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Project Management and Innovation

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

It has been asserted by researchers that the knowledge and skills possessed by a company`s employees, contribute substantially to the organization`s capacity to innovate. Stewart (1997) sustains this view affirming that: “human capital is the capabilities of individuals who are the source of innovation and renewal within companies”. Egbu (2004) explores the factors that lead to innovation in relation to the managerial understanding of developing the human capital and integrating those ideas in the organizational strategies. In the study of four innovative construction organizations, it was noted that these organizations have similar characteristics that contribute towards stimulating innovation and human capital such as: flexibility in response to change and new information, a climate where mistakes are accepted as being part of the learning process and people are not afraid to take risks, an environment that promotes respect and employees are valued, where they are encouraged to share information, establishing a relationship of interdependence between employees and organization and also and a climate of trust and job security. (Egbu, 2004)
Byrne (2001) states a very pertinent question: “Are employees capital or commodity?” and asserts that if the employees feel insecure in their jobs and feel that they can be easily replaced their willingness to share knowledge decreases considerable. He observed that without loyalty the knowledge cannot be preserved and the desire to acquire knowledge and share it cannot be attained without motivation. However, according to Gann and Slater (2000) management of innovation is “complicated by the discontinuous nature of project-based production in which, often, there are broken learning and feedback loops. In the construction industry, the knowledge is transferred

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