Conceptual framework for understanding construction project culture: a literature review

Abstract

Complex human behaviours and thoughts bound by the complex construction activities have made the topic “construction project culture” an ambiguous area in the construction management literature. Despite of a several few attempts, definition of the construction project culture still remains as an area to be unveiled. This paper attempts to provide a conceptual framework for understanding construction project culture by highlighting few questions to be answered in the process of defining a project culture. The initial question raised is; ‘what cultural manifestations in deed represent construction project culture?’ next; ‘how does construction project culture exists: its structure?’ and, finally; ‘how does construction project culture emerges?’. These questions have been answered by an extensive literature review emphasising; underlying assumptions to give the true representation of construction project culture which is structured in sub-cultural groups that could be analysed in integrated, differentiated and fragmented perspectives and arguing its emergence to be with the project team efforts of answering internal integration and external adaptation problems of the project team itself. Further research of this paper will aim developing methodological frameworks to carry out empirical studies to answer the highlighted research questions and to bring empirical evidence to what the construction project culture is.