The Road to Competition in the Building Improvement Industry

The Road to Competition in the Building Improvement Industry by Dr Karl Myrsten Lönsam Samverkan (Profitable Collaboration, 1985) described a 20-year project aimed at promoting modernisation of the building improvement industry. The project continued after publication of the book, focusing on activities for implementation of the solution that had been designed. This process revealed a number of new needs and requirements that called for further development of the solution. Over the course of two decades, the effort has generated a series of leading-edge computer applications that many contractors in Norway, Finland and Sweden – as well as their customers – are now using on a daily basis. This book reviews the evolution of the project and the lessons that have been learned since the publication of Lönsam Samverkan. A central theme of this book revolves around the difficulties associated with changing an industry that lacks an effective market. Parallels are drawn to the challenges faced by countries that embark on the transition from a planned to a market economy. The book defines a basis for quantifying and comparing work performance. A method is then presented for introducing creative competition into the service sector and combating the corruption that runs rampant due to the emphasis on hourly rates. Meanwhile, the Swedish Public Procurement Act in its present form is exposed as a toothless tiger. Interested readers will enjoy exploring the mysterious price mechanisms that drive the expansion of market economies. The book offers a strategy for implementing a comprehensive new approach in large systems that lack effective leadership. The strategy concentrates on the practical everyday solutions that the approach has made possible.