Key factors affecting commercial actors in collaborative working within the UK construction industry
Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction
ISSN: 1366-4387
Article publication date: 4 January 2022
Issue publication date: 21 September 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Extensive research on the importance of collaborative working (CW) and aligning stakeholders’ interests in construction has been widely conducted. But often the practice of commercial actors during CW has often been overlooked, particularly within the UK setting, where scholars have lamented on the lack of industry-wide collaboration. This study aims to explore the factors affecting commercial actors in CW, specific to the UK construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The research used a context-based approach to seek stakeholders’ perspectives on the key factors affecting commercial actors in CW within the UK. Semi-structured interviews with individuals (contractors, cost consultants, designers among others) from construction and infrastructure organisations were conducted, using multiple case study investigations. The collected data was analysed using a case study approach, and principles of inductive thematic analysis to identify the key factors.
Findings
Findings from the analysis identified “institutional” factors such as transactional cost economic influence, the prevailing construction model influence and professional related drivers. Key drivers within these factors include commercial background and training, custom and practice, misaligned interests in projects, clients’ perception of consultants, cost-driven environment, conventional procurement protocols and bureaucratic functions.
Originality/value
In conclusion, these factors continue to affect CW with undue influence on commercial actors in the UK, thus preventing performance improvement demanded by successive UK Government reports. The context-based approach applied in this study is expected to provide some insight in construction management research, especially from a commercial perspective in the UK, to gain an understanding of how these factors are manifesting.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the reviewers for their valuable inputs and comments which helped to improve the content validity of the paper. The first author wishes to thank Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Nigeria for sponsoring this research and Nottingham Trent University, UK, for providing world-class facilities for doctoral research.
Citation
Ahmed, S.N., Pasquire, C. and Manu, E. (2022), "Key factors affecting commercial actors in collaborative working within the UK construction industry", Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 323-347. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMPC-01-2021-0004
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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