Research on sustainability in construction design has tended to focus on technological, institutional and economic drivers, but there has been little change in the industry. Social scientific approaches offer insights on the lack of progress. However, few previous studies have investigated psychological factors despite the pivotal role of the individual professional decision-maker. The aim was to understand what personal motivations drive architectural designers to pursue sustainable design in their work and whether non-environmental motivations can drive sustainable outcomes. Twenty-eight architectural designers in 14 small firms in the London area were interviewed. Thematic analysis was conducted, informed by the self-determination theory of motivation. Although extrinsic motivators were noted, autonomous motivations including a moral imperative and personal commitment predominated. Further, the participants demonstrated other self-determined motivations including realization of self-identity, pursuit of quality in design and awareness of their work's impact on people. These autonomous motivations align closely with sustainability principles including design for durability, high standards and technical expertise. The findings point to the risks of reliance on extrinisic motivators such as regulation, and the opportunities to engage architectural designers more extensively in sustainable design by linking sustainability to autonomous motivations.
Within the last decades the incidence of workspace injuries and fatalities in the UK construction industry has declined markedly following the developments in occupational health and safety (OHS) management systems. However, safety statistics have reached a plateau and actions for further improvement of OHS management systems are called for. OHS is a form of organizational expertise that has both tacit and explicit dimensions and is situated in the ongoing practices. There is a need for institutionalization and for the transfer of knowledge across and along construction supply chains to reduce OHS risks and facilitate cultural change. The focus of this article is the factors that facilitate OHS knowledge transfer in and between organizations involved in construction projects. An interpretative methodology is used in this research to embrace tacit aspects of knowledge transfer and application. Thematic analysis is supported by a cognitive mapping technique that allows understanding of interrelationships among the concepts expressed by the respondents. This paper demonstrates inconsistency in OHS practices in construction organizations and highlights the importance of cultivating a positive safety culture to encourage transfer of lessons learnt from good practices, incidents, near misses and failures between projects, from projects to programmes and across supply chains. Governmental health and safety regulations, norms and guidelines do not include all possible safety issues specific to different working environments and tied to work contexts. The OHS system should encourage employees to report near misses, incidents and failures in a 'no-blame' context and to take appropriate actions. This research provides foundation for construction project practitioners to adopt more socially oriented approaches towards promoting learning-rich organizational contexts to overcome variation in the OHS and move beyond the current plateau reached in safety statistics.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between health and safety (H&S) and organisational culture in project business, in particular to explore the validity of current cognitive emphases of linear organisational maturity towards a "safety culture", and normative models and prescriptions. Design/methodology/approach -An interpretative methodology is employed, informed by ethnography (Douglas' cultural theory) and clinical consultative (Schein's model) approaches, using case-based analysis comprising seven project business organisations. Findings -The cases were characterized by diverse organisational cultures and diverse H&S practices informed by habits and intuitive behaviour, as well as cognitive strategies and decisions for implementation. H&S was not the top priority for these cases. Good performance related to alignment with the prevailing culture rather than pursuit of a "safety culture". Research limitations/implications -The term "safety culture" is misdirected; greater attention on what is, rather than normative models and prescription, is necessary. Generalisation is limited by the case-based approach. Practical implications -Practitioners need to pay more attention to organisational culture and alignment of H&S practices, to the unintended consequences of prescriptions, and robust systems. Social implications -The way activities are conducted requires awareness of the prevailing culture in order to align the structure and processes to the culture for effective operations. These implications are general, and within project business and management, Failure to do so carries increased risk of failing to satisfy business and broader stakeholder interests. Originality/value -Anomalies in H&S research and practice are challenged, especially "safety culture" and normative approaches. The contribution is the combination employment of the Schein and Douglas models to understand organisational culture and H&S cultural alignment.
Environmental sustainability in construction is a pressing concern. Despite their importance to the industry, and evident differences from large organisations in business strategy, markets and challenges, the literature has little to say about how small architectural design firms view the marketing potential of improved environmental sustainability. The current study aimed to address this gap, by examining practitioner experience of sustainability and marketing in small architectural design practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 such practices. A critical interpretive stance was adopted in analysis, drawing on the theoretical framings of Service Dominant Logic (SDL) and relationship marketing. Sustainable design is part of the co-creation of value in architecture, enhancing the value proposition beyond a cost basis. Its inclusion contributed to business development through referrals. Taken together, co-creation of value and asymmetry of knowledge between professional and client drive the conclusion that the architectural designer has primary responsibility in guiding clients towards greater environmental sustainability. This responsibility and the role of sustainability in business development were not necessarily recognised by the designers. Insights from SDL challenge assumptions that cost and lack of client demand prevent greater sustainability in design.
In England, building regulations govern aspects of a building's environmental performance. The Building Control Surveyor reviews designs and on-site construction in order to evaluate, and ultimately certify, compliance with the regulations, but little research has been carried out to investigate the role of these professionals in promoting sustainable construction. A qualitative study was conducted, comprising semistructured interviews with 21 building control surveyors and four key informants from professional bodies in England. The building surveyors initially positioned their power as wholly derived from the regulations, thus constraining their contribution on sustainability to regulation enforcement. However, this stood in contradiction to their recognition of being valued and influential members of the project team. Descriptions of day-to-day activities included sharing common goals with the team, providing guidance based on their knowledge and experience, and developing collaborative relationships.Based on theories of power, these practices may be seen as processes of power. The primary conclusion is that building control surveyors are indeed powerful in the project team, and, with greater recognition of the varied forms of power available to them above and beyond regulatory certification, they could extend their influence in daily working interactions to promote more sustainable construction.
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