Organizational Barriers to Productivity and Innovation in Large-Scale, U.S.-Based Photovoltaic System Construction Projects

Abstract

It is important to understand how contemporary organizational structures and behaviors might affect the ability of construction companies to expand into new project types. An attempt is made to develop this understanding by exploring the engineering and construction activities associated with a fairly new, but rapidly growing, project type: large-scale photovoltaic systems, focusing on considerations related to electrical wiring. Drawing from direct involvement and structured observation of over 50 large-scale, U.S.-based photovoltaic projects, it is illustrated how business processes that have negatively impacted conventional projects—such as commercial buildings—also limit productivity and innovation in these new project types. It is asserted that this is a direct result of trained incapacities and other suboptimal organizational constructs that restrict behavioral adaptation toward new projects.