Keywords: cost control, engineering management, projects, systems engineering, systems integration, training and development, life cycle cost.

Social identity theory, uniquely applied here to the rail-industry, can be used to explain the relationship between, sector-designers on the one-hand, and main-contractors on the other-hand, and how such interactions affect project quality, and cost & time progressions, namely, this work finds that both groups have strong group entitativity, leading to behaviours that negatively impact the project, and contribute adversely to the measurable factors of success. These behaviours include a lack of trust between fellow-stakeholders, and a propensity to challenge others’ capabilities and motivations. Senior level practitioners involved in complex rail projects across three different continents have been consulted within a structured, qualitative research approach towards a thematics’ analysis, compliant with a classical Creswell methodology. Responses from participants indicate that projects that are successful have ‘people-based’ characteristics that overcome systemic difficulties, and are then able to counter any negative effects across disparate (professional) social identities. The work here finds that, in addition to trust, towards ensuring a successful rail-project, there is much need for what this research is defining as an overarching ‘guiding mind’.

download the full-text of this paper (PDF, 13 pages, 339 Kb)

go to the previous paper
go to the next paper
return to the table of contents
return to the volume description