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The cult of customer responsiveness: Is design innovation the price of a client-focused construction industry?

Lookup NU author(s): Chris Ivory

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Abstract

Much has been written about the positive contribution made by the customer to innovation in bespoke and low-volume products like those of construction. Far less attention has been given to the potentially corrosive effects the client might have on innovation. Drawing on three construction case studies, this paper argues that strong client leadership may have negative consequences for innovation, including the suppression of innovation and an overly narrow focus on particular types of innovation. Given that innovation has a key role in the future competitiveness of any industry, it is argued that the role of the client in construction innovation requires more careful examination than it has thus far been afforded. © 2005 Taylor & Francis.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Ivory C

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Construction Management and Economics

Year: 2005

Volume: 23

Issue: 8

Pages: 861-870

ISSN (print): 0144-6193

ISSN (electronic): 1466-433X

Publisher: Routledge

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01446190500204648

DOI: 10.1080/01446190500204648

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