The social organization of errors and the manifestation of rework: learning from narratives of practice

Abstract

Despite the considerable amount of research that has examined rework causation in construction, it remains an inherent problem that can potentially result in adverse project outcomes. This situation has arisen as studies have tended to ignore the social organization of errors (i.e. the pattern of relationships and social interactions between and among individuals and teams). Instead, studies have adopted a ‘reductionist view’ of rework causation by identifying its proximal and root causes rather than addressing the conditions resulting in its manifestation. This paper uses a case study approach with a sense-making lens to create a series of narratives of rework events that arose while constructing a transport mega-project. By making sense of the context surrounding the error events, it is revealed rework manifests from failures in ‘negotiated order’ which stems from role ambiguity, misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and break-downs in communications and interactions between people and organizations. As a consequence of these findings, their theoretical and practical implications arising from the research are discussed.

Keywords:

• Construction
• errors
• negotiated order
• mega-project
• social organization
• rework

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Editor, Professor Bjorn Andersen, and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive and insightful comments.

Ethical approval

Curtin University (HRE2020-73285) and Deakin University (DUHREC2020-328) provided ethics approval for this study.

Notes

1 Error management can be described as a perspective that pledges for a ‘useful approach to errors with the goal of reducing future errors, of avoiding negative error consequences and of dealing quickly with error consequences once they occur’ (Frese 1995, 113).

2 A negotiated order is the pattern of activities emerging over time as an outcome of the interplay of the variety of interests, understandings, reactions, and initiatives of the individuals and groups involved in an organisation [or project] (Strauss et al. 1963). Accordingly, Strauss (1978) asserts that ‘the negotiated order on any given day could be conceived of as the sum total of the organisation's rules and policies, along with whatever agreements, understandings, pacts, contracts, and other working arrangements currently obtained. These include agreements at every level of organisation, of every clique and coalition, and include covert as well as overt agreements’ (5–6).

3 At the time this research undertaken the industry had shown signs it was overheating. A year on in April 2022 Australia several mega-projects were put on-hold due to an overheated industry. The Australian government announced it would delay several mega-projects such as the Beaches Link Highway and the Parramatta rail line (Winston 2022).

4 Measures designed to enhance the detection and recovery of errors, as well as seeking to minimize their adverse consequences.

5 Measures designed to limit the occurrence of errors.

6 Organisational error management practices comprise (van Dyck et al. 2005, 1230): (1) communicating about errors; (2) sharing error knowledge; (3) helping in error situations; (4) quick error detection and damage control; (5) analyzing errors; (6) coordinating error handling; and (7) effective error handling.

7 Context is ‘defined as the formal and informal setting in which a situation occurs’, which includes its economic, political, legal, geographical, historical, socio-cultural, environmental, institutional or managerial circumstances and/or the continual unfolding interaction between the situation and the setting (Brown 2010, 7).

Additional information

Funding

We would also like to thank the interviewees and their respective organizations for participating in this study and acknowledge the Australian Research Council’s financial support (DP210101281).

Notes on contributors

Peter E. D. Love

Peter E. D. Love received a Ph.D. in operations management from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, in 2002. He is a John Curtin Distinguished Professor with the School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Curtin University, Kent St, Australia. His research interests include operations and production management, resilience engineering, infrastructure development, and digitization in construction. His research has been published in leading scholarly journal papers, journals, such as the European Journal of Operations Research, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of Management Studies, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Production Planning & Control, and Transportation Research A: Policy and Practice. Dr. Love holds a Higher Doctorate of Science (Curtin 2012) for his contributions to the field of civil and construction engineering

Jane Matthews

Jane Matthews received a Ph.D. in architecture from the University of East London, London, U.K., in 2001. She is a Professor of Digital Construction at the School of Architecture and Built Environment, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. She has ten years of industry experience as a Software Design and Development Manager for the Royal Institute of British Architects. Dr. Matthews has published extensively in leading scholarly journals, which include Automation in Construction, ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Production Planning & Control, Transportation Research A: Policy and Practice, the IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management and Reliability Engineering and System Safety. Her research interests include the management and visualization of information in construction.