Towards methodological adventure in cost overrun research: linking process and product

Abstract

The continued adoption of singular paradigms in the study of construction phenomena has elicited dialectical debates in scholarly literature. Calls have been made for more adventurous research methods, beyond the positivist versus interpretivist philosophical divide traditionally embraced by the industry. This study analyses the extensive scholarly debates, advancing and advocating philosophical positions to understand construction phenomena, and further narrows down the argument to within the specific domain of cost overrun research. A systematic and chronological literature review of the methodological/ philosophical underpinnings of 41 papers was carried out. The papers were selected by following a staged exclusion criterion. The study outcome reveals that similar dialectical debates and methodological conservatism are still evident, with the predominance of mono-paradigm studies in the bulk of the empirical literature. Most of the empirical literature either provides interpretivist theoretical explanations from qualitative data or positivistically analyses quantitative data to provide technical explanations. To this end, mixed paradigm examples are spotlighted, demonstrating the relevance of linking process and product via methodological adventure in cost overrun research. Transcending the paradigmic divide is necessary to develop a more useful and contextually anchored view of practice, essential to mitigate and provide a holistic understanding of what drives cost overruns in public projects. KEYWORDS Construction management; cost overrun research; mixed methods; mixed paradigmsOur values can have an important impact on the research we decide to pursue and how we pursue it. This may not lead to any form of discord, but it may mean that some observers accuse us of untoward bias (p. 107).Within the domain of cost overrun research, several studies have identified technical, risk, and uncertainty related issues, which are prevalent in all forms of construction works, as the primary front-end factors that account for cost overruns in public projects. Older studies such as Tan and Wakmasha (2010), reiterated that early estimates for public projects were often CONTACT Alolote Ibim Amadi

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“…This is consistent with Brunes and Lind (2014) and Subramani et al (2014) argument that cost overrun in a project could emerge from project resources becoming costlier than assessed. Aljohani et al (2017) and Amadi and Omotayo (2017) added that the high level of uncertainty involved in this type of infrastructure project potentially create flaws in the project cost estimate.…”

The potential of new models of construction procurement to counter cost overruns in construction projects: an exploratory study from a contractors’ perspective

“…Construction cost escalation has become a crucial issue in the construction industry, regardless of the size of construction projects (Eke et al , 2019; Hwang et al , 2020). Within the domain of cost overrun research, technical, risk and uncertainty-related issues have been identified as the primary front-end factors that account for cost overruns (Rahmani, 2020; Amadi, 2021). Chen et al (2019) and Hwang et al (2020) have identified different types of risks that led to cost overruns in the construction industry such as delays in the construction period (Ghauri et al 2020), changes in construction (Lou et al , 2020), misunderstanding of drawings (Rahmani, 2020) and poor communication and coordination (Smith, 2016).…”

“…Chen et al (2019) and Hwang et al (2020) have identified different types of risks that led to cost overruns in the construction industry such as delays in the construction period (Ghauri et al 2020), changes in construction (Lou et al , 2020), misunderstanding of drawings (Rahmani, 2020) and poor communication and coordination (Smith, 2016). Irrational or lack of construction planning (Larsen et al , 2016; Hwang et al , 2020) causes unsystematic site management (Connaughton and Collinge, 2021), such as unbalanced allocation of labour (Amadi, 2021), leading to cost overruns. Most of these causes are related to the procurement process in construction projects and could be better managed with better procurement practices.…”