The claims culture: a taxonomy of attitudes in the industry
This paper presents an analysis of a familiar aspect of construction industry culture that we have dubbed 'the claims culture'. This is a culture of contract administration that lays a strong emphasis on the planning and management of claims. The principal elements of the analysis are two sets of distinctions. The first comprises economic and occupational orders, referring to two kinds of control that are exercised over the construct ion process; predicated respectively on economic ownership and occupational competence. The second refers to contrasting attitudes towards relationships and problem solving within these orders: respectively 'distributive' and 'integrative'. The concepts of economic and occupational order entail further sub-categories. The various attitudes associated with these categories and sub-categories are described. They are assessed as to their consequences for change initiatives in the industry.
Keywords: Culture; claims management; ethnography; grounded theory; procurement
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Institute of Public Health Research and Policy, The University of Salford, 4th Floor Humphrey Booth House, The Crescent, Salford M5 4QA, UK 2: School of Civil Engineering, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK 3: Department of Real Estate and Construction, The University of Hong Kong
Publication date: 01 February 2003
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