Cultural transformation in construction partnering projects

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the use of partnering in
construction. Since partnering is seen as changing behaviours and
attitudes, cultural transformation cannot be forgotten in the process. Much
of the literature tends to presume that cultural alignment is a prerequisite
for partnering. Furthermore, the existing research fails to adequately
address the complex relationship between individual or group behaviour
and organisational culture which, nevertheless, lies at the heart of many
prescriptions for improving collaboration within the industry.
This paper initially reviews the major cultural and behavioural challenges
and their root causes in construction partnering projects. Many
commentators place considerable emphasis upon the importance of
changing attitudes and cultural transformation to address various
challenges in construction partnering. As the first step, this paper proposes
a cultural web to understand organisational culture and to identify a
substantial range of the elements which must be managed if a strategic and
cultural change is to be successful.