Adapting novel research techniques to analyse collaboration in offsite manufacturing housing construction innovations

The aims of this paper are two-fold. First, we examine collaborative practice in innovative housing construction supply chains in Australia to enrich theoretical understandings of collaboration, by using actor-network theory and causal loop diagrams to examine collaboration’s complex conditions, influencers, and outcomes. Second, we contribute methodologically by proposing a knowledge transfer approach that translates these conceptual understandings of collaboration into a framework of concrete behaviors, systems and structures.Research shows that much of the Australian housing construction sector continues to function in a traditional, craft-based manner characterized by inefficiency and a lack of professionalism. A small number of exemplary supply chains has addressed these challenges through innovative offsite manufacturing (OSM) techniques. Government and industry are thus showing increasing interest in OSM, but despite its benefits, uptake in Australia remains limited. A number of challenges to OSM have been identified, a fundamental one being the lack of collaboration across a deeply fragmented sector. Collaboration is critical in housing construction settings, given that it has been identified as a key strategy for supply chain integration and is understood to be linked to innovation. However, theoretical work on collaboration and methodologies for knowledge translation from research to practice are two research areas that are currently underexplored. In conducting this study we contribute to conceptual development on collaboration and present a knowledge transfer approach that bridges the evidence-to-practice gap.   We use qualitative techniques to examine collaboration in five successful OSM supply chains. Based on data from 29 semi-structured interviews, we identify key elements of collaboration. We examine each element’s inter-relationship with other elements, as well as the links of each element to a complex set of conditions and outcomes. The rich detail of narratives combined with causal loop diagrams then allows us to translate these theoretical findings into detailed frameworks for policy and practice.