Exploring On-Site Institutional Logics and Contradictions: How Institutions are Reproduced on the Construction Site

Construction projects are often depicted as temporary project-based organisations with a high level of conflicts. These organisations are compositions of several firms and professions who mobilise different institutional logics in their everyday work. However, it is not clear whether these conflicts stem from competing and potentially contradictory institutional logics. To better understand whether conflicts on the construction site result from incompatibilities between logics, this paper investigates the presence of logics on construction sites in Denmark. The study uses a sample of 10 semi-structured interviews conducted with site managers and craftsmen. The findings suggest that conflict arises due to competing institutional logics. For example, at the level of the craftsmen, the focus is on self-interest, while at the level of the managers, the focus is on the general project. This demonstrates that multiple competing institutional logics exist on the construction site and trigger conflicts during the everyday work. The study contributes to the construction management literature with insights on how contradictory logics affect construction site activities.

Keywords: conflicts; site; institutional contradictions; logics; relationships