Constructing learning: adversarial and collaborative working in the British construction industry

Bishop, Daniel; Felstead, Alan; Fuller, Alison; Jewson, Nick; Unwin, Lorna; Kakavelakis, Konstantinos

doi:10.1080/13639080903290355

Cited by 36 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Literature corroborates that coordinated working in the construction industry tended to be scripted with little genuine collaborative effort [24]. To help address this, SAs should plan and manage co-ordination meetings diligently to maximise potential multiagency working opportunities.…”

Section: Functionality -Interviewees Alluded To Prescribedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stakeholder perspectives of street works management in England

Hussain

Brien

Enoch

et al. 2015

WIT Transactions on the Built Environment

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It is widely recognised that street works are disruptive, have high social costs and are deleterious to highway structures. Notwithstanding this, utility works are critical so that society can enjoy the amenities of a modern world. In striking this balance, this study investigates the policy landscape of street works management in England to gain an insight into stakeholder perspectives of the industry. Semistructured interviews with industry stakeholders have helped to identify the complexity of the industry and revealed that a number of issues compromise effective street works management. Principal problems include Street Authorities failing to take enough ownership of the coordination process, highway legislation not encouraging joint working due to inherent challenges arising from reinstatement guarantees, and entrenched attitudes and adversarial practices in the construction industry encouraging silo working. Key recommendations include amending highway legislation to support and recognise multi-agency working and Street Authorities undertaking reinstatements on behalf of undertakers to help reduce fragmentation and discharge undertakers of onerous guarantees which contribute to silo working.

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Section: Functionality -Interviewees Alluded To Prescribedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stakeholder perspectives of street works management in England

Hussain

Brien

Enoch

et al. 2015

WIT Transactions on the Built Environment

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show abstract

“…Utilities in England are profitdriven enterprises; therefore, they can be less inclined to spend time on limited-value-adding activities. Further, entrenched attitudes prevalent in the construction industry towards maximising individual gains and profiteering can make coordinated working 'economically irrational' (Bishop et al, 2009) and therefore reinforce silo working. In addition, disparate timing of works was considered a barrier to multiagency working, '… expectations are unrealistic; coordination involves logistics, gangs and materials all to tie in' (UW3).…”

Section: Scheduling Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unlike the monopoly industry, there was a distinct hesitation about openly discussing works in the presence of competitors to prevent theft of clients. Like the construction industry, organisations working in the telecoms industry are profit driven where a culture of secrecy is common practice (Bishop et al, 2009). Trust is an important component for nurturing collaborative working (Hashim, 2012;Shelbourn et al, 2007), however, joint working with competitors is regarded as 'adversarial collaboration' (Patel et al, 2012).…”

Section: Conflict In Industry Regulation and Highway Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, Engestrom et al (1997) and Bishop et al (2009) ■ HA budgets -Local government funds are awarded annually and are no longer ring-fenced to highway maintenance; this means shorter maintenance cycles, with no guarantee of spending on highways. Further, austerity cuts have meant reduced budgets and uncertainty over future spending allocations (Lowndes and Pratchett, 2012).…”

Section: Functionalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Street work policy in England, UK: insights from stakeholders

Hussain¹,

Enoch²,

Ruikar³

et al. 2016

Infrastructure Asset Management

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Roadworks and street works can be highly disruptive, expensive and deleterious to highway structures and infrastructure planning, yet these activities must take place if modern societies are to continue to function. In helping to strike this balance, this study investigates the public policy landscape of highway excavation management in England, UK. Semi-structured interviews with industry stakeholders highlighted the complexity of the industry and revealed that a number of issues compromise effective management. Principal problems included street authorities failing to take enough ownership of the coordination process, highway legislation not encouraging joint working due to inherent challenges arising from reinstatement guarantees and entrenched attitudes and adversarial practices in the construction industry encouraging silo working. Key recommendations include amending highway legislation to support and recognise multiagency working and street authorities undertaking reinstatements on behalf of undertakers, thus helping to reduce fragmentation and discharge undertakers of onerous guarantees that contribute to silo working.

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“…Studies using a productive systems approach, focusing on how political economy and organisational dynamics impact on workplace learning and professional formation, have demonstrated the extent to which learning in the workplace relies on appropriate institutional conditions (Bishop et al, 2009;, with sectors such as Hospitality or Social Care particularly susceptible to restriction on learning with limited investments in skill or qualification opportunities. Thus higher apprenticeships in emerging professions and labour intensive sectors are subject to particular pressures on processes of workplace and learner recontextualisation (Evans et al, 2010) to enable formation, brought about by a lack of appropriate infrastructure that would serve to frame the workplace curriculum and learning environment (Hordern 2015).…”

Section: Legitimacy and Expansivenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher apprenticeships in England: professional and vocational formation

Hordern

2015

International Journal of Training Research

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Constructing learning: adversarial and collaborative working in the British construction industry

Cited by 36 publications

References 30 publications

Stakeholder perspectives of street works management in England

Stakeholder perspectives of street works management in England

Street work policy in England, UK: insights from stakeholders

Higher apprenticeships in England: professional and vocational formation

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