Is technology a new challenge for the field of construction management?

The central theme in Construction Management (CM) and CM research is improving\ud the performance of construction industry. Much effort and thought is given to improving\ud project performance. Within CM there is a natural inclination to focus on projects\ud and project management (PM). Companies in the construction industry also see project\ud management as their key competence. Both have little appreciation for technologies\ud other than those that support project management tasks. Technology – other than\ud PM support – is often seen as an outside resource that is "contracted in". By taking\ud such a neutral position regarding technology, CM and construction companies not\ud only disregard the potential of these technologies, but also fail to notice the adverse\ud effects when new technologies are "contracted in". This paper argues that CM as well\ud as companies in construction can gain by reconsidering their stance towards technology.\ud This argument is built on the case of road construction – in particular the asphalt\ud paving process. The case shows that development of the new technologies and the development\ud of the skills and operational practice of the people that are expected to use\ud the technologies are not in harmony. Projections for the upcoming decade indicate a\ud sharp rise and proliferation of SMART technologies – this too for the construction industry.\ud Construction companies need to take a more proactive and involved stance\ud towards these technologies to be able to reap the benefits. If not, then the gap between\ud technologies and construction will grow and the risks for the companies increase with\ud it. CM and CM research needs to address this gap, support the introduction of new\ud technologies and the synchronisation of new technology development and the development\ud of skills and working. If it fails to do so CM and CM research will struggle to\ud maintain its meaningful contribution in the improvement of the construction industry

Cie Vos kan de problemen niet oplossen, maar kan wel een aanzet geven tot hervorming

Vandaag begint de parlementaire enquête naar de onregelmatigheden in de bouw met openbare verhoren. Wat mogen we daarvan verwachten? Krijgt de enquête commissie boven tafel dat de bouw structureel in de fout gaat, of zal zij blijven steken in twistgesprekken over incidenten? Tot voor kort was ik daarover sceptisch. Het beperkte politieke prestige van de enquête, de onduidelijke slagkracht van de commissie, en het probleem nieuwe feiten te vinden, werken niet in het voordeel van het onderzoek. De gang van zaken en uitkomsten bij andere enquêtes heeft cynisme gezaaid

An evaluation of performance information procurement system (PIPS)

Since procurement is seen as crucial for project success, many\ud methods have been developed and papers written about this issue. A remarkable\ud contribution in this field comes from Dean Kashiwagi (Arizona State University,\ud USA) who underpins his support for the Performance Information Procurement\ud System (PiPS) with claims of high project performance and client satisfaction.\ud Kashiwagi’s explanation for PiPS’s effects is based upon a theoretical\ud framework that relates to staff members’ ability to deal appropriately with\ud information by making sound decisions based not just on implicit expectation\ud and tacit experience. This is not, however, a satisfactory explanation. This paper\ud provides an overview of New Institutional Economics perspectives which are\ud better able to explain the effects of PiPS. The linking of these theories to\ud innovative PiPS elements clears the path to effectively select and apply PiPS\ud elements within suitable projects in the Dutch construction industry. This will\ud enhance industry performance and is of interest to all stakeholders

Hot mix asphalt - the "Paving under sub-zero temperatures" experience

Rijkswaterstaat’s recent “Asfalteren onder het vriespunt (Paving under sub-zero\ud temperatures)” provided an interesting research opportunity for the Asphalt Paving Research and Innovation (ASPARi) unit. The participating contractors both chose to adopt ASPARi’s Process Quality improvement (PQi) methodology to monitor their paving and compaction work. This presented a number of challenges for the construction teams and presented an opportunity to compare the operational strategies employed by the two contractors. The conditions at the time of construction were the same for both contractors; and the goals and objectives were the same given RWS’s requirements. It would therefore be interesting to see whether the approaches to construction would be the same. The results show that whilst the contractors used similar equipment and introduced several innovations to counter the effect of the cold conditions, the adopted operational strategies and approaches are different. From a\ud research perspective, the main challenge was being able to deal adequately with\ud monitoring two construction teams simultaneously and being able to organise\ud sufficient resources and personnel within the 48-hour window after the “Frost-Go” notice was given

How companies without the benefit of authority create innovation through collaboration

To create new business firms develop and provide systems that are new to the market.\ud However, if a firm wants to achieve this goal but does not possess all required resources\ud and capabilities, it needs cooperation from other organizations. This study focuses\ud on how firms that lack authority to compel such cooperation, gain and foster\ud commitment from other organizations to cooperate. To develop a model that addresses\ud this question two cases of interorganizational innovation from the Dutch construction\ud industry were studied. In both cases an organization set up and coordinated a\ud network of organizations to jointly develop and market a new system. The cases suggest\ud that, in particular, three types of activities of such leading organizations affect\ud other organizations' commitment to cooperate. These include two types of activities\ud that correspond with two extensively researched constructs, champion behavior and\ud supportive leadership, and one type of activity whose influence is more indirect, value\ud proposition management. Overall, both cases can be regarded as examples of innovation\ud and value chain integration, two issues identified as industry deficiencies in various\ud countries