An investigation into how property developers use their social networks to drive development

While there is a substantial literature available regarding the individual specialist constituents of the development process, such as planning, finance, construction management, and economic perspectives, there is very little that discusses the whole process or the perspective of the property developer, their behaviour, methods and motivations. The world of property development is somewhat hidden and it needs researching to consolidate our understanding of the creation of the built environment. The property development world is renowned for its individual’s personalities and it is how these individuals work that is of interest. Drawing on Harris and Cundell’s observations that individual judgement is often made based on experience and instinct or “gut feel”, this investigation aims to explore how developers approach complex decisions with incomplete knowledge. A series of semi-structured, exploratory interviews were conducted with small, independent commercial property developers. Preliminary findings suggested that there are a number of elements whose influence plays a significant role in the development process including social networks and the resultant social capital, which appear to bear a significant impact on opportunity identification. This paper considers the role and importance (as understood by the actors themselves) of their contacts (i.e. social networks) in the commercial development process. Interview data was analysed from an interpretivist stance and compared to relevant theory. Findings suggest that developers have a conscious awareness of the influence and impact that their network relationships have on development.