Overcoming Barriers
To Innovation in the Home Building Industry (April
2005, 70 p.)
While new technologies and production processes could help
overcome serious problems for housing producers, many characteristics
of the housing industry inhibit the development and diffusion
of innovations on a large scale. Overcoming Barriers to Innovation
in the Homebuilding Industry presents findings from PATH's
extensive research on barriers to innovation and ways to overcome
them.
The report provides an overview of PATH's literature search
on barriers related to risk, fragmentation, education/communication,
and industry participant preferences. To develop a practical
understanding of how these barriers affect technology adoption
within the industry, three expert investigatory panels were
convened in fall 2004-one on risk, a second on industry participant
preferences, and a third on education/communication. The panels
were comprised of seven to 10 leading representatives of key
stakeholders and decisionmakers in the housing industry.
The report presents the panels' recommendations for actions
to overcome barriers to innovation in the three areas. Both
conventional wisdom and current practice were challenged by
the proceedings. While these recommendations are explicitly
made in the context of PATH activities, they can apply to
any initiative within industry or government to improve the
rate and quality of innovation in the homebuilding industry.
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