Re‐thinking TQM: toward a framework for facilitating learning and change in construction organizations

Abstract

Organizations in the construction industry have eschewed implementing TQM practices because short‐term benefits are relatively minimal. As a result, re‐engineering has emerged as an alternative to change. Albeit re‐engineering seeks radical performance improvements, the path to its implementation is incremental. Therefore, organizational change should be viewed as a continuous process rather than a static or “one‐off” event. Before construction organizations consider implementing re‐engineering initiatives, they should re‐address their existing approaches to quality, so that an adaptive learning TQM culture can be cultivated. In striving for this ambition and based on a review and synthesis of the literature, a framework for facilitating organizational learning and change in construction organizations is presented.