Collaboration in project teams: The role of mastery and performance climates

Over the last years, project work in teams has become commonplace in organizations. Studies have indicated that the motivational climate in which teams operate is highly relevant in determining employee behavior. This study investigates the effect of motivational climates, as defined by goal setting theory, on collaboration in project teams. In a survey among 173 senior project members from different organizations, we found that congruence between performance and mastery climates is positively and significantly related to collaboration behavior in teams. Furthermore, we highlight the moderating role of prosocial motivation in the relationship between (in)congruence in motivational climates and collaboration. Specifically, we find that under conditions of low prosocial motivation, a focus on either a mastery or a performance climate is preferable to adopting a congruence between these two climates, at least in terms of collaboration in teams.     

Risk management in small construction projects in Singapore: Status,barriers and impact

Risk management (RM) should be implemented in construction projects to assure the achievement of project objectives, regardless of project size. This study aims to investigate RM in small projects in Singapore in terms of status, barriers and impact of RM on project performance. To achieve the objectives, a questionnaire survey was conducted and data were collected from 668 projects submitted by 34 companies. The analysis results indicated a relatively low level of RM implementation in small projects, and that “lack of time”, “lack of budget”, “low profit margin”, and “not economical” were prominent barriers. Also, the results reported the positive correlation between RM implementation and improvement in quality, cost and schedule performance of small projects, respectively. The findings of this study can provide an in-depth understanding of RM in small projects in Singapore and make benefits of RM convincing to the participants of small projects.     

Quantitative effects of drivers and barriers on networking strategies in public construction projects

Past studies have found that network strategies can contribute to better company and project performance. The adoption of network strategies is motivated by a set of factors (i.e., drivers), but also faces numerous challenges (i.e., barriers). The appreciation of the factors motivating and deterring networking strategies is beneficial to the successful implementation of network strategies. In the context of public construction projects, this study aims to examine the quantitative effect of drivers and barriers on three network strategies (i.e., trust, information sharing and joint problem solving). The results of a questionnaire-survey of 104 public projects show that the adoption of network strategies in public construction is mainly cost-driven. The results indicate that four barriers impede network strategies in public projects: (i) a lack of continuity and (ii) ethos of public services are harmful to trust; (iii) institutional constraints hinder information sharing; and (iv) a lack of capability is a hurdle to information sharing and trust. It is also found that one barrier (i.e., ethos of public services) has a positive influence on trust between clients and consultants. Recommendations on enhancing network strategies through the appreciation of drivers and barriers are provided.     

公路施工企业动态联盟体利益分配模型探讨

动态联盟建立时要考虑动态联盟各成员的利益分配,利益分配的关键在于确定分配比例,本文构建了综合考虑投资、风险、成本节约等因素利益分配模型,并运用层次分析方法对利益分配系数进行求解。     

Effects of cooperative procurement procedures on construction project performance: A conceptual framework

In this paper, we develop a testable holistic procurement framework that examines how a broad range of procurement related factors affects project performance criteria. Based on a comprehensive literature review, we put forward propositions suggesting that cooperative procurement procedures (joint specification, selected tendering, soft parameters in bid evaluation, joint subcontractor selection, incentive-based payment, collaborative tools, and contractor self-control) generally have a positive influence on project performance (cost, time, quality, environmental impact, work environment, and innovation). We additionally propose that these relationships are moderated or mediated by the collaborative climate (i.e. the trust and commitment among partners) in the project and moderated by the overall project characteristics (i.e. how challenging the project is in terms of complexity, customization, uncertainty, value/size, and time pressure). Based on our contribution, future research can test the framework empirically to further increase the knowledge about how procurement factors may influence project performance.     

Improving project outcomes through operational reliability: A conceptual model

The work reported here is part of an on-going research effort concerned with developing a methodology to improve the outcomes of projects involving complex information systems. To facilitate the study, previous research concerned with high reliability organisations (HRO) is examined. An analysis of this literature is used to develop a conceptual model that explains how highly reliable operational capabilities are achieved and maintained. Cases of catastrophic failures are evaluated using this paradigm to illustrate its utility as an analytical research tool and its potential as a systemic framework for evaluating the operational capability of organisations prior to project initiation.     

Industrialized construction in the Swedish infrastructure sector: core elements and barriers

Improving productivity and innovation is a central challenge in all industries, but particularly in construction where improvements have been slow. To meet this challenge, a recent investigation into the actions of Swedish government clients has recognized needs to improve planning during project procurement phases, increase numbers of turnkey contracts and raise industrialization of the sector. In response, the Swedish Transportation Administration has launched a research and innovation programme to foster an industrial approach and identify ways to increase the standardization of products and processes. However, increasing industrialization has been difficult to achieve in the project-based construction industry except in the process-based housing sector. Further, there has been little research on the concept of industrialized infrastructure construction and barriers to its implementation. Opinions and attitudes of clients, consultants and contractors in the infrastructure sector were investigated in relation to the core elements of industrialized construction, and the barriers hindering its development. Opportunities and obstacles related to both product and process standardization for continuous improvements and the relationships between clients and contractors are revealed. Hence, the implementation of industrialized construction requires tightly focused governance at the outset of projects and profound changes to established attitudes, norms and regulations.     

A short-term model for extrapolating unconfined creep deformation data for woven geotextiles

This study reports results for creep deformation with data acquired in 72 h of testing. A system capable of performing 8 simultaneous tests was used to test four woven geotextiles of different weights, following all of the recommendations outlined in the standards related to equipment setup. A mathematical model was used to generate time-dependent creep curves for four different load levels up to 40% for each sample and using a database which presented stage II creep conditions (i.e. without rupture) through the end of the tests, up to 10,000 h. The coefficients of variation for the conventional creep tests were below 10%. The compatibility between the experimental data and the model indicates that short-term (72 h) loading tests may be used to extrapolate long-term creep deformation in woven geotextiles.     

Boundary object efficacy: The mediating role of boundary objects on task conflict in global virtual project networks

As project-based industries such as Architecture, Engineering and Construction globalize, workers require strategies for managing conflict in virtual project networks. Our aim in this paper is to explore the efficacy of boundary objects as tools to mediate conflict in culturally-diverse, distributed networks. Based on annotated recordings for eight networks of graduate student engineers, we demonstrate that different interactional patterns between distributed engineers and boundary objects can lead to a reduction in conflict duration. We did not observe higher levels of conflict for global compared to domestic networks, but did discover that, regardless of network diversity, networks that interacted with the boundary objects in certain ways were able to identify and resolve conflicts more quickly. Our findings have important implications for theories of conflict management and boundary object efficacy in addition to practical applications to support conflict management in global virtual project networks.     

Collaboration in disasters: A cultural challenge for the utilities sector

Understanding the interdependency of organizations in a disaster is necessary to facilitate collaboration. Interdependencies in the utilities sector have traditionally focused upon the technical aspects of these dependencies. This research used empirical research methods that included an observational study of utility stakeholders during a real-time disaster. The study investigated the cultural challenges associated with the socio-cultural interdependencies that stakeholders from the utilities sector encountered when working in emergency management. Participants identified that a lack of legitimacy and trust created barriers to collaboration. The paper concludes with recommendations for the industry to address the potential cultural barriers encountered in a disaster.     

Influence of Benoto bored pile construction on nearby existing tunnel: A case study

The monitoring and analysis of lateral displacement for metro tunnels are very important because the metro systems are the lifeline of metropolises. This paper presents a case study of a site in Nanjing, China, where the Benoto bored piles were constructed nearby the existing tunnel. The construction technology, a combination of the Benoto bored piles construction and the conventional construction technology of circulating slurry, is illustrated in detail. The lateral displacement at six test sections were measured and discussed to assess the impact of piles installation on the stability and integrity of the existing tunnel. The measured results showed that during the construction period using the Benoto method, relatively large lateral displacement occurred at the depth with soft soil (Mucky silty clay), with characteristics including a large void ratio, high plasticity, poor permeability, high water content, low shear strength, and low modulus of deformation. During the construction period of the conventional Circulating-Slurry method, negative lateral displacement occurred below the tip of the casing due to the soil arching effect, indicating an inward movement towards the Benoto bored piles. The maximum lateral displacement decreased as the distance between piles and inclinometers increased, with a maximum difference of 45% at the end of the measurements. It was also observed that the measured maximum lateral displacement was less than the cumulative trigger value of 20 mm, indicating an effectiveness of Benoto bored piles constructed adjacent to existing tunnel. This case study may provide the means for a qualitative assessment for engineering constructions where the situation bears similarities.     

Mitigation of ground vibrations induced by high speed railways using double geofoam barriers: Centrifuge modeling

This paper presents a study of the propagation and mitigation of ground vibrations induced by high speed railways using 8 centrifuge tests. In the reported tests here, geofoam is used as a barrier in various locations and arrangements (single and double) to mitigate ground vibrations. The results show that the surface waves guide the propagation pattern of ground vibrations induced by high speed railways and also reveal that geofoam is a proper material for the mitigation of such ground vibrations. While the use of single geofoam barriers can reduce ground vibrations by up to 54.5%, their performance at low input frequencies are undesirable. Double geofoam barriers are used and tested in various locations to eliminate such inconvenient effects and improve the mitigation of ground vibrations. The results show that double geofoam barriers can mitigate the vibrations by about 14%–35% more than a single geofoam barrier and undesirable performances for the mentioned low input frequencies are also eliminated.     

Shared leadership in project teams: An integrative multi-level conceptual model and research agenda

Shared leadership has rarely been studied in the project management context, despite its proven performance-enhancing benefits in other management domains. Based on a systematic review of the salient literature from multiple disciplines, this paper develops a new multi-level conceptual model to advance a holistic understanding of how shared leadership develops and how it may impact individual, team, project and wider organisational performance. The conceptual model draws upon the input-mediator-output-input perspective of systems theory, which is well-established in the general team literature. The new integrative model identifies the potential multi-level antecedents, proximal team functioning outcomes, and the more distal multi-level outcomes of shared leadership based on findings from the shared leadership literature drawn largely from other domains. Potential boundary conditions of the model are identified. A future research agenda is recommended for empirically testing the new multi-level shared leadership model and its different elements in a diverse range of project contexts.     

Enhancing value co-creation in professional service projects: The roles of professionals,clients and their effective interactions

Projects are value creation mechanisms for organizations. In this paper, we build on service-dominant logic theory to theorize how value is perceived and co-created by service providers and clients in professional service projects. From two studies, we found that for service providers to create their value, particularly non-monetary value (e.g., enhanced reputation), client values (e.g., solving a business problem) must first be generated. The results further highlight the importance of reciprocal interactions between service providers and their clients in co-creating value for both parties. Service providers' professional knowledge and competence and their clients' levels of professional knowledge and motivation to interact are critical to enable effective interactions. However, the influence of service providers' professional ethics and clients' trust in professionals on project value co-creation is more complex than theoretically predicted. This paper advances the project value creation literature by providing a more holistic view of what value means for different stakeholders, how it is created, and by whom.     

A unified critical state model for geomaterials with an application to tunnelling

This paper is prepared in honour of Professor E.T. Brown for his outstanding contributions to rock mechanics and geotechnical engineering and also for his personal influence on the first author's research career in geomechanics and geotechnical engineering. As a result, we have picked a topic that reflects two key research areas in which Professor E.T. Brown has made seminal contributions over a long and distinguished career. These two areas are concerned with the application of the critical state concept to modelling geomaterials and the analysis of underground excavation or tunnelling in geomaterials.Partially due to Professor Brown's influence, the first author has also been conducting research in these two areas over many years. In particular, this paper aims to describe briefly the development of a unified critical state model for geomaterials together with an application to cavity contraction problems and tunnelling in soils.     

Using a state-dependent constitutive model in strain wedge method for laterally loaded piles in sand

Strain Wedge Method is an effective technique for the analysis of laterally loaded flexible piles in sand. In this method, the three-dimensional soil-pile interaction problem is reduced to the problem of one-dimensional beam on elastic foundation. Various modifications have been applied to the conventional Strain Wedge Method to promote its predictive capacity for different problems. Nevertheless, in the existing Strain Wedge Methods, because the impact of soil state on the stress-strain-strength behavior of granular soils is ignored, multiple calibrations for a wide domain of soil densities are required. To overcome this drawback, a simple but versatile state-dependent constitutive model is implemented in the Strain Wedge Method. It is shown that the modified Strain Wedge Method can effectively simulate the response of laterally loaded model piles embedded in sands of loose, medium, and dense states using a single set of parameters.     

A conceptual framework of the impact of NPD project team and leader empowerment on communication and performance: An alliance case context

New product development (NPD) in an alliance context crosses organizational boundaries and therefore makes team and leader empowerment and communication an ever more important topic for the successful accomplishment of NPD goals. We developed a conceptual model that addresses some key questions: Under what circumstances should the project team and leader be empowered? How much empowerment? And what effects does this have on communication and NPD performance?     

How to go global: A transformative process model for the transition towards globally distributed software development projects

We employ design science research to develop a process model for the management of globally distributed software development (GDSD) projects. The model provides guidance for transforming established project frameworks in organizations to cope with additional challenges that a global project scale entails. The model integrates extant GDSD project management knowledge and makes it actionable for project managers, especially those with limited GDSD experience. The model was evaluated and found to be effective in transforming an actual GDSD project with teams in Germany, Poland, and India. Interviews with project managers with and without GDSD experience support the model's wider applicability to other contexts and IT project types. The model can also be used in GDSD project retrospectives to identify areas for improvement. In a research perspective, our model constitutes a novel type and instance of a social meta-artefact intended to transform existing social artefacts to retain their usefulness in evolving contexts.     

A new model for evaluating the dynamic shear strength of rocks based on laboratory test data for earthquake-resistant design

The dynamic shear strength of rocks is required for the earthquake-resistant design of nuclear power plants in Japan.This research aims to propose a mathematical model for estimating the dynamic strength and to validate the model.Two different types of specimens were prepared for the model validation,and the monotonic and cyclic loading tests were conducted to obtain the mathematical model parameters.Subsequently,multistep cyclic loading tests were performed,followed by simulations using the mathematical model.The test results demonstrated that the dynamic shear strength exceeded the static shear strength,which agreed with previous researches.Furthermore,the dynamic shear strength calculated using the mathematical model was generally consistent with that obtained from the experimental data.     

Value creation in projects: Towards a narrative perspective

It is contended that value is a social construct, and that the processes of social construction are rooted in language. On this basis we argue that value creation is a process which lends itself to interpretation from a narrative perspective. Previous attempts at value creation have been promoted under the label of ‘value management’. There are two approaches which are identifiable in the literature. The first is based on the traditional narrative of value engineering (aka Hard VM) and is primarily directed towards cost reduction. The second more recent variant is labelled ‘soft’ value management (Soft VM) and is primarily directed towards the achievement of a shared understanding of the value criteria relating to an individual project. The two approaches are critiqued in terms of their underlying assumptions and it is suggested that they are best understood as different forms of narrative. The emerging literature on value creation is similarly critiqued in accordance with the adopted narrative perspective. The distinction is made between formalised narratives of value on the level of the organisations involved in the project coalition and the anecdotal stories which individuals use to make sense of their own lived experiences. Emphasis is given to the ways in which different narratives interact, and to the way in which they remain contestable over time. Particular attention is given to the confluence between storytelling and identity work.