Development of a contextualised understanding of the diffusion of innovation among quantity surveyors in the UK construction industry

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Ward, AD, 2016. Development of a contextualised understanding of the diffusion of innovation among quantity surveyors in the UK construction industry. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

The UK construction industry is often described as slow to innovate which can be attributed to the temporary nature of construction projects and its inherently fragmented structure. The nature of innovation is a common area of research in the industry, but the diffusion of these innovations to the members of this social system is an under represented area that this research addresses. This research addresses this shortfall and focuses on providing a contextualised understanding of the key aspects of diffusion of professional practice among quantity surveyors. This is achieved by utilising a particular type of innovation, the New Rules of Measurement, as a vehicle for the analysis. A qualitative research approach that gathers the rich explanatory data is utilised, using semi structured interviews, which is lacking in the diffusion research field. This approach supports a constructivist philosophy and provides a deeper understanding of different actors’ diffusion journeys in contrast to the overwhelmingly positivist approach to previous studies of diffusion. This resulted in several original contributions to knowledge including the identification of current measurement practices within the UK construction industry, development of a contextualised understanding and diffusion of professional practice innovation model for quantity surveyors in addition to the identification of barriers to the diffusion process that are unique to the construction industry. This is important as it demonstrates areas that can be utilised and improved to assist in the diffusion of professional practice to the quantity surveying profession.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Ward, A.D.
Date:	September 2016
Rights:	This work is the intellectual property of the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed to the owner(s) of the Intellectual Property Rights.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	16 Nov 2016 11:19
Last Modified:	16 Nov 2016 11:19
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29139