Factors influencing technical innovation in construction SMEs: an Australian perspective

Purpose – The intent of this research is to determine whether any common lessons can be drawn from the experience of individuals who have gone against the trend and delivered successful technical innovations in construction small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approach – A value tree of contributing factors to technical innovation was developed from the literature and tested by surveying established technical innovators using analytic hierarchy process methodology. This approach aimed at capturing the experience of company decision makers who manage to deliver successful change with limited resources.Findings – The results reveal the importance of supportive clients and performance‐based building standards for innovative practice in construction. Significant differences were observed between small and medium‐sized companies and between product and process innovators.Research limitations/implications – In order to avoid a skewed sample, considerable effort was made to ensure that all surv...

[1]  Colin H. Davidson.  Technology watch in the construction sector: why and how? , 2001 .

[2]  Henry Chesbrough.  Managing Open Innovation: In Uncertain Markets, New Metrics Can Help Companies to Play Poker as Well as Chess , 2004 .

[3]  Ammon Salter,et al.  Learning and Innovation Management in Project-Based, Service-Enhanced Firms , 1998 .

[4]  Anthony Sidwell,et al.  The significance of the tendering contract on the opportunities for clients to encourage contractorled innovation , 2001 .

[5]  David Eaton,et al.  Contractor pre-qualification model: State-of-the-art , 2007 .

[6]  Jan Bröchner,et al.  Construction contractors integrating into facilities management , 2008 .

[7]  P. Dewick,et al.  Factors Enabling and Inhibiting Sustainable Technologies in Construction: the case of active solar heating systems , 2002 .

[8]  David Arditi,et al.  Factors Affecting International Construction , 2005 .

[9]  Bart Bossink,et al.  Managing drivers of innovation in construction networks , 2004 .

[10]  Panagiotis Mitropoulos,et al.  Forces driving adoption of new information technologies , 2000 .

[11]  Birsen Karpak,et al.  A purchasing decision: Selecting a supplier for a construction company , 2006 .

[12]  D. Gann,et al.  Innovation in project-based, service-enhanced firms: the construction of complex products and systems , 2000 .

[13]  Chris Harty,et al.  Innovation in construction: a sociology of technology approach , 2005 .

[14]  Karen Manley,et al.  Against the odds: Small firms in Australia successfully introducing new technology on construction projects , 2008 .

[15]  D. Gann,et al.  Last among equals: a comparison of innovation in construction, services and manufacturing in the UK , 2005 .

[16]  G. Newell,et al.  The importance of property-specific attributes in assessing CBD office building quality , 2005 .

[17]  Hikaru Shimizu,et al.  'Clusters' of innovations in recent long span and multi-segmental bridges , 2000 .

[18]  Yacine Rezgui,et al.  Organisational learning and innovation in the construction industry , 2000 .

[19]  Karen Manley,et al.  Frameworks for Understanding Interactive Innovation Processes , 2003 .

[20]  Aviad Shapira,et al.  AHP-Based Equipment Selection Model for Construction Projects , 2005 .

[21]  Sarah Slaughter,et al.  Innovation and learning during implementation: a comparison of user and manufacturer innovations , 1993 .

[22]  A. Manseau,et al.  Public policy and construction innovation , 2001 .

[23]  H. Chesbrough.  Managing Open Innovation , 2004 .

[24]  Asset allocation: International real estate investment strategy under a workable analytic hierarchy process (AHP) , 2006 .

[25]  Hemanta Doloi,et al.  Application of AHP in improving construction productivity from a management perspective , 2008 .

[26]  Ghassan Aouad,et al.  Motivating small construction companies to adopt new technology , 2006 .

[27]  David Gann,et al.  Do regulations encourage innovation? The case of energy efficiency in housing. , 1998 .

[28]  Keith D. Hampson,et al.  Project alliancing vs project partnering: a case study of the Australian National Museum Project , 2002 .

[29]  J. Nash,et al.  Strategic decisions and innovation in construction firms , 2003 .

[30]  Karen Manley,et al.  Implementation of innovation by manufacturers subcontracting to construction projects , 2008 .

[31]  Chris Ivory.  Client, User and Architect Interactions in Construction: Implications for Analysing Innovative Outcomes from User-Producer Interactions in Projects , 2004, Technol. Anal. Strateg. Manag..

[32]  Clyde B. Tatum,et al.  Strategies for Technology Push: Lessons from Construction Innovations , 1992 .

[33]  Lars-Erik Gadde,et al.  The construction industry as a loosely coupled system: implications for productivity and innovation , 2002 .

[34]  K. London,et al.  An industrial organization economic supply chain approach for the construction industry: a review , 2001 .

[35]  Karen Manley,et al.  The innovation competence of repeat public sector clients in the Australian construction industry , 2006 .

[36]  Peter Barrett,et al.  Research as a kaleidoscope on practice , 2003 .

[37]  C. Egbu.  Managing knowledge and intellectual capital for improved organizational innovations in the construction industry: an examination of critical success factors , 2004 .

[38]  Stephen Allen,et al.  The economic motivation for innovation in small construction companies , 2006 .

[39]  E. Sarah Slaughter,et al.  Models of Construction Innovation , 1998 .

[40]  Martin Loosemore,et al.  Responsibility, power and construction conflict , 1999 .

[41]  Peter E.D. Love,et al.  Integrating procurement and operational innovations for construction industry development , 2004 .

[42]  C. B. Tatum.  Building Better: Technical Support for Construction , 2005 .

[43]  Albert P.C. Chan,et al.  Exploring Critical Success Factors for Partnering in Construction Projects , 2004 .

[44]  Andries G. Doree,et al.  Achieving the unlikely: innovating in the loosely coupled construction system , 2004 .

[45]  Sanjay L. Ahire,et al.  Selection of TQM pilot projects using an MCDM approach , 1995 .

[46]  Aviad Shapira,et al.  AHP-Based Weighting of Factors Affecting Safety on Construction Sites with Tower Cranes , 2009 .

[47]  Angela Lee,et al.  The use of a multi‐attribute tool for evaluating accessibility in buildings: the AHP approach , 2007 .

[48]  Scott Fernie,et al.  Knowledge Sharing: Context, Controversy and Confusion , 2003 .

[49]  G. Newell,et al.  Factors Influencing Hotel Investment Decision-Making , 2006 .

[50]  Martin Sexton,et al.  Alliances in Construction: Investigating Initiatives and Barriers for Long-term Collaboration , Engineering , 2006 .

[51]  Ammon Salter,et al.  Sources of ideas for innovation in engineering design , 2003 .

[52]  D. Buede,et al.  Rank disagreement: A comparison of multi‐criteria methodologies , 1995 .

[53]  Karen Manley,et al.  Key influences on construction innovation , 2004 .

[54]  Peter E.D. Love,et al.  A model for supporting inter-organizational relations in the supply chain , 2002 .

[55]  Paul Dewick,et al.  Building competitive advantage: innovation and corporate governance in European construction , 2002 .

[56]  Martin Sexton,et al.  A literature synthesis of innovation in small construction firms: insights, ambiguities and questions , 2003 .

[57]  Ammon Salter,et al.  Break on Through: Sources and Determinants of Product and Process Innovation among UK Construction Firms , 2008 .

[58]  Andrew R.J. Dainty,et al.  Subcontractor perspectives on supply chain alliances , 2001 .

[59]  Robert Lowe,et al.  Building regulation and sustainable housing. Part 1: a critique of Part L of the Building Regulations 1995 for England and Wales , 2000 .

[60]  Martin Sexton,et al.  Innovation in Small, Project-Based Construction Firms , 2006 .

[61]  A. Adair,et al.  Communicating Investment Risk to Clients: Property Risk Scoring , 2005 .

[62]  Dilanthi Amaratunga,et al.  Improving project processes: best practice case study , 2004 .