Advancing social practice understandings of digital innovation delivery in construction project management
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 26 April 2024
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to apply social practice theory to clarify the process of innovation design and delivery from one successful digital innovation: the building information modelling (BIM) risk library. The paper clarifies the practices surrounding construction innovation and provides a schema useful for practitioners and technology designers through a social practice analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper applies Schatzki's “organisation of practice” concepts to a construction project innovation to clarify how the practice of innovation revolves around understandings, rules and teleoaffectivities (emotive behaviours). Sources for the study include notes from meetings, workshops with experts and the shared artefacts of innovation.
Findings
The practice of innovation design and delivery are clarified through a social practice analysis: a distinct “field of practice” and a “schema” of generalisable prescriptions and preferences for innovation delivery being presented.
Practical implications
The paper informs the practice and process of innovation design and delivery; the insights clarify how collective understandings and rules of use evolve over time, becoming formalised into contracts, agreements and workplans. Practically, processes whereby innovation “sayings” evolve into innovation “doings” are clarified: a schema detailing prescriptions and preferences of practitioners and developers being presented.
Originality/value
The social practice analysis of one successful construction innovation is an original contribution to the body of knowledge, adding a level of detail regarding innovation design and delivery often missing from reported research.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the Lloyd's Register Foundation (Grant number: G\100293) and supported by the Health and Safety Executive as part of the Discovering Safety research programme. The author wishes to acknowledge the helpful comments of the reviewers in the improvement of the paper.
Citation
Collinge, W.H. (2024), "Advancing social practice understandings of digital innovation delivery in construction project management", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-12-2023-1290
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited