Integrating capital project delivery: An activity theory-based approach

This chapter addresses the complexity in the design of project teams and organisations that undertake integrated project delivery (IPD). It considers activity theory as the basic starting point for this study and develops activity-system models that move away from the simplistic view of design of project organisations into a more complex and mature view of the interactions between the various parts of the system. In 1998, Sir John Egan released his report ‘Rethinking Construction’. Egan pressed the importance of fostering a culture of trust and respect, full staff training and an environment in which staff can give their best. The original model for describing human activity is a triadic relationship between a subject and an object mediated by tools. However, these three elements cannot be pulled apart without violating the core essence of human activity. In contrast, the focus of activity theory is the social setting within which activity takes place.