Merging academic research and industry
requirements for innovative construction
management practices in Sri Lanka : a study on
critical success factors

Hadiwattege, C; Senaratne, S; Sandanayake, YG; Fernando, NG

Abstract

The application of a ‘knowledge-based economy’, which is
a mainstream theory in many sectors, is rarely visible in the construction industry, especially in developing countries. Accordingly, the negative consequence of weak academic-industry interactions has created many hindrances to the development of the construction sector. Hence, it is essential to lead the construction industry toward
innovations through research-informed management practices, which urges for strong academic-industry assimilation. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for research driven construction management innovations. A comprehensive literature review was carried out first and empirical data were collected
from the Sri Lankan context using the mixed-research approach
informed by a pragmatist philosophical stance. The perspectives of
academia and industry were deductively obtained through questionnaires and inductively explored through semi-structured interviews.
The findings were accumulated to a model and validated externally
through expert interviews. The Model of CSFs for Research-driven
Innovations (MRI) in construction management practices displays the CSFs stage-wise, concerning the actionable stakeholders. The research confirms the academic research’s potential to foster innovations in construction management practices if righteously initiated inside the innovation space, executed properly, and disseminated strategically.

Citation

critical success factors. International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 18(1), 32-48. https://doi.org/10.1080/15578771.2020.1781303

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 8, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jun 28, 2020
• Publication Date: Jan 2, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jul 10, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 28, 2021
• Journal: International Journal of Construction Education and Research
• Print ISSN: 1557-8771
• Electronic ISSN: 1550-3984
• Publisher: Routledge
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 32-48
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15578771.2020.1781303
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/15578771.2020.1781303
• Related Public URLs: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uice20/current
• Additional Information: Access Information : This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Construction Education and Research on 28th June 2020, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/15578771.2020.1781303.