A new professionalism in construction: importance of trust

The features of the construction industry, the construction process, the construction project and constructed items include: the high cost and invisibility of the built items; the long period of gestation of projects; the large number of participants in a project; possible impact of the project and product on the health and safety of the workers, occupants and the community; and wide extent of governments’ involvement in the process. These characteristics make trust important in construction. There is a need for trust in the industry, among the organisations and practitioners involved in projects; between the industry and its clients; within the project value chain; and between the industry and other stakeholders. The extent of trust at each of these levels, how professionalism among construction practitioners helps to build this trust, and what should be done to engender trust in construction are addressed. The study is based on an analysis of recent studies on professionalism in the UK construction industry which are compared with mainstream conceptions, and national aspirations and strategies for the industry. It is suggested that action should be taken to build trust at all the levels outlined above. It is argued that the construction industry needs a new professionalism, based on the features of the construction industry.