Change management in practice: an ethnographic study of changes to contract requirements on a hospital project

Abstract

Changes to client requirements are inevitable during construction. Industry discourse is concerned with minimizing and controlling changes. However, accounts of practices involved in making changes are rare. In response to calls for more research into working practices, an ethnographic study of a live hospital project was undertaken to explore how changes are made. A vignette of a meeting exploring the investigation of changes illustrates the issues. This represents an example from the ethnographic fieldwork, which produced many observations. There was a strong emphasis on using change management procedures contained within the contract to investigate changes, even when it was known that the change was not required. For the practitioners, this was a way of demonstrating best practice, transparent and accountable decision-making regarding changes. Hence, concerns for following procedures sometimes overshadowed considerations about whether or not a change was required to improve the functionality of the building. However, the procedures acted as boundary objects between the communities of practice involved on the project by coordinating the work of managing changes. Insights suggest how contract procedures facilitate and impede the making of changes, which can inform policy guidance and contract drafting.

Institutions and institutional logics in construction safety management: the case of climatic heat stress

“…These lead to another issue of interest for future research: who are the workers? Recently, we have seen a growing volume of literature of ethnographic research portraying a realistic picture of workers as authentic persons of rationality, autonomy, emotion and history of experiences in complex cultural and systemic contexts (e.g., Chan 2013, Moore 2013, Tutt et al 2013b, Shipton et al 2014). While we need more of such ethnographies for enriched understanding of the complexities involved, there is potential to draw insights from the existing ethnographies with appropriate institutional analysis.…”

Exploring safety management challenges for multi-national construction workforces: a UK case study

“…They note that being amongst participants and undertaking data collection for extensive periods in the field allows for continual data analysis and refinement. This supports the researcher in the mitigation of any bias, as they grow in experience and knowledge of their research environment, and become able to make effective judgements to follow the action and so reinforce and develop insights, rather than compromise them (Shipton et al 2014). Indeed, such longevity in the field also lends credence to arguments of construct and internal validity, the growing experiences of the researcher enabling them to check and re-check inferences made in the field as the body of data also grows through the period of the fieldwork.…”

How to create a space for stakeholders’ involvement in construction

“…Internal stakeholders can be on the client and contractor sides, including project managers, designers, suppliers, employees, as well as subcontractors and end users (e.g. Ivory, 2004;Shipton et al, 2014). External stakeholders can be neighbours, the local community, the general public and the authorities (Atkin and Skitmore, 2008), also in addition to interested organizations, businesses, tourist organizations, and research programmes from other development interests and knowledge organizations.…”

“…Therefore when staging a space wherein different stakeholders can meet it is possible to use boundary objects in the dialogue between individuals, professionals and non-professionals where they transfer knowledge (Shipton et al, 2014). Boundary objects are drawings, models, prototypes, computer animations, materials and other kinds of artefacts that will function as objects in the meeting and the dialogue among diverse professions.…”