Boundary work in a Swedish infrastructure project: shadowing an environmental manager

Other conference contribution, 2024

One role that has become increasingly important in construction projects is the environmental manager, yet little is known about how the environmental manager role interacts with other roles in the project. In particular, there is a lack of research on the boundary work between these roles. Drawing on interviews with project participants and observational data from shadowing of an environmental manager in a Swedish infrastructure project, this paper aims to investigate how environmental professionals in construction projects are (re)negotiating role boundaries in relation to the production (i.e., site manager and supervisor) and the client. By applying the theoretical lens of boundary work, the findings highlight some of the micro-practices in which the environmental manager engage in to create, maintain, and disrupt role boundaries around environmental work. The paper contributes to the literature on professional roles and boundary work in construction management and emphasizes the importance of clarifying role boundaries around environmental work in infrastructure projects.