Culture in construction: characteristics and paradigms

Abstract

This work presents some of the results of an ongoing research effort on the Chilean construction culture that started in 1999. The main objective of this undertaking has been to identify the basic characteristics of the organizational culture of this sector, with the goal of analyzing how it could affect the implementation of changes in construction. The paper addresses the most relevant characteristics of the organizational culture of the construction sector as identified by the research. One of the main findings of the study is that there is a set of characteristics that determine a defined organizational culture within the Chilean construction industry that differentiate it from the culture of other economic sectors. Also, the study has found that construction managers need to get rid of several paradigms regarding construction personnel, which are strong inhibitors of the needed cultural change to accelerate the development of the construction industry.