Collegiality in the Scottish construction industry: are Jock Tamson's bairns held together by surface tension?

In 2002 the Scottish construction industry embarked on its own post-Egan path to „continuous‟ improvement. The formation of a Modernising Construction Strategic Group (MCSG) and its subsequent report Achieving Construction Innovation and Excellence in Scotland was a catalyst for a devolved roadmap intended to inspire and motivate the Scottish construction industry. As a result of the recommendations made by the MCSG the Scottish Construction Forum (SCF) was established in 2004.The aims of the SCF are to provide strategic advice to the industry, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament. Further developments took place in 2007 with the launch of a Scottish Construction Centre (SCC) with a remit to promote innovation and excellence in Scotland's construction industry and to take over the administration of the SCF. The SCC is a consortium based initiative funded by Scottish Enterprise Glasgow and in partnership with the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) and has also received additional funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). An overarching umbrella is also provided by a construction industry cross party group within the Scottish Parliament who seek to ensure that Scotland has a world-class construction industry. This paper undertakes a critique of these initiatives and provides evidence that suggests the establishment of a unified and collegiate Scottish construction industry has cultural and political barriers to overcome.