AN EVALUATION OF CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ'S 'ON WAR' FOR STRATEGIC QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Abstract

Carl Von Clausewitz’s ‘On War’ is a major western war strategy that attempts to capture objective knowledge and observations that are universally valid and thus applicable to all wars. It emphasizes the importance of psychological and accidental factors and integrates politics, social and economic issues as some of the most important factors in deciding the outcomes of a war. This corresponds to the construction industry as the knowledge presented in ‘On War’ could serve as the foundation for an individual to understand, cultivate and develop subjective knowledge beyond war, and for self-education. Furthermore, the construction industry is highly dynamic and comprises of numerous functions of social, political, psychological and economical nature.

The strategic dynamics of Quality Management are deeply embedded in complexity within an organization. The alignment of quality initiatives is also not an automatic process and requires a systematic framework and management mechanism for deployment. Strategic Quality Management is hence necessary. However, Strategic Quality Management is not readily undertaken by construction practitioners in Singapore.

This academic study hence attempts to evaluate the application of Carl Von Clausewitz’s ‘On War’ on Strategic Quality Management in the construction industry. In particular, it surveys the views and feedback of practitioners in the industry. With the collected empirical data, this research shows that Carl Von Clausewitz’s ‘On War’ appears to be similar to Strategic Quality Management in its thinking and practices with regard to the construction industry.