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The Construction and Property Research Centre (CPRC) has had an impact on supply chain collaboration, process improvement, and technology integration in the construction industry, primarily in the South West of England, but also nationally and internationally. Its impact has been enhanced by its leading role in four major regional knowledge exchange initiatives (Construction Knowledge Exchange, Future Foundations, Constructing Excellence and the Environmental iNet). Through these initiatives, CPRC's research has contributed to the change in culture of the construction industry from `adversarial' to more collaborative. This has increased capacity and improved performance of public and private construction clients, construction companies, specialist subcontractors, SMEs and individual professionals. By delivering training and on-line materials, and supporting the sector through numerous business consultancies and `best practice clubs' it has directly influenced over 700 companies and 1700 professionals leading to streamlined construction processes, costs savings, reduced errors, and increases in efficiency, productivity and profitability.
Research at Teesside University has enhanced sustainability and productivity in construction and related sectors. Between 1998 and 2008, Professor Dawood's research team developed a range of advanced multi-constraint and multi-dimensional visual construction planning and coordination approaches and tools. The global commercial application of this work in Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) organisations has generated a substantial economic impact. For five indicative organisations used as examples in this case study, the impact amounts to more than £1,500,000 in the form of increased turnover, cash injection from technology funds and a spin out company.
Procuring Social and Economic Value through Construction is focused on improving the sustainability and profitability of, and ensuring public benefit from, the UK construction sector, demonstrating the following impact:
The researchers have delivered 10 funded studies (£700,000), 50+ peer-reviewed publications and five knowledge transfer conferences (750+ delegates). The samples presented led to materials being delivered to 100,000+ industry practitioners. Further, the international reach of UK OSH guidance is substantial, influencing Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa, and North America. The research helped improve Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) practices in major construction companies, with global reach, e.g. MACE (3,700 employees, over 69 countries, turnover £1bn), who implemented developed practices, resulting in 30% drop in accident rates. Our 'OSH communication images' are used in CITB training, delivered to over 100,000 workers.
The types of impact highlighted in this case study are: improved effectiveness of workplace practices in relation to health and safety management, time management and collaborative working; development of resources to enhance professional practice; stimulation of practitioner debate on the impact of new legislation on criminal liability for poor management of health and safety; and improvement in turnover of SMEs through ICT adoption. The mechanisms by which the impact was achieved were KTPs, membership of relevant industry panels and organisation of relevant workshops, CPD events and similar events aimed at practitioners.
Development of the UK construction industry was hampered by a focus on individual projects, with two drawbacks: limited transfer of lessons learned from one project to the next, and limited focus on systemic innovation and wider commercial opportunities.
Drawing on their research, our Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group helped construction companies — including Laing O'Rourke (LOR), Arup, and Mace — overcome these obstacles by adopting a `systems integration' model to capture and utilise lessons learned, and by developing Executive Education programmes to make project engineers aware of wider commercial and innovation issues. These improvements enhanced delivery of major projects such as the Olympic Park and Crossrail.
The Group changed firm behaviour, re-orientated project management practices, and translated lessons learned into organisational capabilities at LOR, Arup, and Mace.
Beneficiaries were the UK construction and consulting engineering sector, who as a result were better equipped to innovate and compete globally, and their clients, such as the UK Olympic Delivery Authority and Crossrail.
The innovative construction procurement framework developed from research conducted at the University of Reading between 2001 and 2012, has been adopted by industry in the UK and overseas and has informed the development of a new British Standard for construction procurement. Working closely with a range of industry participants, the School of Construction Management and Engineering developed a new understanding of the costs of construction tendering and procurement. By focusing the enquiry on finance, project cash flow and the relationships between markets and business models, the research departed from previous analyses of tendering and procurement that have tended to rely on anecdote and generally accepted practice. The results led to the development of a new framework that sets procurement within a business context and explains how unnecessary tendering and procurement costs can be avoided.
This case study focuses upon research surrounding knowledge management (KM) practice and implementation (organisational change). The case study utilises research and impact from the Systems Thinking and Organisational Change Research Group (SYTOC), which existed in Derby Business School between 2007 and 2012.
Impact included enhanced business process and practice for many organisations through the significant dissemination of the research. The core group of SYTOC includes Longbottom, Dexter, Marshall and Seddon, visiting professor and a leading authority on change in the public sector.
Building Information Modelling and Management (BIM(M)) research at the University of Salford has contributed to the concept and development of an integrated approach to improved efficiency in the construction sector:
Research undertaken by Starkey and colleagues has informed the development of a particular philosophy and practice of research. This has informed policy debates about the nature of effective management research for engaging with practice — now widely referred to as co-production — and led to new insights into the practice of policymaking in government. The research informed (1) the development of a new approach to policymaking adopted by the previous administration in work conducted for and with the Cabinet Office with senior civil servants and representation from the House of Lords; (2) collaborative work on the development of low carbon communities which was conducted with the Department of The Environment and Climate Change.