Journal of Management Research

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Innovation and Competitiveness in Construction Companies


Affiliations
1 School of Civil Engineering Universidad Politecnica de Valencia Camino de Vera, s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
2 ICITECH Universidad Politecnica de Valencia Camino de Vera, s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
3 Department of Business Management Universidad Politecnica de Valencia Camino de Vera, s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


Today's global economy demands that every organization invest in R&D. This is especially true in the construction industry given the current gap in R&D compared to other sectors, which in turn affects the competitiveness of the industry. In this study, innovation and competitiveness of a typical Spanish company are analyzed from two perspectives: internal and external. The internal analysis is based on direct observation over a twelve-month period, and includes interviews with the managerial personnel. The external analysis focuses on the construction market and its influence on the company. From this study, conclusions are drawn to strategically improve competitiveness in construction companies through R&D. A change in the business culture of construction companies is essential, namely one initiated by leaders in the sector. Systemization of innovation should be pursued not only through tangible projects, but also through process management.

Keywords

Competitiveness, Construction Companies, Organizational Strategy, R&D, Spain
User
Notifications

  • AENOR (2006a), UNE 166000:2006 R&D&i Management: Terminology and Definitions of R&D&i, AENOR, Madrid.

  • AENOR (2006b), UNE 166001:2006 R&D&i Management: Requirements for R&D&i Projects, AENOR, Madrid.

  • AENOR (2006c), UNE 166002:2006. R&D&i Management: Requirements for R&D&i Management Systems, AENOR, Madrid.

  • Bartunek, J. and Louis, M. (1996), Insider – Outsider Team Research, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

  • Berg, B. (1998), Quality Research Methods for the Social Sciences, Allyn and Bacon, Boston.

  • Betts, M., Clark, A., Grilo, A. and Miorzzo, M. (1999), Priorities for IT Innovation, in Betts, M. (Ed.), Strategic Management of IT in Construction, pp. 311-330, Blackwell Science, Oxford.

  • Betz, F. (1987), Managing Technology, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

  • BOE (2004), Ley 4/2004 de Impuesto Sobre Sociedades, Boletín Oficial del Estado, Madrid (in Spanish).

  • Cicmil, S., Williams, T., Thomas, J. and Hodgson, D. (2006), Rethinking Project Management: Researching the Quality of Projects, International Journal of Project Management, 24: 675-686.

  • CICYT (2003), The Spanish National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and Technological Innovation for the Period 2004-2007, Summary, Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologia, Madrid.

  • Cohen, W. M. (1995), Empirical Studies of Innovative Activities, in Stoneman, P. (Ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation and Technological Change, pp. 182-264, Blackwell, Oxford.

  • COTEC (2007), Tecnología e Innovacion en España, Fundacion COTEC, Madrid (in Spanish).

  • Davidson, C. H. (2001), Technology Watch in Construction Industry: Why and How? Building Research and Information, 29(3): 233- 241.

  • Davies, A. and Brady, T. (2000), Organizational Capabilities and Learning in Complex Product Systems: Towards Repeatable Solutions, Research Policy, 29(7-8): 931-53.

  • Dikmen, I., Birgonul, M. T. and Artuk, S. U. (2005), Integrated Framework to Investigate Value Innovations, Journal of Management in Engineering, 21(2): 81-89.

  • Dodgson, M. (2000), The Management of Technological Innovation, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

  • Dosi, G. (1988), Sources, Procedures and Microeconomic Effects of Innovation, Journal of Economic Literature, 26: 1120-71.

  • Eaton, D. (2001), A Temporal Typology for Innovation within the Construction Industry, Construction Innovation, 1(3): 165-179.

  • Egbu, C., Botterill, K. and Bates, M. (2001), The Influence of Knowledge Management and Intellectual Capital on Organizational Innovation (Vol. 2), pp. 555-574, ARCOM Conference, University of Salford.

  • Eisenhart, K. M. (1989), Building Theories from Case Study Research, Academy of Management Review, 14(4): 532-550.

  • Engwall, M. (2003), No Project is an Island: Linking Projects to History and Context, Research Policy, 32: 589-808.

  • Escorsa, P. (2005), La Region y el Fomento de la Innovacion y la Competitividad: Experiencias en España y Europa en la Construccion de Sistemas Regionales de Innovacion, Universidad Politecnica de Cataluña, Barcelona (in Spanish).

  • European Commission (2005), European Trend Chart on Innovation – Innovation Strengths and Weaknesses, European Commission, Brussels.

  • European Commission (2006), The New SME Definition: User Guide and Model Declaration, European Commission, Brussels.

  • Gann, D. M. (1997), Should Government Fund Construction Research? Building Research and Information, 25(5): 257-267.

  • Gee, S. (1981), Technology Transfer, Innovation & International Competitiveness, Wiley, New York.

  • Goverse, T., Hekkert, M., Groenewegen, P., Worrell, E. and Smits, R. (2001), Wood Innovation in the Residential Construction Sector: Opportunities and Constraints, Resources Conservation & Recycling, 34(1): 53-74.

  • Grant, R. (1998), Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Concepts, Techniques, Applications, Blackwell, Oxford.

  • Hamel, G. (2006), The Why, What, and How of Management Innovation, Harvard Business Review, 84(2): 72-84. Hippel, E. (1988), The Sources of Innovation, Oxford University Press, New York.

  • Hu, Mei-Chih and Mathews, J. (2005), National Innovative Capacity in East Asia, Research Policy, 34: 1322-1349.

  • Kangari, R. and Miyatake, Y. (1997), Developing and Managing Innovative Construction Technologies in Japan, Journal of Construction Engineering Management, 123(1): 72-78.

  • Kim, W. and Mauborgne, R. (1999), Strategy, Value Innovation, and the Knowledge-economy, Sloan Management Review, 40(3): 41- 53.

  • Klevorick, A., Levin, R., Nelson, R. and Winter, S. (1995), On the Sources and Significance of Inter-industry Differences in Technological Opportunities, Research Policy, 24: 185-205.

  • Lundvall, B. (1992), National Systems of Innovation: Towards a Theory of Innovation and Interactive Learning, Printer Publishers, London.

  • Miles, M. B. and Huberman, A. M. (1994), Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook, Sage, London.

  • Ministerio de Fomento (2006), Atlas Estadístico de la Construccion en España: 2004, Ministerio de Fomento, Madrid (in Spanish).

  • Mintzberg, H. and McHugh, A. (1985), Strategy Formation in an Adhocracy, Administrative Science Quarterly, 30: 160-197.

  • Mitropoulos, P. and Tatum, C. (2000), Forces Driving Adoption of the New Information Technologies, Journal of Construction Engineering Management, 126(5): 340-348.

  • Moyser, G. (1988), Non-standardized Interviewing in Elite Research, in Burguess, G. (Ed.), Studies in Qualitative Research (Vol. 1), pp. 109-136, JAI Press, Greenwich.

  • Nam, C. H. and Tatum, C. B. (1997), Leaders and Champions for Construction Innovation, Construction Management and Economics, 15(3): 259-270.

  • Nelson, R. R. (1993), National Innovation Systems: A Comparative Analysis, Oxford University Press, New York. OECD (1982), Innovation in Small and Medium Firms, OECD Publishing, Paris.

  • OECD (2005), Oslo Manual: Guidelines for Collecting and Interpreting Technological Innovation Data (3rd Edition), OECD Publishing, Paris.

  • OECD (2006), Science, Technology and Industry: Scoreboard 2005, OECD Publishing, Paris.

  • Pavitt, K. (1984), Sectorial Patterns of Technical Change: Towards a Taxonomy and a Theory, Research Policy, 13(6): 343-73.

  • Pavon, J. and Goodman, R. (1981), Proyecto MOLDETEC: La Planificacion del Desarrollo Tecnologico, CDTI-CSIC, Madrid (in Spanish).

  • Pellicer, E., Yepes, V. and Correa, C. L. (2008), Enhancing R&D&I through Standardization and Certification: The Case of Spanish Construction Industry, Revista Ingenieria de Construccion, 23(2): 112-119.

  • Porter, M. (1990), The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Macmillan, London.

  • Porter, M. (1998), On Competition, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA.

  • Pries, F. and Janszen, F. (1995), Innovation in the Construction Industry: The Dominant Role of the Enviroment, Construction Management and Economics, 13(1):43-51.

  • Reichstein, T., Salter, A. J. and Gann, D. M. (2005), Last Among Equals: A Comparison of Innovation in Construction, Services and Manufacturing in the UK, Construction Management and Economics, 23: 631-644.

  • Rosenberg, N. (2000), Schumpeter and the Endogeneity of Technology, Routledge, New York.

  • Seaden, G., Guolla, M., Doutriaux, J. and Nash, J. (2003), Strategic Decisions and Innovation in Construction Firms, Construction Management and Economics, 21: 603-12.

  • Seaden, G. and Manseau, A. (2001), Public Policy and Construction Innovation, Building Research & Information, 29(3): 182-196. SEOPAN (2007), Spanish Construction Activity Report 2006, SEOPAN, Madrid.

  • Tatum, C. B. (1987), Process of Innovation in Construction Firm, Journal Construction Engineering and Management, 113(4): 64-663.

  • Tatum, C. B. (1989), Organizing to Increase Innovation in Construction Firms, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 115(4): 602-617.

  • Teixeira, J. C., Pellicer, E. and Yepes, V. (2009), Fostering Research Development and Innovation in Construction Companies. CIB Joint International Symposium 2009: Construction Facing Worldwide Challenges, 27 September-1 October 2009, Dubrovnik (Croatia).

  • Thomas, G. and Bone, R. (2000), Innovation at the Cutting Edge: The Experience of the Three Infrastructure Projects, CIRIA, London.

  • Utterback, J. (1994), Mastering the Dynamics of Innovation, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA.

  • Valles, M. (1997), Tecnicas Cualitativas de Investigacion Social, Síntesis, Madrid (in Spanish).

  • Van de Ven, A. (1986), Central Problems in the Management of Innovation, Management Science, 32(5): 570-607.

  • World Economic Forum (2005), The Global Competitiveness Report 2005-2006, Macmillan, Geneva.

  • WTO (2006), World Trade Report 2006: Exploring the Links between Subsidies, Trade and the WTO, World Trade Organization, Geneva. Yin, R. (1984), Case Study Research, Sage, Beverly Hills, CA.


Abstract Views: 637

PDF Views: 2




  • Innovation and Competitiveness in Construction Companies

Abstract Views: 637  |  PDF Views: 2

Authors

Eugenio Pellicer
School of Civil Engineering Universidad Politecnica de Valencia Camino de Vera, s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Victor Yepes
ICITECH Universidad Politecnica de Valencia Camino de Vera, s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Ronald J. Rojas
Department of Business Management Universidad Politecnica de Valencia Camino de Vera, s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain

Abstract


Today's global economy demands that every organization invest in R&D. This is especially true in the construction industry given the current gap in R&D compared to other sectors, which in turn affects the competitiveness of the industry. In this study, innovation and competitiveness of a typical Spanish company are analyzed from two perspectives: internal and external. The internal analysis is based on direct observation over a twelve-month period, and includes interviews with the managerial personnel. The external analysis focuses on the construction market and its influence on the company. From this study, conclusions are drawn to strategically improve competitiveness in construction companies through R&D. A change in the business culture of construction companies is essential, namely one initiated by leaders in the sector. Systemization of innovation should be pursued not only through tangible projects, but also through process management.

Keywords


Competitiveness, Construction Companies, Organizational Strategy, R&D, Spain

References