Reconceptualizing the management of technology in construction: A Malaysian perspective

It is identified in the Egan Report (1998) that technology on its own cannot provide the answer to the need for greater efficiency and quality in construction, noting that there has been well publicized cases of new technology being used which does not work. It is suggested in this paper that a wholly functionalist/technical approach towards issues that relate to the complex problem of technology management, specifically technology transfer may misguide efforts towards collaborative working relationships. The transfer and innovation of knowledge within a multidisciplinary context requires a different conceptualization of related issues from the traditional and dominant technocratic discipline-based approach as is evident in the Malaysian context. The notion of networks as a form for coordinating action is forwarded as a structuring element within a multi-disciplinary context and inter-organizational context for accommodating the socio-technical perspective required for addressing the phenomena of transfer of technology in construction. It is suggested in this paper that a socio-technical systems (STS) approach that is based on a constructivist-constructionist epistemology towards decision making relating to the critical area of technology management, more specifically technology transfer, can provide a more inclusive strategy for dynamic analysis and synthesis of developing issues (current and future) that can be critically understood in a generative sense to be shared and analyzed. It is further suggested that the STS approach provides an avenue for addressing the key issue of value-chain relationships in construction projects that can serve as a basis for a genuine buy-in to the complex phenomena of technology transfer amongst stakeholders. However, it is recommended that a critical aspect in undertaking the STS approach is the necessity for securing the services of the construction industry research community, as STS analysts who are engaged in focused legitimate peripheral participation amongst the dynamic array of networks.