Innovation in Small Professional Practices in

Innovation in construction - in techniques, technologies, strategies and management - affects all construction systems from the design and management to the delivery of new buildings. Innovation is seen as making construction firms more efficient, more competitive, and more prone to growth.Since the arguments from both Latham and Egan to view construction as just another manufacturing process, innovation and process improvement have become key elements of courses at both honours and taught postgraduate levels in built environment and civil engineering.This research-based book addresses the urgent need to better understand the nature and process of innovation in small construction professional service firms. It offers an analysis of both why and how innovation is a key competitive factor for SMEs in construction.

Professor Martin Sexton, Deputy Head, School of the Built Environment, University of Salford

Dr Shu-Ling Lu, Research Fellow, School of the Built Environment, University of Salford

About the Authors	p. ix
Foreword	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Background	p. 1
Research Problem	p. 3
Summary and Link	p. 5
Key Issues from the Literature	p. 6
Introduction	p. 6
Conceptualisation of Small Professional Practices	p. 6
Definitional Debate on Innovation	p. 8
Market- and Resource-Based View of Innovation	p. 9
Knowledge-Based View of Innovation	p. 12
Key Managerial Challenges for Innovation	p. 20
Key Research Questions	p. 25
Summary and Link	p. 26
Knowledge-Based Innovation Model	p. 27
Introduction	p. 27
Description of Knowledge-Based Innovation Model	p. 27
Continuous Improvement Gap Analysis Framework	p. 29
Research Hypotheses	p. 29
Summary and Link	p. 32
Case Study Methodology	p. 33
Introduction	p. 33
Overall Research Process	p. 33
Case Study Design	p. 34
Research Techniques: Qualitative Data Collection Techniques	p. 43
Research Techniques: Qualitative Data Analysis Techniques	p. 47
Validation - Triangulation Strategy	p. 54
Summary and Link	p. 57
Case Study - Exploratory Phase	p. 58
Introduction	p. 58
Background of the Case Study Company	p. 58
Case Study Firm Perception of Knowledge, Innovation, HC, SC and RC	p. 61
Description of Identified Company Innovations	p. 67
Mode 1: Explorative Innovation Analysis	p. 69
Mode 2: Exploitative Innovation Analysis	p. 78
Summary and Link	p. 96
Case Study - Action Research Phase	p. 97
Introduction	p. 97
Diagnosis	p. 97
Action Planning	p. 103
Action Taking	p. 109
Action Evaluation	p. 119
Specifying Learning	p. 122
Summary and Link	p. 125
Discussion	p. 126
Introduction	p. 126
Types of Knowledge-Based Innovation	p. 126
Hypothesis 1: Knowledge-Based Resources	p. 127
Hypothesis 2: Capabilities	p. 138
Meta-Hypothesis: Knowledge Capital	p. 145
Summary and Link	p. 147
Conclusions	p. 148
Introduction	p. 148
Contribution to Innovation Theory	p. 148
Comment on Research Problem	p. 158
Comment on Research Questions	p. 160
Key Limitations and Future Research	p. 163
Theoretical and Practical Implications	p. 164
Policy Implications	p. 165
References	p. 167
Appendices	p. 179
List of Company Documentation	p. 181
Cooperation Proposal	p. 182
Interview Cooperation Proposal	p. 184
Interview Protocol	p. 186
Company General Finding Report	p. 213
Index	p. 221
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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Innovation in Small Professional Practices in the Built Environment

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