Pursuing Value Creation in Construction by Research -A Study of Applied Research Methodologies

This paper presents the results of a study on research methodology applied within the field of Value and Value Creation in construction industry. The purpose of the paper is to give an overview of approaches that are used, and map which research philosophies and methods are most common within this field. The research is based on an extensive literature review. Relevant research contributions from 1980 to 2016 were studied. The publications have been categorized based on their data collection method (literature review, interviews, surveys etc.), and which philosophical approach (positivism, interpretivism, realism and idealism) that is applied. Research on value has been conducted in many different contexts such as marketing, psychology, manufacturing and construction. However, this research is limited to publications that are directly associated with buildings, construction projects and construction industry. The paper also presents the development of research methods on value and value creation. The results, besides providing a knowledge status, give an overview that can be helpful for fellow researchers to improve the research quality, and see if there is a need to look into the topic from alternative perspectives.