e.g., design managers), boundary objects (e.g., drawings) and arenas (e.g., meetings). Thepaper presents an ethnographic case study of a project partnership between engineers, architects and contractors in construction using the partnering concept. The focus is on two dialogue excerpts, one on process, and one onproduct knowledge exchanges. The diversity and disjunctive feature of the practices form a condition of possibility for knowledge handling and synthesis into the built construct. Relation-based interaction is necessary with boundary objects and brokers, requisite redundancy and governance.
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2.
  • Buser, Martine, 1967, et al. (författare)
  • 1. Is this none of the contractor’s business? Social Sustainability Challenges informed by popular literature
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: Construction Management and Economics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1466-433X .- 0144-6193. ; 32:7-8, s. 749-759
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • In Sweden many suburbs built at the end of the 1960s are in need of physical renovation to comply with newenergy regulations. Some of these neighbourhoods face serious social challenges which also need to be tackled.The three largest Swedish contractors, usually very active in providing technical and environmentally friendlyrenovation, claim now they can provide social sustainability solutions on a commercial basis. For many yearsthe problems of deprived suburbs have attracted the attention and the care of the public institutions, and thoughmany initiatives have been carried out to address these issues, results have been sometimes quite limited. To discussthe social challenges linked to suburbs’ renovation, an alternative method is proposed: the analysis of literaryaccounts. The goal is to assess whether stories relating the lives of residents in deprived Swedish suburbs caninform and therefore contribute to the development of socially sustainable solutions. Referring to the literatureon social sustainability, this qualitative and explorative study uses critical discourse analysis as the method.Results suggest that focusing on renovated housing, employment, social services and leisure activities is notenough to rehabilitate disadvantaged neighbourhoods. They also indicate some specific problems linked to thebuilt environment that contractors could help to solve.
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5.
  • Buser, Martine, 1967, et al. (författare)
  • Eyes Wide Shut? Non Referring, Loyalty and Practical Moral in Engineering Education
  • 2012
  • Ingår i: 2012. - 9789400752818 ; , s. 253-267
  • Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • The relationship between technology and society may be conceptualized as a seamless web in a form ofcoevolution. In modern societies, this coevolution, which includes engineering design and related ethicalissues, is largely a kind of social experiment. To prevent unnecessary problems, Martin and Schinzingersuggest that engineers should seek to act ethically. This chapter examines how engineering studentsdevelop, or not, ethical concerns and practices in their everyday work. It is based on a case study usingmixed methods and focusing on students in mentor companies during their Master’s degree program. Theeducational context is understood as a Mode 2 knowledge production representing a triangular relationshipbetween the student, the university supervisor, and the mentor company where power and authority aredistributed and shaped over time. Moreover, the student’s role is conceptualized as being a legitimateperipheral participant in engineering practices and consequently in the enactment of practical morality. Thestudents work on problem-oriented projects and deal with complex decision-making processes. Havingto face the constraints and limits of real-life project development in an organization, they struggle withina web of technical knowledge; loyalty relationships to various actors, norms, and regulations; as well asmarket demands. These tensions and their related trade-offs inherent to quick decision-making leave littlespace and time to reflect on ethical questions. Nevertheless, one can trace moral concerns in the students’processes during their studies.
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6.
  • Buser, Martine, 1967, et al. (författare)
  • Multiple institutional dynamics of sustainable housing concepts in Denmark – on the role of passive houses
  • 2012
  • Ingår i: Sociology Study. - 2159-5526. ; 2:10, s. 17-
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • One of the central challenges of sustainable transition is the changing of our buildings. This involves social, cultural, political and regulatory dynamics.Critically using transition theory conceptualization of a world of dynamics, the paper reviews institutional theory and actor network approaches in an attempt to better account for contemporary developments in Europe, encompassing EU reforms as well as multiple competing concepts. The emergence of ‘passive houses’ in Denmark is used as a case of transition dynamics. The concept was developed in Germany and imported into Denmark. It is a technological niche, encompassing technologies, players, improvisation and early customers. Passive houses have entered into fierce competition with other future institutions such as LEED, DGNB/green building council and active houses. Passive Houses was at the outset a well-developed upcoming institution with design principles, - software, certification and numerous reference buildings, strong enough to be a challenger institution. They are promoted by a characteristic alliance of architects, consulting engineers, a few clients, and an architect school, whereas the other concepts exhibit their specific actor alliances. Yet passive houses experience barriers such as the reputation of being expensive and non-user friendly and are currently surpassed by the other concepts.
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7.
  • Buser, Martine, 1967, et al. (författare)
  • Multiple institutions of diversity practices at Scandinavian building contractors
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: 22nd Nordic Academy of Management Conference (NFF) Iceland, August 2013, track 19: Pactices of diversity and gender equality.
  • Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • This paper analyses diversity practices in companies in three Scandinavian countries, all countries with a tendency to collapse diversity into equality, gender andimmigrant integration. Our contribution is to map andanalyze company practices and establish the multiplicityof diversity practice institutions in these three countries. An institutional approach to gender and equity including institutional pluralism is adopted. As empirical field an trditionally conservative sector is chosen, namely construction where we focus on workplace practices around management positions. While Scandinavia isleading in diversity, construction has traditionally beenrather women- and diversity proof. The three Scandinavian countries represent national institutional set-ups that enable and constrain diversity in specific ways. Based on mixed qualitative and quantitative methods encompassing 93 companies, the result shows that the female and ethnic representation among CEOs, board members and boards of directors is still very low compared to other sectors. The Nordic multinational contractors tend to exhibit the lowest representation, and the Norwegian the highest.Four competing institutions account for this: dominant male, token, voluntarist and politically correct. The Nordic multinationals represent a renewed version of white male dominance, paired with the politically correct institution. The Danish contractors exhibit the token institution, typically with one woman on the board. Norwegian contractors are similar, since the board quota law encompasses very few construction companies. Swedish contractors exhibit most political correctness, building on around 15 years of modest growth in equity representation.
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8.
  • Buser, Martine, 1967, et al. (författare)
  • Swedish poverty – An oxymoron? Taking issue with social sustainability in urban renewal
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: Proceedings of ARCOM - 29th Annual Conference, Reading, UK, 2-4 September 2013. - 9780955239076 ; , s. 1295-1305
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Many global cities are struggling to align urban renovation with social sustainability. In particular, solutions to the imbalance between rich and poor neighbourhoods have been difficult to find. This is also the case with the Swedish cities of Gothenburg and Malmoe. Recently large contractors have become involved with this issue, claiming they can provide social sustainability on a commercial basis. Many studies have shown that focusing on providing employment, improving social infrastructure and leisure facilities is not enough to rehabilitate the disadvantaged neighbourhoods. A framework for understanding social sustainability is proposed to facilitate further examination of such issues by analysing three biographic accounts of residents of deprived Swedish suburbs. Using critical discourse analysis, the empirical material builds on the three narratives: 1) An account of a childhood and homeless people leaving in a segregated neighbourhood; 2) the biography of an immigrant boy breaking out of the suburb environment and becoming a football star; and 3) an account of adolescence in Gothenburg and the discovery of the city centre in contrast to her home suburb. All the accounts indicate that employment and the presence of functional infrastructures did not prevent the stigmatisation linked to the authors’ residential areas. These accounts could therefore help urban developers to better understand the complex and predominantly culturally oriented set of challenges when creating social sustainability. A bottom-up approach is provided by these auto-biographical texts that could enhance innovative input to contractors' concepts of social sustainability to include issues of integration and differentiation of the type of poverty that impact contemporary Sweden.
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9.
  • Buser, Martine, 1967, et al. (författare)
  • Tales of the Suburbs?-The Social Sustainability Agenda in Sweden through Literary Accounts
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 6:2, s. 913-934
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Sustainable development has become increasingly influential. In light of environmental concerns, the social dimension of sustainability is now encompassing a growing number of concerns. Together with more traditional hard concepts, including basic needs, equity, and employment, soft themes, such as greater wellbeing, are becoming significant. The present paper compares qualitatively these theoretical themes with the concrete, lived experiences of inhabitants within deprived suburbs. To do so, a framework for understanding social sustainability is proposed, and then applied to analyze three literary accounts of residents within Swedish suburbs. The three accounts are analyzed through the lens of critical discourse analysis. The results indicate that employment and functional infrastructures did not prevent the stigmatization of these residential areas. Important social and cultural segregations are occurring, supported by the physical organization of urban space. Using biographical accounts incorporates subjective and emotional perspectives usually left aside in the context of urban development. These allow a better understanding of the complex realities of these suburbs and could therefore help urban developers to better grasp the complex and predominantly culturally oriented set of challenges confronting the establishment of socially sustainable communities.
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10.
  • Buser, Martine, 1967, et al. (författare)
  • Women at top level management at Contractors in Denmark and Norway
  • 2012
  • Ingår i: Smith S. (2012): Proceedings of the 28th Annual Conference. Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM).. ; 1, s. 262-272
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Strategic management and leadership in the building sector will gain increasing importance as globalization and shorter product lifecycles will put pressure on company competences in moving fast and agile. A broader mobilisation of human resources at the top level could be a central avenue to improve strategic management. Through new recruiting the composition of the top level management could be strengthened. Today the building industry encompasses relatively few managers with strategic management competences and women at this level are very few. The paper uses institutionalist theory to explain the dynamics in changing and developing top level management. The theoretical framework argues for five interlinked domains of the individual, the enterprise, the strategic management, the board and the environment. Institutions in all areas contribute to the experienced constraints. Based on an exploratory study of Danish and Norwegian female representation as CEOs, member of boards of directors and member of boards shows very low representation of women. Four competing institutions regarding female representation are identified the male dominant, the hostage, the voluntarist and the politically correct. The present status for the Danish contractors can be characterized as the hostage, as one woman in the board seems to be the present pattern. And Norway is less different than one should think. In Denmark as a newly launched reform encompass a strong voluntary element. An EU reform is therefore a more likely driver for politically correct institutional reform.
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11.
  • Carlsson, Veronica, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • Shall we dance? Encounters for energy renovation of single family houses
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: 30th Annual Association of Researchers in Construction Management Conference, ARCOM 2014; Portsmouth; United Kingdom; 1 September 2014 through 3 September 2014. - 9780955239083 ; , s. 1163-1171
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • In the strive for climate change mitigation and transition the building stock is a major issue to acknowledge as its energy consumption and production of carbon dioxide is significant, around 30% of the total in Sweden. Government policies, subsidies and more have therefore been applied to deal with this issue. However the bulk of efforts have focused on dwellings, office buildings, public buildings and other major installations, whereas the single family house areas have received less attention and presently even enjoy a public regulation regime which leaves up to ten years of room for manoeuver before private house owners are obliged to react. This leaves the arena for more voluntary types of renovation. Studies shows that house owners doing such renovations are prone to contact and use their local SME craftsman. The encounters between house owners and craftsmen come to impede the degree and quality of the energy renovation referring to costs, unstable and/or ineffective technologies, lack of understanding of subsidies and financial options and even general insecurity. This paper reports a local study of three craftsmen contractors and their interaction with house owners as potential customers which is part of a project with a group of participating SMEs. Through interviewing, participant observations and shadowing, the sales processes and negotiations were followed on site inside the customers house. Theoretically the study draws on Goffman's concepts of presentation of self in everyday life, performance, staging and "front". The results show a complex interactive pattern, like a dance, where limited local knowledge play a role as does subtle assumptions about cost and economic capacity. Thus rather than placing the responsibility for conservative renovation actions on either the craftsmen or the house owners, it is claimed here that the two parties are acting in a routinized play they cannot easily escape.
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12.
  • Carlsson, Veronica, 1980, et al. (författare)
  • What’s so special about action research? A targeted critical review of experiential and prescriptive literature
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: EURAM 2014. - 9788469703779 ; , s. 39-
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • A large number of organisation and management disciplines, appear to have obtained a closer relation to practices. Action Research (AR) on the other hand has a long tradition for close encounters with practice and is currently experiencing a remarkable growth in its presence in the scientific literature. The present paper aims at critically reviewing approaches of AR investigating and characterizing them. This is done in the context of an AR project aiming at engaging SMEs to develop business models including new sustainable solutions. The literature review encompasses 27 main contributions. The literature was analyzed with five criteria: scientific position, framing and degree of influence for participants, juxtaposition of domains (i.e. group, organization), democracy and power, methods and results. Five scientific positions of AR are identified: US pragmatist, critical theory, Participatory Action Research (PAR), The Scandinavian cooperation model and management. A range of methods is found including principles of democratic dialogue, group collaboration, and conferences. The linking of action and analysis is often suggested as being cyclic. The AR positions have much in common with contemporary postmodern organisation theory: Engagement with practice, appreciation of processes of change within and around organizations. Nevertheless AR appears not to have exploited this close kinship, constituting a non-explored terrain of interpretive, social construction oriented AR. Many of the weaknesses in AR, such as unclear scientific positioning, limited political discussion of the framing of research and of the researcher’s role, are shared with other research. The particular strength of AR is its systematic engagement in changing practice. The normalization of AR hopefully means that it will find an even more natural place in organisation and management studies.
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13.
  • Ellegaard, Chris, 1968, et al. (författare)
  • A model of functional integration and conflict The case of purchasing-production in a construction company
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: International Journal of Operations and Production Management. - : Emerald. - 1758-6593 .- 0144-3577. ; 34:3, s. 325-346
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Purpose - The purpose of this article is to generate theory on how functional integration and conflict interrelate by studying the interface between production and purchasing. Design/methodology/approach - An interpretive single case research methodology is adopted. The authors rely on in-depth interviewing of managers in the production and purchasing functions of a construction company, as well as by its suppliers. Findings - Given low functional integration, antagonistic reasoning within each function and resultant conflicting behaviors are allowed to develop in a negative cycle, escalating the conflict between purchasing and production. This process leads to the creation of two opposing functional sourcing models that serve as blueprints for behavior. Research limitations/implications - The single case methodology was chosen to maximize depth and detail and form an ideal foundation for theory building. Future qualitative and quantitative studies should inquire further into the studied phenomenon to increase analytical and statistical generalizability of the proposed model. Practical implications - The findings can help managers understand how poor integration between functions can develop into cross-functional conflict. Facing a conflicting functional relationship, managers must resort to conflict resolution methods, instead of attempting to integrate, as several integrative devices are not appropriate in conflicting interfaces. Originality/value - The proposed model contributes by connecting the constructs of integration, group reasoning, and conflict, thereby generating knowledge on conflict development processes in cross-functional interfaces. Furthermore, the article contributes by uncovering the difficulties associated with implementing spend consolidation, a prevailing sourcing strategy.
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14.
  • Ellegaard, Chris, 1968, et al. (författare)
  • The Effects of Low Internal Integration on Suppliers' Resource Mobilization
  • 2012
  • Ingår i: Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 1478-4092. ; 18:3, s. 148-158
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • A company that suffers from low internal integration between corporate functions performs worse thanits more integrated competitors,leaving it in a position of competitive disparity.This paper reports onan investigation of the effects of internal integration between purchasing and operations onthemobilization of supplier resources.Low internal integration generates uncoordinated operations and purchasing behaviors that negatively affect supplier resource mobilization.We find that the lack ofoperations support foreight major purchasing initiatives in a construction company negatively affectssupplier resource mobilization,resulting in poor exchange outcomes for the suppliers.Furthermore,different types ofuncoordinated behaviors affect suppliers’resource mobilization in diverse negative ways. Basedontheresults,we offer a categorization of diverse typesofsuppliermobilization activitiesand offer several managerial implications for both buyers and suppliers.
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15.
  • Frödell, Mikael, 1981, et al. (författare)
  • Integration barriers for purchasing organisation in a large construction company: towards requisite disintegration
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: The IMP Journal. - 0809-7259. ; 7:1, s. 46-58
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Developing the purchasing organisation is an ongoing challenge for large contractors where internal and external perspectives need to interplay. The aim of this paper is two-fold: firstly, the development of a theoretical framework to characterise the purchasing organisation and secondly, to analyse the limited adoption of integrated purchasing through an analysis of barriers to integration. The theoretical standpoint is underpinned by purchasing organisation theory and by literature on internal and external integration as well as barriers to integration. Based on a two-year case study, the paper presents the status of the purchasing organisation and the barriers to further integration as originating from the strategic purchasers of the contractor. The perceived barriers question full integration internally and externally. The perceived barriers encompass low framework agreement status compared to orders, inconsistent ways of working in the projects and dispersed geographical location and sub-markets. The barriers to integration stem from both attitudinal and industrial matters, whilst institutional barriers are not identified. The paper therefore proposes a differentiated, requisitely disintegrated, purchasing organisation designed to manage the diverse supplier population. In contrast to those advocating a tighter internal and external integration, this paper suggests a requisite balance between integration and specialisation of the purchasing activities.
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16.
  • Jørgensen, Claus, et al. (författare)
  • Global offshoring - knowledge journeys of three SMEs
  • 2012
  • Ingår i: International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business. - 1479-3067 .- 1479-3059. ; 4:3/4, s. 360-379
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • This paper analyses three small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the textile industry involved in manufacturing, design sales and procurement offshoring. Adopting the knowledge-based theory of the firm andthe theory of knowledge integration leads to identification of ‘direction’ and ‘organisational routines’, which are important for the integration of knowledge between entities dispersed in time and space.The companies were followed over a period of four years, with annual interviews that show that, to differing degrees, offshoring of manufacturing becomes a journey for the companies involved to take back outsourced activities when it proves difficult to create the appropriate managerial direction and organisational routines. Travelling experts, virtual interaction through IT, and training of employees abroad are three central elements encountered. Changes in the globalised upstream setups challenge the companies’ manufacturing and innovative capabilities, since innovation,knowledge and activities prove less transferable and robust, leading to a need for re-integration in the restructured upstream sourcing setups.
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17.
  • Jørgensen, Claus, et al. (författare)
  • Transforming organizational capabilities in strategizing: Strategic sourcing routines in two Danish offshoring enterprises
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: EGOS.
  • Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • Offshored and networked enterprises are becoming an important if not leading organizational form and this development seriously challenges their organizational capabilities. More specifically, over the last years, SMEs have commenced entering these kinds of arrangements. As the organizational capabilities of SMEs are limited at the outset, even more emphasis is needed regarding the issues of developing relevant organizational capabilities. This paper aims at investigating how capabilities evolve during an offshoring process of more than 5 years in two Danish SMEs, i.e. not only short- but long-term evolvements within the companies. We develop our framework of understanding organizational capabilities drawing on dynamic capability, relational capability and strategy as practice concepts, appreciating the performative aspects of developing new routines.Our two cases are taken from one author’s Ph.D. study on SME offshoring. The case study takes its point of departure in the initial event of manufacturing routines being offshored. This meant that previous collocated capabilities partly lost their value and relevance, and new capabilities had to be built. From there the cases have followed distinctive trajectories and the companies have changed their routines for handling knowledge between the new entities dispersed in space and time. Specifically the use of key boundary spanners as routine translators and implementers emerged as a key capability in the two case companies.Further routines were reallocated over time thereby creating a growing need for new capabilities and transformed knowledge handling routines. IT emerged into an important resource to support more complex routines of product development as well as specific management and HRM processes assisting the transformation of the organizational capabilities of the SMEs.
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18.
  • Kerr, D., et al. (författare)
  • A creative and useful tension? Large companies using “bring your own device”
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg. - 1868-4238 .- 1868-422X. - 9783662434581 ; 429, s. 166-178
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • This paper looks at processes of embedding of computer systems in four organisational case studies in three different countries. A selective literature study of implementation of computer systems leads the authors to suggest that seen from a top down managerial perspective employees may be assumed to accept and use new computer systems, for example an ERP system but what happens deep down in the organisation are a reshaping, domestication or appropriation of the software for example through developing workarounds. The authors further suggest that traditional implementation models may incorrectly assume that the computer systems has been embedded in the organisation because things appear to be running smoothly when in fact software and/or processes have been reshaped by employees to suit their local needs. These social shapings appear to be done for a multitude of reasons. However, from the qualitative case studies it appears that most workarounds are done to make work easier and/or to overcome perceived inflexibilities in existing enterprise mandated systems. The ubiquitous access to cloud technologies and an increasing workforce of tech savy “digital natives” using their own devices (BYOD) has exacerbated the situation. © IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2014.
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19.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958 (författare)
  • 2. Improving Health and Safety through Interventions in Safety Cultures
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: Proceedings CIB W099 International Health and Safety Conference - Achieving Sustainable Construction Health and Safety. ; , s. 107-117
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Changing safety cultures are regarded either as an accepted routine, a controversial effort or even an impossible approach by the different positions of scholars of safety culture. It thus remains disputed whether it is possible to purposely change safety cultures. The paper aims at critically evaluating two interventions designed to change safety cultures in the Danish Building industry targeting improvement of the health and safety. Using a symbolic interactionism analysis of safety cultures as a common point of departure, the designed intervention methods encompass elements such as using work place assessment and commonly developed guidelines to change the shared meaning of risk, of accidents and possible prevention. The methods employed to map the safety culture encompass ethnography, interviews, and documents analysis, and for the intervention action research. Strength and weaknesses of the applied methods is discussed including the multiple roles of the researchers. The paper describes and analyses first one designed intervention method used at three enterprises whereof excerpts from two are presented, and then discuss the experiences and effects juxtaposing the first evaluated method with another with a similar design. The initial analysis of the safety cultures in the selected case shows a configuration of multiple safety cultures differing over issues such as risk perception, and the stakes of prevention. The cultures stretch across sites, crews, contractors headquarter and the educational institutions. The effects of the interventions are evaluated, and the paper also raises issue with the limitations of measurability of safety culture change and improvement.
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20.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Belt, Braces and more -overlapping emerging proto-institutions in the field of sustainable buildings
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: European Group of Organization Studies, EGOS 2014 Rotterdam.
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The purpose of this paper is to investigate the apparent competition between various proto- institutions in the case of the development of sustainable buildings in Denmark. It focuses first on the institutional complexity involving multiple actors and leading to institutional change and secondly on the role of associations in this particular context. It is contended that institutions coexist both as stabilized constellations and as institutions in the making, during processes of institutional change. Concepts for the understanding of the relations between institutions encompass peaceful coexistence, competition and conflict/contradiction. Moreover institutionalisation in a field can involve a range of devices, resources and actors single or collective such as associations. Associations can both contribute to maintenance and well as changing constellations of institutions.
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21.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Beyond the Design Fix - New Industrialisation in Contractor’s Supplier Relationships
  • 2010
  • Ingår i: Proceedings of CIB 2010 World Congress, 10-13 May 2010, Salford Quays, UK.
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • In striving for increased efficiency in service delivery the AEC-sector is currently attempting to introduce industrialisation, mainly in the form of design and production concepts such as mass configurated “systems” such as bungalows. There is thus a tendency to focus steps in direction of “new industrialisation” at design efforts for limited areas of mainstream construction. Mainstream construction seem however to move a lot slower in this direction, having to appreciate the complexity of the delivery and only using sub-systems deliveries in restricted areas. This paper therefore aims at analysing the needed transformation of supply deliveries, when attempting gradually to move in a systems delivery direction. Theoretically the paper is based on a multidisciplinary approach understanding supply relations, purchasing and management as negotiated and emergent. Based on a four country study funded by the Erabuild program, this paper presents 3 cases of long term transformation of contractor- supplier relations as general contractors outsource and commence professionalising purchasing moving it from project purchasing into strategic purchasing. It is suggested that “new industrialisation” is a long term transformation rather than a quick design fix, appreciating the vulnerabilities of delivery relations and coordination issues. Especially using defects and quality issues as “litmus” for the well functioning of the supply chain. Implications for future relationship management and supplier transformation is given.
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22.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Changing institutions of knowing - Climate mitigation, craft competences and vocational training in Denmark
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: 30th Annual Association of Researchers in Construction Management Conference, ARCOM 2014; Portsmouth; United Kingdom; 1 September 2014 through 3 September 2014. - 9780955239083
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • In order to reach the EU 2020 goals for the climate, Danish vocational training units are currently in a process of institutional change triggered by the need of providing energy, and new process competences for the skilled and semiskilled workforce active in construction. The aim of the present paper is to analyze enablers and barriers for this institutional change. The vocational education system in Denmark is strongly institutionalised with unions, employer's associations and the schools in central roles. Drawing on institutional theory contributions on labour market -, educational - and professional institutions, the paper presents a study of institutional work inside and across schools and craft disciplines working in SMEs involved in new building and renovation with an energy aspect. Collaboration between four education committees for carpenters, masons, electricians and plumbers and interviews with seven companies come to focus on competences of interdisciplinary collaboration and sustainable innovation in SME. The anticipation of future building regulation of 2015 and 2020 creates an institutional pressure in education for change including handling differentiated demands of customers and contractors, not always just following regulation but occasionally ahead of it. At a time this needs to be balanced with customer needs with a comfort orientation and issues of cost and financing. The committees act in a contradictory, sometimes conservative manner in this change of institutions of knowing. In the future specialization will be supplemented by horizontal and vertical interdisciplinary and innovative competences integrating the complex process industrialized construction sector. Schools, teachers and digital teaching materials need be developed to support this change supported by front running companies and results from innovative building projects. The education committees in Denmark can have a leading role in this development and set high and motivational standards for the improvements. The analysis sees however a lot more barriers than enablers.
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23.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Cleantech Niche Development– A Small Business Perspective on Climate Change
  • 2012
  • Ingår i: International Journal of Global Warming. - 1758-2083 .- 1758-2091. ; 4:3-4, s. 365-382
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The mitigation of climate change enables and requires a number ofnew companies and businesses to emerge. This paper investigates what it takesfor a niche company in these emerging cleantech businesses to be able to act andgrow using transition theory. A company that manages to perform successfulCleantech Niche Development (CND) will be able to have an environmentally andfi nancially sustainable business, enabling it to compete against companies from thedominant fossil fuel regime. By combining theory and empirical material gatheredthrough interviews and desk research, CND is found to be distinctive in fi verespects: marketing, political and government aspects, networking, strategisingand social relations. Cleantech leaders should master acting in a world of chaosupon the paradoxical and complex surroundings, while creating meaning for theircolleagues and business network.
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24.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Computerized Information Standards Enabling Innovation in Public Procurement of Buildings
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics). - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 1611-3349 .- 0302-9743. - 9783319077314 ; 8521:PART 1, s. 373-383
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Computerized and standardized information enables innovation in processes, products and services. Where early research on the impact of standards tended to focus on barriers, more recent research advocates standardisation as enabler of innovation albeit in a stakeholder-oriented, flexible manner. This paper asks whether computerized information standards enable or constrain innovation in public procurement of buildings. In architectural and engineering design of public buildings handling of information involves interoperability problems that hamper innovation. Moreover the project based product development tends be done in constellations of firms in interorganisational contracting, which do not provide stability or room for innovation. A large hospital project was investigated through interviews, documents and observations. The effects of implementing building information standards are both inter- and intraorganisational. The building client claims to have saved money, through better structured building component data that gave considerable positive effects during tendering. The IT-suppliers develop IT-tools, preparing for new markets.
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25.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958 (författare)
  • Contested overruns and performance of offshore wind power plants
  • 2012
  • Ingår i: Construction Management and Economics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1466-433X .- 0144-6193. ; 30:8, s. 609- 622
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Offshore wind power plants are expected to expand rapidly in the coming years. These large engineeringconstruction projects are important for climate change mitigation. The paper contributes to socio-technicalunderstanding of engineering construction. Cost, time, delays and performance results of selected Britishplants are investigated, with a focus on strategic misrepresentation. This megaproject concept is combinedwith a socio-technical content analysis of offshore wind farms and provides a technologically precise andcontemporary conceptualization in comparison with complex engineering and megaproject approaches.Based on publicly available data, budget and time overruns and underperformance are demonstrated. Budgetoverruns range from 0% to 65%; time overruns from 9% to 100%. Operational performance indicatorsreveal plants far below and just below estimations. These are all indications of strategic misrepresentation,but according to project players, the delays originate from weather, product technology, site features andprocesses. The findings thus indicate a latent controversy regarding reasons for overruns. A socio-technicalvariant of reference class forecasting (RCF) is developed to explore whether RCF could improve the estimates.Socio-technical RCF is developed for 10 plants that share foundation, national and geotechnical conditions.This provides an illustrative example of a proposed uplift for London Array. Such an RCF shouldbe orchestrated with more governance mechanisms in order to improve future investments in engineeringconstruction, including offshore plants.
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26.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Convenience renovation and non-transition- contractor SMEs operating in the detached housing market.
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: Proceedings 5th International Conference on Sustainability Transitions.
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Single houses built in Sweden before 1980 are in need of renovation to meet the 2020 standards for energy performance as a large majority is still warmed with electricity, insufficiently insulated and exhibit poor energy efficiency. Such small scale renovations have traditionally been the market of small and medium sized contractors (SME’s) interacting directly with the house owners. The main purposes of this contribution are therefore to investigate how renovation of single family houses occurs when in interaction with craftsman SMEs and secondly to envisage activities in small craftsman organisations under transformation towards delivering sustainable buildings. A selective literature review of activities in SMEs facing sustainable housing transition is carried out. Case studies of small craftsman companies; including carpenters, electricians, and plumbers and their customer relations are ongoing. This paper presents a study of three craftsmen contractors and their interaction with potential customers, owners of single family houses. Through interviewing, participant observation, and shadowing the sales processes and negotiations are followed. Theoretically the study draws on Goffman´s concepts of performance, staging and encounters.The result shows that occasions for sustainable renovation are staged and “inter-acted” into convenience renovation, renovation of selected elements of the house and in support of aesthetic and or functional needs of the house owner. Main activities envisaged for transitional activities are strategizing, networking, exercising politics and doing marketing. Transition can for example be exercised from the network of the SMEs.
  •  
27.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Doing Systems Development – A Pragmatist Take on the Learning of Engineers
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: IRIS Selected Papers of the Information Systems Research Seminar in Scandinavia. - 2387-3353. ; 2014:5, s. 1-15
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Systems development of wind turbine control is competitive with respect to innovation, time and cost. So how can learning possibly occur under such circumstances? Dewey’s pragmatist approach to learning is adopted, emphasising reciprocity between the systems developer’s individual experience and the sociotechnical practice. The framework involves the concepts of sociotechnical practice, anchoring of indeterminate situation, and strip of doings towards determinate situation. An ethnographic study was made of four cases of systems development and learning do occur in the cases, enabled by converging anchoring of the indeterminate situation and the systems developers different experience. However, an extreme case reveals initiated learning processes and that the interchanges between materiality of the artefacts and systems developers block the learning processes due to a customer with imprecise demands and unclear system specifications. The specific contribution of the paper is the understanding of the individual systems developer’s learning, complemented with the possibility for collective learning and the mechanisms of blocked or derailed learning processes. The practical implications are that managers of systems development should ensure that constitutive means are present, and specifications, are sufficiently obdurate. Too ductile means, such as customers with unclear demands, can block or derail learning processes
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28.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Feral systems and enterprise resource planning systems: content and dynamics.
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: Feral Information Systems Development: Managerial Implications. - : IGI Global. ; , s. 68-89
  • Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems continue, even in 2013, to be an important change agenda in business. With a long-term development spanning 15 years, ERP systems have changed profoundly and diversified into a number of businesses. Yet this chapter is initially addressing two major issues left aside in the Information Systems (IS) research on ERP: the technological content and the time dynamics. Using two different small reviews of journal articles from IS journals in 2004 and 2010, it is shown how IS research on ERP delivers strong insight into social processes and conditions around ERP, including forms of employee response to the mandated software routines, but largely disregards the content development of the ERP technology, delivering research where it appears to be enough to characterize the technology through the mere term “ERP”. This means that ERP research is disregarding the profound technology changes and their impact on the challenges for employees, when implementing and operating ERP. Actors within organizations are in fact attempting to cope with these profound technology changes and the business challenges associated with ERP implementations by finding ways to fit their practices into these large integrated systems, and one strategy is developing their own (feral) systems . This development could be due to a multitude of factors, including the level of managerial competence, a lack of contextual understanding of the functions of the existing ERP system and a mistrust of the system. We contend that context and the ideals of ERP systems are often providing rapid and profound changes that many find hard to cope with, and this could be due to a lack of understanding of the content (i.e. software functions, procedures and architecture) of the ERP system. In this chapter we contend that it could be this lack of understanding of the content of the ERP and employee work requirements that could lead to the development of feral information systems. The chapter concludes with a call for more training and education for all employees in the content of the ERP and a need to build more contextual research in the study of ERP.
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29.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958 (författare)
  • From crew to country? Local and national construction safety cultures in Denmark
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: Construction Management and Economics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1466-433X .- 0144-6193. ; 31:6, s. 691-703
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Accidents in construction have evoked over time a range of prevention methods and efforts. This paper adds to the growing body of qualitative studies of safety culture, appreciating that also in construction, the cultural explanations are of crucial importance. It is suggested to use a combined theoretical and ethnographic framework involving the integration, differentiation, ambiguity and multiple configuration elements of safety cultures. The primary case analyzed is a carpenter’s crew of 28 men doing renovation work, who belong to a firm with 100 em-ployees. The analysis finds an overarching common integrative culture of pride of work, which overlaps with differentiation of four cultures: ”mastering”, ”framework and rules”, ”drawing board and plan” and ”ties that bind”. And finally, it finds ambiguous perceptions of possibilities for prevention and risk, which differ according to time, place and actor. Second juxtaposing the cultures found in four other ethnographic studies carried out in Denmark ena-bles reflection over possible grander cultures in play. Although these studies find 25 different safety cultures, a national pattern seems to be prevalent of a constellation of reactive and pro-active safety cultures.
  •  
30.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Information Standards Enabling or Constraining Innovative Hospital Facilities? -A Scandinavian Case
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing. - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 1865-1356 .- 1865-1348. ; 194, s. 347-361
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The losses from suboptimal interoperability in IT supported design, production, and operation of health care facilities are tantamount. In these years new built of hospitals in Scandinavia could be realized in a more efficient and innovative way if using information standards. This paper inquires into whether computerized information standards enable or constrain innovation in public procurement of buildings. In architectural and engineering design of public buildings the project based product development tends be done in constellations of firms in interorganisational contracting, which do not provide stability or room for innovation. A large hospital project was investigated through interviews, documents and observations. The effects of implementing building information standards are both inter- and intraorganisational. The building client claims to have saved money, through better structured building component data that gave considerable positive effects during tendering. The IT-suppliers develop IT-tools, and the AEC companies can commence develop services preparing for new markets.
  •  
31.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • ”Integrated Design Process” a concept for Green Energy Engineering
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: Engineering. - : Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.. - 1947-3931 .- 1947-394X. ; 5:3, s. 292-298
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Consulting Engineers and Architects are currently experimenting with the concept of “Integrated Design Process” (IDP). This paper views Integrated Design Process as a process tool and a concept for management and organization of the green energy engineering process. Moreover such a concept is understood both as systematic knowledge and a symbolic device for enabling change. The paper briefly review international variants, and focus on two variants present in Den-mark: an architect and engineering variant of IDP. The differences between the concepts include different roles for main actors, the use of information technology, the relation to lean, and forms of collaboration. The paper discusses two building projects focusing on teams of engineers and architects in the early conceptual phase. One develops a solution focused on energy saving technologies, the other on energy producing. It is argued that in this practical context, IDP is viewed as ambiguous and not well defined, and the architects and engineer work hard understanding and using the con-cepts even when directly involved. It is difficult to reach consensus on how to do it. The various players agree that an increased interdisciplinary interaction in the design team is necessary in order to comply with the increased complexity of green energy building design. IDP shows potential as a driver for green energy engineering and technologies, as tra-ditional roles and responsibilities in the design process is changed, and sustainable solutions for green buildings can reach a higher standard and quality and are integrated earlier in the design process.
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32.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Learning from demonstration? Developing construction for sustainability
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: Open Construction and Building Technology Journal. - : Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.. - 1874-8368. ; 8:1, s. 9-17
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Demonstration projects are often used in the building sector to provide a basis for using new processes and/or products. The climate change agenda implies that construction is not only required to deliver value for the customer, cost reductions and efficiency but also sustainable buildings. This paper reports on an early demonstration project, the building of a passive house dormitory in the Central Region of Denmark in 2006-2009. The project was supposed to deliver value, lean design, prefabrication, quality in sustainability, certification according to German standards for passive houses, and micro combined heat and power using hydrogen. Using sociological and business economic theories of innovation, the paper discusses how early movers of innovation tend to obtain only partial success when demonstrating their products and often feel obstructed by minor details. The empirical work encompasses both an evaluation of the design and construction process as well as a post-occupancy evaluation. Process experiences include the use of a multidisciplinary competence group and performance measurement. The commencement of the project was enthusiastic, but it was forced into more traditional forms of control, driven by such challenges as complying with cost goals, the need to choose a German prefab supplier, and local contractors. Energy calculations, indoor climate, issues related to square meter requirements, and the hydrogen element became problematic. The aim to obtain passive house certification prevailed over realizing a good indoor climate, which included sufficient heating. Project management must be able to handle quantitative complexity where simple issues add up to major challenges. © Koch and Bertelsen; Licensee Bentham Open.
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33.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958 (författare)
  • Let’s see the bones – Interoperability and Information Instructure at display
  • 2012
  • Ingår i: Workshop on Innovation in Information Infrastructures (III 2012).October 9-11, 2012, Edinburgh. ; , s. 9-
  • Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • Classification of building information is viewed as a key enabler for interoperability and a common information infrastructure in construction.This paper develops a conceptual frame understanding information infrastructure as a community and carrying out a longitudinal case study of a particular sociomaterial community. The method is composite and involves two intensive longitudinal studies and an orchestrated set of data collection.The theoretical frame developed proposes to extend the sociomaterial approach into a heterogeneous sociomaterial community approach contextualized in construction in Denmark. This community carries out three attempts to establish standards for interoperability, in the form of classification of a building information model. The first two attempts fail exhibiting a series of socio material breakdowns and conflicts. The technical approaches to classification organize/ are organized by social players and also involve positioning an industry association, “Building, Information technology, Productivity and Collaboration”, BIPS, in a central role. This institutionalization process also involves a stabilization of small core group with traits similar to elite.
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34.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Multiple dynamics of sustainable housing concepts in Denmark – on the role of passive houses
  • 2012
  • Ingår i: International Conference on Sustainable Transitions, IST 2012, Track E Theory Development and Critical Perspectives. ; :Volume E, s. 283-307
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The multilevel perspective of Geels (2005, 2011) outlines a number of dynamics of transition, yet after establishing pluralism what really remains from the analysis is a two sided competition between an existing regime and an upcoming technological niche.Critically using Geels’ conceptualization of a world of dynamics, the paper reviews institutional theory and actor network approaches to transition in an attempt to better account for contemporary developments, encompassing EU and governmental reforms and their role in transition in the building sector as well as multiple competing concepts. Referring to multiparadigmatic approaches (Goia & Pitre 1990) we argue that the combination of institutionalist and actor network theory can bring a fruitful understanding of this process. We use institutional theory to address emerging multiple competing institutions (Thornton et al 2012), and actor network to understand the heterogenous actor dynamics (Latour 2005, Pipan &Czarniawska 2010). The emergence of ‘passive houses’ in Denmark is used as a case of transition dynamics. The concept was developed in Germany and imported into Denmark. In Geels’ vocabulary it constitutes a technological niche, encompassing technologies, players, improvisation and early customers. Passive houses as future institutions have entered into fierce competition with other future institutions such as LEED, DGNB/green building council and active houses. Passive Houses was at the outset a well-developed upcoming institution with its own design principles, - software, certification and numerous material realizations, e.g. reference buildings, strong enough to be a challenger institution. Passive houses are promoted by a characteristic alliance of architects, consulting engineers, a few clients, and an architect school, whereas the other concepts exhibit their specific actor alliances. Yet passive houses experience barriers such as the reputation of being expensive and non-user friendly and are currently surpassed by the other concepts.
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35.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Projecting an Infrastructure - Shaping a community
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: Proceedings EPOC 2013 Conference.
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The classification of building information is often seen as a key enabler for interoperability and a common information infrastructure in the sector. This paper studies how a community develops an infrastructure using standards and classification. It takes issue with inclusion/exclusion of actors and analyzes relations between the technical and the social. The paper draws on a longitudinal case study of three attempts to create a classification and standards for interoperability of building information within a particular socio-material community – the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) community in Denmark. This involved examining the interdependencies between human and material elements in the two failed attempts – embodied in a series of socio-material ruptures and conflicts – along with the third, ongoing attempt of designing a standard for building information classification, property data, information levels and metrics. Our analysis shows the crucial role played by the technical approaches to classification in mobilising support and excluding social players in the endeavour to develop this information infrastructure. The contribution of this paper lies in extending our understanding of information infrastructure as a socio-material community.
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36.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Proto institutions in Sustainable Buildings
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: Proceedings International Conference on Sustainable Transition.
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The building community is currently undergoing a transformation towards low carbon buildings; this process involves a range of dynamics: Social, cultural, political and regulatory. To analyse this process we use mainly institutional theory as approach to sustainable transition in an attempt to account for contemporary developments, encompassing multiple competing concepts and EU reforms. This theory enables us to address emerging institutions and proto-institutions of sustainable building.. In addition, we draw on political process theory To explain the agency dynamics involving coalitions, alliances in and around the proto-institutions. The development of sustainable building in Denmark from 2001-2014 is used as a case of a building community dynamics, based on data gathered from desk study and interviews. More than ten concepts of sustainable building are involved. A previous consensus oriented dominant institution broke down around 2002. The normative concepts such as passive houses that then have emerged constitute alliances encompassing technologies, practices, norms and actors. The normative upcoming proto institutions have experienced barriers such as the reputation of being expensive and non-user friendly. This has counterbalanced the emerging legitimacy that for example passive houses draw on through established design principles, design software, certification and a portfolio of realized houses in other countries. Others, such as “energy class 1” are gaining momentum as anticipatory normative institutions and future EU-regulation. A possible future configuration in sustainable building appears to involve multiple institutions and protoinstitutions.
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37.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Scandinavian engineering consultants doing offshoring engineering – new forms of knowledge and service sourcing
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: Conference Proceedings 22nd Nordic Academy of Management Conference. - 2298-3112.
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Offshoring, a strategy of transferring activities across national borders, is becoming increasing attractive for engineering consulting firms operating in Europe. The consulting companies are knowledge based and continually struggle creating and maintaining knowledge intensive processes and organisations. They may experience lack of skilled personnel and or an increasing pressure on costs. Moreover countries like India offers highly qualified engineers at a relative low pay.The aim of this contribution is to investigate Scandinavian based consulting engineers’ experiences using offshoring. A host of possible organizational forms can be used to source knowledge globally. It can encompass a single project, but can be a profound collaboration and encompass a strategic transformation of the Scandinavian firm.Theoretically the paper builds on international business, knowledge intensive professional services and strategic management approaches. A literature study on offshoring in general and a compilation of studies of engineering offshoring shows that offshoring involve significant strategic choices beyond single project endeavours. The empirical method is combining desk research of the 30 largest consulting engineering companies in Denmark, Sweden and Norway with two case studies of a long term commitment and a project based. The firm strategies in using offshoring are differentiated; in house, outsource, offshore, and captive local investment. Even within the project frame, trust, communication and proper (soft) management are important and in the project studied the communication is hampered and extra resources used for basic knowledge accumulation, such as knowledge related to the building code used in Sweden. The company with long term commitment on the other hand have modified its overall strategy to incorporate a ever increasing element of offshoring in their business.The results thus show that a transactional approach to the collaboration is insufficient and that the offshoring firm can be seriously challenged in its strategy when trying to enable knowledge integration.
  •  
38.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • SMEs De- or Re-Organising knowledge when outsourcing?
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: The Offshoring Challenge: Strategic Design and Innovation for Tomorrow’s Organization. - London : Springer London. ; , s. 141-153
  • Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • A growing number of Danish manufacturing companies feel compelled to offshore greater or smaller parts of their organisation. Drawing on organisational theory and, the concept of knowledge governance, this paper examines two SMEs in the textile and the furniture sector, highlighting the knowledge-management intersection. The two case studies show one SME reorganising its processes and integrating knowledge through a mainly captive knowledge governance set-up; the other deorganises, disintegrates and, to a certain extent, “compensates” with virtual organisational elements: exercising knowledge governance through IT systems as well as through the establishment of an offshored physical intermediary control element. Furthermore, both case companies work with so-called soft knowledge governance approaches, in one case through the introduction of CSR in the new captive setup, and in the other case through the specific selection of new suppliers and their capability/competence building over time. Organisation design approaches would focus on the initial diagnosis, choice and implementation of a “new” organisation. However, the organisations studied, experience emergent organisational design elements over time. Furthermore, they are involved in dynamically tackling the learning of the organisational players as well as the dynamics of their relationships with cooperating partners regarding maintaining and developing their innovation capability. To manage these challenges, both case companies choose to revisit the organisational design elements and reconfigure their organisational design set-up, indicating a need to reinstate the classic design components along with a more dynamic perspective.
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39.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Strategic Management Competences in Scandinavian Contractors
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: Proceedings of the 29th Annual Conference. Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM).. - 9780955239076 ; , s. 645-654
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Over the past ten years, a series of contractors operating in Denmark, Norway and Sweden have slowly but surely expanded their markets beyond their previous single-country base towards operating in Scandinavia as a whole, and beyond. This expansion has been accompanied by a restructuring of company organisations and associated processes of competency development in senior management. This paper asks the question: How well is top level management prepared to manage and lead these large companies? The paper adopts a multidisciplinary theoretical approach combining international business, strategic management and HR concepts and approaches. Methodologically, a sample of the top level leaders of the hundred largest business units at some thirty Scandinavian contractors has been analysed. The focus is on the 400 top level managers in these organisations. On the basis of a desk study, an analysis of 124 managers from 18 companies has been carried out, providing insight into the basic education and mixing of competences in the top-level boards. More specifically, the areas of operations strategy and IT have been reviewed. The results show that even if the board is mainly composed of engineering competencies, business, legal and HR competencies are also present. Both engineer-dominated and mixed management boards are heading companies which show growth in turnover. This runs counter to a widespread sector perception that management boards in the construction industry are mainly composed of engineers. However, it seems that the managers with business administration competencies are rarely those with responsibility for the central tasks of leadership and strategy. Moreover, very few companies prioritize operations strategy and IT. It is assumed that everybody knows about practical building projects, and therefore that operations strategy will develop naturally. The IT area is viewed as best placed at a lower level of organisation, counter to IT governance and management prescriptions.
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40.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Strategic Sourcing Development–Emerging Resource Combination and Knowledge Interaction
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: The IMP Journal. - 0809-7259. ; 7:1, s. 12-23
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • This paper contributes to the understanding of strategic sourcing through resource combination, with focus on knowledge interactions. The IMP approach, and especially the resource combination framework, views knowledge interaction as embedded in business relationships. Knowledge is understood as having soft and hard aspects and involving both inter- and intra-organizational interactions, as well as emergent physical and organizational resource combinations, such as IT systems, aimed at enabling virtual organizing, and humans acting as boundary spanners.Two case studies of enterprise journeys are conducted. Especially the last five years both companies experience change in the resource combination, first the physical and then the organizational, adjusting the mechanisms to improve knowledge interaction and competence within their value chain and inter- and intra-organizational processes.One SME, re-organizes its processes and integrates knowledge through a specific resource and knowledge interaction setup and breaks out of the SME category; the other, medium sized, de-organizes into an SME and does some resource combination through virtual organizational elements, emphasizing virtual knowledge interaction through IT systems and through the concentration of offshored activities using physical, intermediary control elements. As resource combination and knowledge interaction becomes more complex, the companies shift from more loose relationships to tighter subsidiary types.
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41.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Taking Engineering Services Offshore - The Scandinavian Experience
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: Wu X, Shi Y, Du J and Guo B (Eds) “High Performance Manufacturing - Global Perspective”, Proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium on Global Manufacturing and China, Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, UK.. - 9781902546186 ; , s. 155-159
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • “Offshoring” has become increasing attractive for European engineering consulting firms, either through the use of external resources (outsourcing) or by relocating internal activities (the captive arrangement of foreign direct investment). Consulting companies may experience lack of skilled personnel and or an increasing pressure on costs. Moreover countries like China and India provide highly qualified engineers at a relative low level of remuneration compared with their Western counterparts. The aim of this paper is to investigate the experiences of Scandinavian based consulting engineers concerning offshoring, which often begins with a single project, but early positive results and the production flexibility of many developing countries can quickly lead to a more profound collaboration and even to a strategic transformation of the Scandinavian firm. For its theoretical foundations the paper builds on international business and strategic management approaches. The empirical research uses desk research investigations of companies in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. An exploratory study focuses on a single case supplemented with a preliminary evaluation of the 30 largest consulting engineering companies in Scandinavia.
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42.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Taking issue with social sustainability in Urban Transition
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Sustainability Transitions. ; , s. 665-682
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • The politics of urban sustainable transition is becoming increasingly complex as many cities find themselves articulating the tripod of economic, environmental and social sustainability yet a time are unable to tackle an increasing segregation and deeper social gaps leading to outburst of violence and continual unrest underlining that focusing on energy renovation will not suffice.This status leads the present paper to ask for new possibly innovative approaches to urban transition. It is suggested including young citizens experiences in the landscape of interests necessary to provide the governance. The paper analyzes the lived and narrated experiences of three persons, teenagers of the built environment of deprived suburbs of Swedish cities and towns, using two novels and a biography. They tell us about experiencing if not poverty then serious lack of resources, a feeling of being in the periphery vis a vis the center of town, a series of violent experiences of drug addicts, physical violence also in their families and a feeling of displacement from one’s origin. But also strong feeling of identity being with friends of the same age.The implications for urban transition are to use a more sensitive and long term set up for developing neighborhoods in a social sustainable direction. It will require a broad social alliance to bridge political and sectorial fragmentation and downplay short term goals.
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43.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • Tête à tête? Nearshoring in Europe of Consulting Engineering
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: Hosni Y (Ed) “Science, Technology and Innovation in the Age of Economic, Political and Security Issues”, Proceedings of 23rd International Conference of the International Association for Management of Technology, IAMOT, Miami FL, USA.. ; , s. paper 1569866407-
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Global sourcing of engineering is becoming a more common way to increase a company’s competitiveness and includes the nearshoring and offshoring strategies of relocating engineering services and activities across national borders.. The driving force of why nearshoring and offshoring can often lead to competitive advantage is the combination of cost reduction and the opportunity of exploiting competent resources. Several emerging countries in Europe offer high quality engineering at a lower cost than the Scandinavian market. These countries are located within an acceptable travel distance from Scandinavia and due to similar standards and eurocodes the differences between countries’ engineering procedures have decreased. The aim of this contribution is, first, to investigate a Scandinavian based consulting engineering company’s experiences using nearshoring and, second, why standards and eurocodes can open the European engineering market and consequently how consultancy companies within engineering in Scandinavia can take advantage. This paper is based on international business theories regarding strategies and incentives with global sourcing, nearshoring and offshoring. The empirical research is built on a case study where interviews have been conducted with engineering consultants working in different locations. The case study is a nearshored large infrastructure project and involves collaboration between two companies with multiple locations. Engineers working in the project are distributed geographically in several European countries. The case firm strategy followed is multiple: sourcing of engineering services is done in-house, outsourced, offshored, using competing companies and using captive local investment. Even within the project frame, trust, communication and proper (soft) management are important. The results show that a transactional approach to collaboration is insufficient and that the nearshoring firm can be seriously challenged in its strategy when trying to enable knowledge integration. Standardisation through eurocodes lowers thebarriers for the cross national collaboration, even if concepts such as functional roads are still interpreted indifferent ways.
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44.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • The deflation of a management concept soufflé? – the emergence of new consultancy roles in Danish Public Private Partnerships
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: 28th Egos Colloquium, Montreal, Sub-theme 33 Management occupations: Exploring boundaries and knowledge flows.
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Public Private Partnerships (PPP) is part of a new public management agenda. They recast the roles, tasks and responsibilities of public organisations. And open for private players, not only delivering (outsourced) services, but also consulting on the establishment of PPP.The aim of this paper is to discuss and analyse how PPP, through changing roles of the involved actors blurs the boundaries between private and public occupations, and whether consulting develop new occupations, activities and/or competences. The method uses a palette of data collection and field studies of the Danish development of PPP, including interviews of five experienced PPP consultants. The analysis revolves around six selected “tools” used in the PPP process and shows that several forms of consulting and new competences of consulting do emerge. This occurs as PPP is entering an institutionalisation process, for example when the state makes it obligatory to do feasibility studies. However only in a small sample, buildings are delivered following the PPP-model, whereas the vast majority of public building projects since 2004 have commenced without employing the PPP framework. The institutional process is thus rather partial, which impacts directly on the volume of new consultancy. Moreover existing public roles changes only slightly in the procurement process; financing and facilities management is taken over by private players in only a few realised projects. There is a tendency that engineering consultancy loses terrain, but the existing roles for management consulting, other consulting and building companies have been maintained to a high degree, also as a result of consultancy companies maintaining the boundaries between types of consultancy. Thus what appears to have been envisaged by the state reformers and management consultants as a major reform turns out to be a limited practice as the soufflé deflates.
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45.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958, et al. (författare)
  • The life and death of a sustainable housing concept? The trajectory of passive houses in Denmark as part of the zero carbon transition
  • 2012
  • Ingår i: Proceedings CIB conference Management of Construction: Research to Practice (26 – 29 June 2012), Montreal. ; , s. 13-
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • This paper makes an exploratory analysis of the diffusion of passive houses in Denmark using transition theory. Strategic niche management and technological innovation system approaches are combined to provide a framework that allows for multiple dynamics i.e. social forces enabling or constraining changes, especially niche developments and the role of legitimacy. The passive house niche analysis shows a slow process, barriers of cost and technology and limited adoption in Denmark; roughly 18 projects over the last six years, and a slow descent over 2011-2012. The concept has early moral legitimacy, but the further development of legitimacy fails as costs and indoor climate makes the cognitive legitimacy contested. The passive house concept competes with other sustainable building niches, they are all small and they appear to have been introduced successively over time. Finally there are a tendency of segmentation of villas, small buildings and office buildings respectively. Sustainable building exhibits a particularly active role for government policymaking, or in transition theory terms “regime internal” dynamics. These combined dynamics between sustainable housing niches, the regime internal dynamic and globalisation as well as EU-regulation are counter to transition theory assumptions dominated by the EU- initiatives. The analysis moreover leads to the view that sustainable housing concepts are only viable in time windows, and that the contribution of the passive house trajectory was a stepping stone towards low carbon housing.Keywords:
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46.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958 (författare)
  • The More the Better? Investigating cost, time and operational performance of the Danish and Swedish offshore wind farm cluster
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction. - 1366-4387 .- 1759-8443. ; 19:1, s. 24-37
  • Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Purpose: To develop a combined social constructivist, internal and external conceptualisation of the process of realising offshore wind farms, and to investigate costs, time, delays and operational performance results of offshore wind farm power plant projects in Denmark and Sweden with a view to possible strategic misrepresentation.Design/methodology/approach: Desk study of a sample of seven Danish and Swedish offshore wind farms using triangulation of publicly available material.Findings: Some of the wind farm projects are successful and some less successful. In the latter group, budget and time overruns and under-performance are found. The paper discusses specific elements of possible strategic misrepresentation but finds a contradictory pattern. Also competences developed on the basis of experience do not produce clear results, since more recent wind farm performance is poorer than earlier.Research limitations/implications: If desk research were combined with other methods, it would be possible to detect projects’ internal phenomena better.Practical implications: There is a need to improve the efficiency of the wind farm building process and to improve the quality of offshore wind turbines, their foundations and cabling.Originality/value: Renewable energy power plants comprise an important societal investment, yet their costs and possible cost reductions are poorly understood
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47.
  • Koch, Christian, 1958 (författare)
  • When blues meets blue eyes. Danish Management, Technology and Work between Democracy and Globalisation
  • 2013
  • Ingår i: Northern Lights. Work Management and Welfare..
  • Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • This contribution argues that Scandinavian enterprises, societies and unions (“blue eyes”) have been inspired by, and responded to, new management theories, organisation and technological change developed in the USA (“the blues”), not just over the past twenty years, but continuously since the Second World War. As an overall observation, this mixing and balancing between blues and blue eyes has been successful in the sense that democratic values have prevailed and economic growth has been realised. Current developments are driven by globalised management concepts whose origins, and address, is less clear.
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48.
  • Torben, Tambo, et al. (författare)
  • Free and Open Source ERP - distinction, direction, co-existence and potentials
  • 2012
  • Ingår i: 2012 Rogerio Atem de Carvalho and Björn Johansson (eds) (2011): Free and Open Source Enterprise Resource Planning: Systems and Strategies. IGI Publishing, Hershey. ; , s. 84-101
  • Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
    • With the proliferation of commercial Packaged ERP (P-ERP) systems in today’s enterprises, manyreasons exist to look for alternatives in the quest for innovation, business development, cost, agility anddependency. P-ERP provides a solid and proven business support, an ecosystem of consultancies andintegrators, senior management having gained confidence over the last 20 years, and commerciallybased support and development. This leaves companies with still more expensive P-ERP costs, still lessflexibility, a still harder push to lose possibilities for differentiation, still more homogenised businessprocesses, and absence of flexibility to change suppliers and systems. FOS-ERP offers an answer tomost of these questions, but is facing issues in market penetration. In this chapter, barriers of FOS-ERPare reviewed; proposals are made on how to manage barriers. An approach managing co-existence ofP-ERP and FOS-ERP is suggested. Concluding, FOS-ERP is seen as a strong option for enterprises inthe future, but a clear understanding and distinction must be the offset, barriers needs to be managed,and optimal co-existence will in most cases be the realistic scenario.
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49.
  • Urup, Lea, 1981, et al. (författare)
  • Recasting coordination: A theoretical review in the context of design-build project organisations
  • 2014
  • Ingår i: 30th Annual Association of Researchers in Construction Management Conference, ARCOM 2014; Portsmouth; United Kingdom; 1 September 2014 through 3 September 2014. - 9780955239083 ; , s. 815-824
  • Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
    • Coordination, and the lack of it, is frequently ascribed as a key role in successful and less successful building processes. Over the last four decades, the understanding of coordination has shifted from emphasizing formal structures to emphasizing informal mechanisms. A review of four articles shows this development as well as how the formal and informal structures and mechanisms relate. The review is done from a perspective of a large design-build project in Denmark. The review indicates, that formal and informal coordination mechanisms alone are not sufficient to explain coordination in practice. The main coordination mechanisms discussed are mutual adjustment, direct supervision, standardization, relational coordination, adaptive capacity, and IT as a tool to accomplish task and impose a chronological rhythm and schedule on the work processes. From this point of departure a new set of coordination mechanisms for practice is developed rooted in current institutional theory. The mechanisms are internal building of an institution and external building of relationships between a number of institutions. The conclusion is that existing literature on coordination does not fully describe the complexity of coordination in an institutionalised design-build organisation and that a new set of coordination mechanisms rooted in institutional theory contributes to our understanding of complex coordination.
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