Narrative interactions: How project-based firms respond to Government narratives of innovation

The purpose of this article is to explore the ways project-based firms respond to Government narratives of innovation. We focus on the narratives of innovation articulated by Government as part of industrial policy and the responses thereto by senior managers in project-based firms. Our research setting is a major project-based sector: UK construction. 45 narrative interviews were conducted in addition to the content analysis of the Government reports on construction innovation. We find that project-based firms respond to the Government narrative for the need for innovation to improve performance by developing and enhancing their innovative capabilities and generating their own narratives of innovation. The model developed shows how narrative interaction between the Government and project-based firm levels impact on meaning-making of innovation by (re)articulating collective identities, and shaping innovation strategies.     

Historical narratives as strategic resources: analysis of the Turkish international contracting sector

The Turkish contracting sector has an enviable reputation for operating in high-risk international markets. The sector’s ability to respond to market instability could meaningfully be construed as sectoral-level capability. We aim to demonstrate how history can be mobilised in a formalised “strategy text” to create a strategic narrative on the sectoral level. The Geography of Contractors as published by the Turkish Contractors Association (TCA) ostensively portrays the strategic development of Turkish international contractors over four decades. Such quasi-historical narratives are routinely mobilised for the purposes of creating a shared memory on the sectoral level. The chosen strategy text draws from multiple narrative fragments derived from past experience to generate a strategic agenda for the future. The representation given to multiple voices reflects the pluralistic nature of strategy making praxis. The overarching strategy narrative reflects a performative intent in legitimising some practices whilst discrediting others. Narrative analysis demonstrates the way in which actors, actions and events are positioned within a plot structure, with direct implications for the enactment of future strategic practices. The findings suggest that strategic actions can only ever be identified in retrospect and that such arguments are always made with an eye on the future.     

Constructing safety: investigating senior executive long-term incentive plans and safety objectives in the construction sector

In the private sector, incentive plans are one of the major means used by Boards of Directors to align the interests of senior management with organizational interests. However, research conducted in the energy and resources sector revealed a poor alignment between incentive plans and the need to have senior management focus on safety. The research discussed here examined long-term incentive plans (LTIPs) for senior executives in the construction sector to investigate whether these direct senior managers attention to long-term safety objectives and if they include any long-term safety indicators. Annual Reports of publicly listed companies in the Australian non-domestic construction sector were used as the major information source and subjected to content analysis. Despite a strong safety commitment expressed by all the companies, LTIPs were exclusively associated with financial indicators. Although safety indicators are included in Annual Reports, these only appear in short-term incentive plans, indicating that senior executives are not incentivized to align their long-term decision-making with long-term safety objectives. Findings from the research demonstrate that valid and meaningful safety indicators should be developed and included in LTIPs in order to better align the focus of senior management to include safety performance in the construction industry.     

Championing and promoting innovation in UK megaprojects

In this article we explore the role of innovation champions and the ways innovation is championed and promoted in five selected UK megaprojects. To date, this research area is surprisingly under-explored in the megaproject management literature. The study is based on thirty interviews with innovation champions to capture their own perceptions and narratives on the ways innovation is stimulated and promoted in megaprojects, combined with relevant textual materials. Innovation was commonly defined as a step change or best practice that creates value that could be financial, environmental, societal etc. The data demonstrate the role of CEOs and their collaboration with innovation champions and academic partners in introducing innovation into the vocabulary of megaprojects, developing and formalising innovation strategy, and transferring experiences across megaprojects. The data show the ways different communication channels are used to promote innovations by champions such as forums, portals, platforms, campaigns, events etc.     

Value creation in projects: Towards a narrative perspective

It is contended that value is a social construct, and that the processes of social construction are rooted in language. On this basis we argue that value creation is a process which lends itself to interpretation from a narrative perspective. Previous attempts at value creation have been promoted under the label of ‘value management’. There are two approaches which are identifiable in the literature. The first is based on the traditional narrative of value engineering (aka Hard VM) and is primarily directed towards cost reduction. The second more recent variant is labelled ‘soft’ value management (Soft VM) and is primarily directed towards the achievement of a shared understanding of the value criteria relating to an individual project. The two approaches are critiqued in terms of their underlying assumptions and it is suggested that they are best understood as different forms of narrative. The emerging literature on value creation is similarly critiqued in accordance with the adopted narrative perspective. The distinction is made between formalised narratives of value on the level of the organisations involved in the project coalition and the anecdotal stories which individuals use to make sense of their own lived experiences. Emphasis is given to the ways in which different narratives interact, and to the way in which they remain contestable over time. Particular attention is given to the confluence between storytelling and identity work.     

‘Playing back-spin balls’: narrating organizational change in construction

What does change mean for organizational members? Although researchers have attempted to capture its intrinsic complexities, there remains uncertainty as to what change really is and how it happens. Drawing on a longitudinal interpretative case study of change in a large Swedish construction company, a narrative approach is used to elicit middle managers’ stories of change episodes over the past two decades. These stories have then been compared with the narratives of the same episodes in governing documents. We found that the lived and the formal narratives, respectively, depicted two very different interpretations and enactments of change: the former described a discontinuous process of discrete contingencies demanding immediate short-term responses whereas the latter described a proactive incremental strategic plan. A narrative approach to the study of organizational change contributes to deeper insights into the ramifications of an organization’s socio-cultural system by enabling the capture of significant variations, contradictions and tensions, both for organizational members and for the researchers who study change.     

A hierarchical structural model of assessing innovation and project performance

Research in construction innovation highlights construction industry as having many barriers and resistance to innovations and suggests that it needs champions. A hierarchical structural model is presented, to assess the impact of the role of the project manager (PM) on the levels of innovation and project performance. The model adopts the structural equation modelling technique and uses the survey data collected from PMs and project team members working for general contractors in Singapore. The model fits well to the observed data, accounting for 24%, 37% and 49% of the variance in championing behaviour, the level of innovation and project performance, respectively. The results of this study show the importance of the championing role of PMs in construction innovation. However, in order to increase their effectiveness, such a role should be complemented by their competency and professionalism, tactical use of influence tactics, and decision authority. Moreover, senior management should provide adequate resources and a sustained support to innovation and create a conducive environment or organizational culture that nurtures and facilitates the PM's role in the construction project as a champion of innovation.     

Telling stories: the role of narratives in rental housing policy change in New Zealand

Abstract

This paper examines the emergence of the regulation of housing conditions in the private rental sector as a policy issue in New Zealand using an analysis of narratives in media, advocacy and political texts. Narratives are evident in public discourse and are the stories told by interest groups to identify and cast a problem as a policy issue in a way analogous to the beliefs of the speaker. This case study shows that while the narratives used by advocates for policy change were effective in raising the issue, they were ineffective in overcoming a counter-narrative of excessive regulation by the government and concerns of possible rent rises. This opposition to regulation of the private sector by a right-leaning government needs to be more effectively countered by more powerful intersecting narratives, if evidence on the relationship between housing, health and safety is to become the basis for effectively implemented government policy.     

A framework for managing organizations in complex environments

The complex environments of today’s markets makes managing organizations in complexity and turbulence a concern for senior managers, and necessitate developing a dynamic strategic framework to cope with complexity in managing organizations. This paper demonstrates a study that was conducted to value a structured set of management principles and sub-elements by a panel of experts to develop a conceptual framework to manage in complex and very high dynamic environments. The panel consisted of 22 senior level managers of grade “A” companies in the construction industry in Qatar State using a two-round Delphi technique. The study developed two frameworks. The first framework is for managing complexity in the construction sector. The second one is the primary general framework, which forms a basis for a generalized framework for other industries. This study participates in developing valuable management practices in complex environments to tackle uncertainty, unpredictability, disorder, rapid changes and non-linearity, which would be of great help for leaders, senior managers and practitioners who operate in complex environments.     

Regeneration of informal areas: An integrated approach

Living conditions in informal areas present a severe problem to the development of society, particularly to public health and the respective socioeconomic context. People in these areas have no viable alternative to solve this problem themselves. In this study, several successful approaches are surveyed and new methods are developed to design a holistic process capable of not only tackling the issue of informal settlements, but doing so in a way that is cognizant of the current global economic reality and that integrates all the dimensions of sustainable development. In this study, an integrated regeneration strategy for Luanda's metropolitan plan in Angola is developed. The methodology is supported by a social context analysis and highly participative design process. The informal settlements vary in type and structure, urban patterns, and their social and economic structure. These factors have been taken into consideration in the approach advanced in this study, as they are deemed key aspects for the fine-tuning of the final approach. Hence, a partnership model is presented, where the public sector provides development conditions for the private sector. The model is supported by regeneration mechanisms that establish the roles and procedures of each stakeholder within the process. Multiple criteria for rehousing as well as guidelines for social and affordable housing are used to create an integrated approach.     

纪念性景观中的叙事应用——以武汉市大禹神话园为例

纪念性景观中通常记录着曾经发生的事件和信息,运用纪念与回忆的景观空间再现,真实保存的景观呈现,历史的景观重现与历史故事的创造等景观叙事的手法能够很好地实现事件的表达。在大禹神话园的景观叙事中,通过设置"禹父鲧治水","大禹治水"和"南方治水"上、中、下三个主题区来叙述大禹治水的历程,并通过故事、空间和意义三个方面表达出大禹神话园的叙事层次和纪念内涵。     

Reimagining planning: moving from reflective practice to deliberative practice - a first exploration in the Italian context

This paper explores what can be lost, both theoretically and pedagogically, if we reduce “planning” to “plan-making.” Under conditions of political conflict and plurality, complexity and connectedness, a subject-centered theory of reflective practice should give way to a situated and relational, inter-subjective and learning-oriented deliberative practice. By exploring diverse planners’ practices in Italy, based on 31 grounded, practice-focused oral histories, this paper represents an innovation, in terms of method and theory, in assessments of contemporary Italian urban and regional planning. The innovation is in identifying significant issues such as relationship-building, joining expertise with political power, integrating top-down and bottom-up approaches, refining participatory intelligence systems, and assuring public accountability in the conduct of planning for further analysis, and it identifies topics, strategies and skills that planning educators can and should address as well. Throughout, we explore not formal legal issues but informal social and political characteristics of critically pragmatic and interactive, deliberative practices that will be resonant with experiences of readers and practitioners in many contexts.     

Digital construction: From point solutions to IoT ecosystem

This paper takes a longitudinal view of literature to explain the current period as disruptive technology drives an evolutionary adaptation of the construction industry in a historical socio-technological process. The authors argue the way Internet of Things (IoT) solutions are conceived as singularly focused “point solutions” undermine future opportunities. An evolutionary view is overlooked because extant literature describes technology in a particular epoch. An ecosystem perspective needs to influence IT strategy as an emerging “digital layer” transcends a smart city and continues to function long after a traditional construction project completes. We describe innovation as a succession of transformational waves in an evolutionary process that is currently manifesting as “Industry 4.0” and changing expectations for the construction industry. The paper concludes by listing emerging trends and warns existing UK construction companies must understand the transformational process they are in and learn how to adapt with a stronger drive for R&D.     

谈波尔多住宅--从“异规”到“触底”

本文从塞西尔·巴尔蒙德的著作《异规》出发,阐述了波尔多住宅的结构形式,分析了库哈斯与巴尔蒙德在合作波尔多住宅的建构思路,并挖掘了波尔多住宅建构形式的成因,以求回归到建筑空间的本质,为建筑形式问题的探索尝试一种思路。     

Storytelling and urban design

Stories and storytelling can inform and condition the design of places in multiple ways. Urban designers can (1) curate the narrative landscape of a town in ways that support designers' engagement with place stories, (2) nurture a virtuous cycle of interactions between stories of place, built form, and the emergent form of a settlement, and (3) create formats for the inclusion of multiple designers and a diverse set of independent stories rather than master narratives.     

The impacts of industrialization on construction subcontractors: a resource based view

Industrialization of the construction process is increasing around the world due to its potential to improve safety, sustainability, effectiveness, productivity and efficiency. While there has been research into the impacts of various forms of industrialized construction on the construction sector, surprisingly there has been little research into the impacts on subcontractors. The lack of subcontractor’s voice in the industrialization debate is important to address since they operate at the coalface of the industry where the impacts of such changes will have a significant impact. The resource based view of the firm (RBV) is used as a theoretical lens to study these potential impacts through interviews with senior executives and managers of six major subcontracting firms which have worked with off-site bathroom pod technologies in Australia. It is found that the key subcontractor resources affected by this off-site technology are human, financial, intellectual and social and that subcontractors will need to pursue strategies which develop new skills, knowledge, networks and deeper supply chain collaborations if they are to turn the potential risks associated with off-site into potential opportunities to achieve competitive advantage.     

Relational and gendered selves: older Irish migrants’ housing and employment histories in the north and East Midlands of England

Most accounts of migration stress the economic necessity, but generally blur the role of migrants themselves in the process. It is also rare to consider male and female migrants together, or to explore the relational aspects of masculinity and femininity in migration histories. This paper explores the relational aspects of Irish (‘Irish’ is used throughout this article to refer to our participants who self-identified as ‘Irish’. It is further noted that all of the participants were from the Republic of Ireland and hence does not include Northern Irish migrants. Where ‘Ireland’ is used it refers to the Republic of Ireland) migrants’ residential and work histories using narrative enquiry. First, we explore the complex relationship between housing and employment in Irish women and men’s stories focusing particularly on the early phase of migration. Second, we argue that these narratives, especially the ‘intertwining personal, sub-cultural and cultural stories’ are essential in understanding Irish migrants’ experiences. Third, we posit that gender emerges as a significant factor with qualitative differences in Irish women’s and men’s trajectories. Our analysis focuses on the self-in-relation, housing pathways and gendered housing and employment strategies.     

乡村“人地共生”景观单元认知框架

针对当前中国浙北乡村经济发达地区半城市化乡村的乡村景观营建同质化、偏重外观审美、忽略内生动力等问题,基于乡村“人地关系”的概念与“单元系统”理论,建立乡村“人地共生”景观单元的认知框架,提出以村域为景观生成与演变的单元。通过“单元系统—单元自成”程序的调控,明确村域景观特征在人地互动作用下的空间生成与演变机制,并建构了乡村景观营建在村域尺度上的基本模式。首次从较小的村域尺度和人地互动的内生动力视角研究乡村景观的生成与演变机制。     

“超线性”的地方叙事空间！？廖伟立的王功桥

廖伟立以杂木林比喻台湾文化的多样与不驯,这显示在他作品中的“线性实验”。王功桥是这“管轴”系列作品代表,以“超线性”形式催化偏远渔村往休闲导向的转型,它以有力的地方叙事地景建造来引动新空间想象,这也开发出台湾乡野“公共性”与“超地方性”的辩论。