Champions of Social Procurement in the Australian Construction Industry: Evolving Roles and Motivations

Loosemore, M; Keast, R; Barraket, J; Denny-Smith, G

Champions of Social Procurement in the Australian Construction Industry: Evolving Roles and Motivations

Loosemore, M

Keast, R Barraket, J Denny-Smith, G

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Publisher:: MDPI
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: BUILDINGS, 2021, 11, (12)
Issue Date:: 2021-12-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Loosemore, M https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3189-4655
dc.contributor.author	Keast, R
dc.contributor.author	Barraket, J
dc.contributor.author	Denny-Smith, G https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9079-653X
dc.date.accessioned	2022-01-30T02:30:32Z
dc.date.available	2022-01-30T02:30:32Z
dc.date.issued	2021-12-01
dc.identifier.citation	BUILDINGS, 2021, 11, (12)
dc.identifier.issn	2075-5309
dc.identifier.issn	2075-5309
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/153827
dc.description.abstract	<jats:p>There has been a recent proliferation of social procurement policies in Australia that target the construction industry. This is mirrored in many other countries, and the nascent research in this area shows that these policies are being implemented by an emerging group of largely undefined professionals who are often forced to create their own roles in institutional vacuums with little organisational legitimacy and support. By mobilising theories of how organisational champions diffuse innovations in other fields of practice, this paper contributes new insights into the evolving nature of these newly emerging roles and the motivations which drive these professionals to overcome the institutional inertia they invariably face. The results of semi-structured interviews, with fifteen social procurement champions working in the Australian construction industry, indicate that social procurement champions come from a wide range of professional backgrounds and bring diverse social capital to their roles. Linked by a shared sense of social consciousness, these champions challenge traditional institutional norms, practices, supply chain relationships, and traditional narratives about the concepts of value in construction. We conclude that, until normative standards develop around social procurement in the construction industry, its successful implementation will depend on external institutional pressures and the practical demonstration of what is possible in practice within the performative constraints of traditional project objectives.</jats:p>
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	MDPI
dc.relation.ispartof	BUILDINGS
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3390/buildings11120641
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	1201 Architecture, 1202 Building, 1203 Design Practice and Management
dc.title	Champions of Social Procurement in the Australian Construction Industry: Evolving Roles and Motivations
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	11
utslib.for	1201 Architecture
utslib.for	1202 Building
utslib.for	1203 Design Practice and Management
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building/School of Built Environment
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2022-01-30T02:30:29Z
pubs.issue	12
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	11
utslib.citation.issue	12

Abstract:

There has been a recent proliferation of social procurement policies in Australia that target the construction industry. This is mirrored in many other countries, and the nascent research in this area shows that these policies are being implemented by an emerging group of largely undefined professionals who are often forced to create their own roles in institutional vacuums with little organisational legitimacy and support. By mobilising theories of how organisational champions diffuse innovations in other fields of practice, this paper contributes new insights into the evolving nature of these newly emerging roles and the motivations which drive these professionals to overcome the institutional inertia they invariably face. The results of semi-structured interviews, with fifteen social procurement champions working in the Australian construction industry, indicate that social procurement champions come from a wide range of professional backgrounds and bring diverse social capital to their roles. Linked by a shared sense of social consciousness, these champions challenge traditional institutional norms, practices, supply chain relationships, and traditional narratives about the concepts of value in construction. We conclude that, until normative standards develop around social procurement in the construction industry, its successful implementation will depend on external institutional pressures and the practical demonstration of what is possible in practice within the performative constraints of traditional project objectives.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/153827