Ethnographic Theory-Building Research in Construction
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 136, Issue 1
Abstract
Traditional construction research methods have enabled focused but narrow advances in our understanding of industry phenomena. While contributing new insight, these methods are often not adequate to enable understanding of the complex interactions that lead to many of the industry’s pervasive social and technical problems. One means of addressing these limitations is for the construction research community to complement prevalent quantitative and case study methodologies with qualitative theory-building methodologies, specifically ethnographic studies or those based on detailed and long-term observation of project environments. This paper identifies the critical need for theory-building methods and their methodological conventions, challenges, and opportunities. Specifically, the paper focuses on data collection in ethnographic studies and analysis of that data through the use of grounded theory. Through better understanding and more widespread use of theory-building methods, the construction research community can provide a needed complement to the current prevailing methods and greatly aid the maturation of our important field.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Ball, L. J., and Ormerod, T. C. (2000). “Putting ethnography to work: The case for a cognitive ethnography of design.” Int. J. Hum.-Comput. Stud., 53, 147–168.
Barker, J. R. (1993). “Tightening the iron cage: Concertive control in self-managing teams.” Adm. Sci. Q., 38(3), 408–437.
Bhavnani, S. K., Flemming, U., Forsythe, D. E., Garrett, J. H., Shaw, D. S., and Tsai, A. (1996). “CAD usage in an architectural office: From observations to active assistance.” Autom. Constr., 5(3), 243–255.
Carlile, P. R. (2002). “A pragmatic view of knowledge and boundaries: Boundary objects in new product development.” Org. Sci., 13(4), 442–455.
Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 2nd Ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Dainty, A. R. J., Bagilhole, B. M., and Neale, R. H. (2000). “A grounded theory of women's career under-achievement in large UK construction companies.” Constr. Manage. Econom., 8(2), 239–250.
Denzin, N. (1978). Sociological methods: A sourcebook, 2nd Ed., McGraw-Hill, New York.
Forsythe, D. E. (1999). “It’s just a matter of common sense.” Ethnography as Invisible Work, Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 8, 127–145.
Gephart, R. P., Jr. (1993). “The textual approach: Risk and blame in disaster sensemaking.” Acad. Manage. J., 36(6), 1465–1514.
Golden-Biddle, K., and Locke, K. (1993). “Appealing work: An investigation of how ethnographic texts convince.” Org. Sci., 4(4), 595–616.
Gregory, K. L. (1983). “Native-view paradigms: Multiple cultures and cultural conflicts in organizations.” Adm. Sci. Q., 28(3), 359–376.
Hanlon, E., and Sanvido, V. (1995). “Constructability information classification scheme.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 121(4), 337–345.
Kirk, J., and Miller, M. (1986). Reliability, validity and qualitative research, Sage, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Landsberger, H. A. (1958). Hawthorne revisited, Ithaca, New York.
Lloyd, P., and Deasley, P. (1998). “Ethnographic description of design networks.” Autom. Constr., 7(2), 101–110.
Lofland, J., and Lofland, L. H. (1995). Analyzing social settings: A guide to qualitative observation and analysis, Wadsworth.
Mahalingam, A., and Levitt, R. E. (2004). “Challenges on global projects-an institutional perspective.” Proc., Int. Symp. of the CIB W92 on Procurement Systems.
McDonald, D. W., and Ackerman, M. S. (1998). “Just talk to me: A field study of expertise location.” Proc., 1998 ACM Conf. on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, ACM Press, New York, 315–324.
Orlikowski, W. J. (1992). “The duality of technology: Rethinking the concept of technology in organizations.” Org. Sci., 3(3), 398–427.
Phelps, A. F. (2008). “Lean information flow in complex healthcare projects and the role of the ‘integrator’ as information manager.” Ph.D. dissertation, Pennsylvania State Univ., Pa.
Raftery, J., McGeorge, D., and Walter, M. (1997). “Breaking up methodological monopolies: A multi paradigm approach to construction management research.” Constr. Manage. Econom., 15, 5–18.
Reddy, M., Dourish, P., and Pratt, W. (2001). “Coordinating heterogeneous work: Information and representation in medical care.” Proc., European Conf. on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (ECSCW'01), 239–258.
Rooke, J., Seymour, D., and Fellows, R. (2004). “Planning for claims: An ethnography of industry culture.” Constr. Manage. Econom., 22(6), 655–662.
Seymour, D., and Rooke, J. (2001). “The role of ethnography in the implementation of lean construction.” Proc., 9th Int. Group for Lean Construction Conf., 61–76.
Shields, R., and West, K. (2003). “Innovation in clean-room construction: A case study of co-operation between firms.” Constr. Manage. Econom., 21(4), 337–344.
Spradley, J. P. (1970). You owe yourself a drunk: Adaptive strategies of urban nomads, Little Brown, Boston.
Sutton, R. I. (1991). “Maintaining norms about expressed emotions: The case of bill collectors.” Adm. Sci. Q., 36(2), 245–268.
Whyte, W. F. (1993). Street corner society: The social structure of an Italian slum, 4th Ed., Univ. of Chicago, Chicago.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 19, 2008
Accepted: Jun 15, 2009
Published online: Jun 17, 2009
Published in print: Jan 2010
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.