ABSTRACT
A critical perspective on partnering is developed with reference to current concerns regarding the increasingly corporatist nature of global capitalism. Partnering is advocated by many leading clients as a means of improving customer responsiveness and ensuring continuous improvement. The seductive rhetoric of partnering too often serves only to disguise the crude exercise of buying power. In the UK, the four largest supermarket chains are all leading advocates of partnering. Ironically, all are currently under investigation by the Office of Fair Trading for failing to pass on savings to their customers. It is suggested that the doctrine of customer responsiveness ultimately owes more to corporatist propaganda than to a coherent management policy. The buying power of the industry’s major clients continually discourages dissent to the partnering ideal. Construction companies which do not appear similarly committed risk being denied access to a substantial proportion of the UK market. The increasing influence of industry on the construction research agenda also discourages academics from challenging the legitimacy of partnering discourse. There is an urgent need for research which is independent of commercial vested interests.
