The construction industry takes up the gauntlet

Public and political dissadisfaction with the Danish construction industry in terms of low productivity, high prices and poor qualiyt has lead the industry to a stage where new methods and new innovative measures are needed. The industry, supported by the government, has engaged in a range of experiments in the last decade.

Many of these results are now being implemented in daily production. Special focus has been on new management concepts and activities to inprove the general image, not least to signal the drive for better quality and value and to attract a new generation of workers. Increased focus on health and safety, including attempts to reduce the high risks of accidents in the industry has also been adressed.

This paper questions whether these activities are enough and presents an ongoing reseach project that illustrates the need for innovation from a more holistic, normative and learning perspective.