Culture & Change

Culture change in the industry in the adoption of this new technology.  The construction industry has become notoriously litigious as projects have larger sums at stake, and as a consequence of being a buyers market where contractors and sub-contractors are forced to price their services more competitively.  Blockchain has the potential to reverse the current trends by creating a ‘Panoptican effect’, where all parties behaviour is moderated as they known that there is the possibility that their conduct will be properly observed at a later date.

The detailed and accurate recording of decision making in the design process will disrupt the current relationships between the various parties to the process, by the creation of a more collaborative approach to liability, which in turn should encourage a less ‘defensive’ approach to decision making and thereby encourage innovation.

Research into changes in current business practices, in particular by the use of automation of processes such as the purchase of materials and the verification of quantities will encourage best practice to develop in areas where current restrictions create market imbalance

Keywords

Panoptican effect, collaboration, change by automation.