Strategic Management in Irish Construction Professional Service Firms: A Comparative Study Across Professions

The Irish construction industry has undergone substantial change in the past decade. Following a deep, lengthy recession the improving outlook of the construction sector makes the inquiry into strategy within the firms both timely and appropriate. Determining how construction organizations successfully adapt in a highly turbulent industry is critical to ensure survival in a highly cyclical industry sector. Strategizing in construction professional service firms (CPSFs) is not well documented, and there is little understanding of the strategy processes, and implications of these processes in the firms. As part of an ongoing study, the strategic management process in CPSFs is reviewed in the context of the generic strategy literature and a set of questions is posed for future research. Using evidence from literature and drawing on the strategy-as-practice view of competitive strategy, the paper presents a potential addition to the body of knowledge in SAP research in highly knowledge-driven project-oriented service firms. The key issues raised in the paper begins to fill the gap in knowledge for strategy researchers in construction about how strategy is shaped within the industry on a micro-level, the actors involved and the tools used in strategizing, particularly within highly turbulent construction markets.