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Defence of dissertation in the field of real estate economics, Karoliina Rajakallio, M.Sc. (Tech.)

How to build ecosystems and improve innovations in the real estate and construction sector?
Kuvituskuva väitöstapahtumaan, Aalto-kynä ja tutkimuspaperi

The built environment industry is central in the search of solutions to global challenges, such as the climate change. In addition, the sector has for long suffered from low productivity and quality issues. However, the sector has been poor in developing solutions to these problems. The research focused on improving the innovation performance of the built environment industry networks. It also examined the benefits and applicability of business ecosystem concept over short-term project approach. The results of the dissertation complete the existing network management theories and give concrete recommendations how to improve the innovation performance in built environment networks for practitioners. 

The results show that the established business models, risk perceptions and risk management capabilities have a central role in determining the success of interfirm co-operation. If the business models of firms are incompatible, i.e. they are lacking “shared logic”, the goals of the co-operation cannot be reached. Changing established business models is very difficult, e.g. through contractual arrangements, due to the conservativeness of the industry. Particularly the public sector actors seem to be ill-equipped to promote shared logic in their networks.

The dissertation recommends that the built environment industry should move towards ecosystem –based thinking away from project –based business conceptualisations, and provides practical tools for this. The business model and ecosystem concepts applied in the dissertation provide a novel framework for managing collaboration in the built environment and finding new ways of creating shared logic.

Opponent: Professor Miia Martinsuo, Industrial Engineering and Management, Tampere University, Faculty of Management and Business 

Supervisor: Professor Seppo Junnila, Department of Built Environment, Aalto University

Electronic dissertation: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-60-8877-8

Contact details: 
Karoliina Rajakallio
PL 55250, 00099 City of Helsinki
tel. +358400477561
[email protected]

A doctoral dissertation is a public document and shall be available at Aalto University, School of Engineering’s notice board in Otakaari 4, Espoo at the latest 10 days prior to public defence.

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