What are the key success factors and barriers that can be expected when implementing Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) for the first time in a traditional construction culture? We present an in-depth case study of the “Saxum” project under construction in Abu Ghosh, Israel, the first implementation of IPD in this traditional construction culture. The goal is to glean insight into the dynamics that support and/or subvert the required paradigm shift. The researchers interviewed the key participants, visited the site and reviewed source material from this and other IPD projects. Despite cultural and historical factors that were expected to prevent or weaken implementation of a collaborative approach like IPD, the key participants built the project according to the IPD framework. The insistence of the overseas project owner's representative that IPD be employed, coupled with the openness of the local partners to work differently, were found to be critical success factors. The participants' mindset and their behavior changed fundamentally with respect to their traditional roles, as did the character of the project (which was measured on a multi-factor sliding scale from “traditional” to “pure IPD”). Prior to this successful implementation, the opinion of local practitioners on IPD could be summed up as: “Nice in theory, but not applicable in our adversarial construction business culture.” Yet this project has shown that given the right combination of agents, it is not only feasible but also rewarding to adopt. While there are multiple accounts of IPD implementations, we focus here on viewing the case study through the lens of change management with an analysis of the local cultural barriers that were overcome.

Peer Reviewed