Pragmatic failure culture in construction processes

Costs of failures in construction processes can be significant to project budgets. An ongoing empirical study, at a large Danish contractor, creates an in depth understanding of causes of failures. Underlying structures for AEC project management practices are studied from a sociological structuration perspective. Different failure cultures are studied as structures for the inter-organizational interactions in building processes. The project studied is successful in terms of time, costs and from the project’s narrative although a fatal occupational injury is somewhat damaging this picture. The study shows a wide range of failures throughout the production phase. Most are minor problems leading only to limited reflection and narrow redressing actions. The ambiguity is that this “successful project” encompasses what could be seen as a failure culture. Conclusions are that project cultures entail an expectation of a certain level of failures throughout the project.