Using boundary objects to generate better value in the construction industry : interpreting cases from an activity theory perspective

Value generation in construction is about meeting client requirements. Problems inhandling client requirements within fragmented practices in sequential design andcontractual arrangements are widely recognized. Some authors suggest reconfiguringproject coalitions around integrated teams to overcome this problem. Little is said,however, about the impact of adopting this new form of work in traditional designpractice, processes and tools, and about possible socio-cognitive barriers that mayhinder the collaborative work of design professionals, clients and users. It is argued thatintegrated teams is a new form of work that requires revisiting clients' and experts'roles and relationships - rethinking existing design practices.The aim of the research is to improve the ability of integrated teams to maximize valuegeneration. It builds on activity theory to investigate the dynamics of integrated teams inconstruction. This theory explores how members of an activity system articulate andachieve the activity purpose. Recent research in activity theory suggests the opportunityto use boundary objects for breaking down socio-cognitive barriers in activitiesinvolving a group of people coming from different practices - project coalitions - andhaving different tools, language, rules and knowledge. Boundary objects are objects thatare shared across different problem-solving contexts, objects that work to establish ashared context that "sits in the middle." It is contended that boundary objects can beused to cross boundaries between these fragmented practices.The objective of the research is to develop and test the use of boundary objects such asrequirement management tools in the context of integrated teams and organisations inorder to improve value generation. The research demonstrates the value of usingboundary objects for increasing the efficiency of project coalition in delivering bettervalue. They were successfully used first to break knowledge barriers between users anddesign professionals for the design of a sustainable construction, second to improvepractices for managing a complex construction programme