The role of trustworthiness in the formation and governance of construction alliances

The ensuing globalization of the construction industry as well as the highly fragmented and divisive nature of the industry are among the forces that are influencing it to seek management approaches such as strategic alliances that could leverage the capabilities of the various participants. This paper reports on a study that investigated the factors considered by firms when selecting alliance partners, and the influence of trustworthiness in deciding the governance structures of the alliances. A study of key partners in existing and potential construction alliances in Botswana that was carried out using a postal questionnaire and structured interviews determined that firms consider complementarity, similar status, indirect prior alliance experience and reputation before they make a selection of an alliance partner. The study also determined that partner trustworthiness eliminates the need of contractual clauses in the operation of the alliances. The paper concludes that trustworthiness of a partner is an influencing factor in all stages of the alliance development.     

Design error management: interaction of people,organisation and the project environment in construction

Design errors can have a negative impact on the cost, schedule and safety performance of construction projects. They can also have an adverse effect on an organisation's profitability, as additional work requires resources and time to rectify the error that has occurred. The reduction (i.e. measures designed to limit the occurrence of failures) and containment (i.e. measures designed to increase the detection and accelerate the recovery of errors) of design errors can therefore ameliorate organisational and project performance as well as improve safety. A systemic framework that classifies design error reduction and containment strategies according to people, organisation and project is propagated. It is suggested that when people, organisational and project strategies are implemented, incongruence then the propensity for design error reduction will significantly increase. The proposed framework can be used as a point for reference for implementing error management strategies to anticipate for ‘what might go wrong’ in construction projects.     

Psychosocial aspects of project work: a comparison between product development and construction projects

Different project goals provide different prerequisites for project work and team processes. Two important aspects of project goals are technological certainty/uncertainty and adequacy of goal definition. Product development projects and construction projects are different in these respects. The study explores differences between the two types of projects with regard to psychosocial aspects of the work situation. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire study (n=98). The items in the questionnaire were designed to investigate social processes, individual work environment, and input/output factors. Results indicate that there were more developed team processes in the product development projects, and that co-workers on such projects experienced development of professional skills to a greater extent. In general, social processes requiring conceptual co-operation and communication were less pronounced in the construction projects investigated. The paper discusses how the differences found between the two kinds of projects can be related to work settings. Possible implications for future research are considered.     

Maximizing strategic value from megaprojects: The influence of information-feed on decision-making by the project manager

Large projects are notorious for erosion of value during execution. Decisions made by project managers have a significant impact on the strategic value of the asset delivered, and those decisions depend on the information feed on which they are based. This study uses theories of organizational behavior, decision-making and program management to investigate the impact of information feed used by project managers on the strategic value delivered by mega projects in the oil and gas industry. A global survey of 69 managers of mega-projects was conducted. Results showed that information feed to project managers significantly influences the strategic value created by megaprojects. Also some moderating effects of contextual factors on this relationship were found. The contextual factors that influenced project manager decision-making relate to what they perceived to be Senior Management drivers for their projects. However the hypothesized moderating influence of project manager experience on decision-making was not found—an interesting observation. It was found that the extent to which project managers feel in control should influence the scope and quality of information-feed that should be sought. Four risk areas were observed as significant to long-term value creation from megaprojects: government relations; host community relations; contract management and procurement; and the influence of multi-location execution.     

Governance performance in complex environment: The case of a major transformation in a university hospital

Project-based organisations have emerged as new forms of organisation in the last few decades. However, hierarchy persists. Both serve their own purpose, but entail different sets of values. This is particularly true in relation to the contribution of project management to organisational performance. The competing values framework has been used to highlight different sets of values and preferences underlying the evaluation of PMO performance and emphasizes the competing aspect. The research adopted a participatory action research approach in a university hospital where a major organisational transformation is taking place. Findings reveal the existence of paradoxes between the executives and the PMO regarding the PMO performance and show how these paradoxes evolved over time. This sheds light not only on the paradoxes, but also on the dynamic process related to performance evaluation within a transformation project.     

Learning in project-based organizations: The role of project teams' social capital for overcoming barriers to learning

It is a major challenge for project-based organizations to learn across project boundaries by making project-level knowledge available to the organization as a whole. This study argues that project teams' social capital is conducive to overcoming barriers to learning in project-based organizations. Based on a large-scale analysis of engineering projects in Germany, the study shows that project teams' social capital, i.e. the intra-organizational social ties of project teams with their colleagues outside the project, compensates for project teams' lack of opportunity, motivation, and ability to make project-learnings available to the organization as a whole. By contributing to overcoming barriers to learning in project-based organizations, social capital represents an important driver of organizational learning about market conditions, products and technologies as well as project management.     

How does spatial organisation of gardens at care facilities for the elderly influence use patterns: a case study in Hong Kong

Ageing has received broad attention worldwide. Gardens for the elderly have also received increasing attention as they have been revealed to be beneficial to the elderly’s well-being and quality of life. Based on existing design guidelines for such gardens, the influence of different spatial organisation on use patterns needs further study and discussion. In this article, one garden at a care facility for the elderly was studied through total site factor measurement, resident and staff interviews, along with observations. As indicated by the results and discussions, topographic level changes are found to be more influential than distance and shade. Enclosure of space is also influential on the pattern of use, but needs to be applied carefully for safety concerns. Management is also found to be a flexible and cost-effective approach to modify spatial organisation and further alter use patterns in the garden.     

Integrating water and agricultural management: Collaborative governance for a complex policy problem

This paper examines governance requirements for integrating water and agricultural management (IWAM). The institutional arrangements for the agriculture and water sectors are complex and multi-dimensional, and integration cannot therefore be achieved through a simplistic ‘additive’ policy process. Effective integration requires the development of a new collaborative approach to governance that is designed to cope with scale dependencies and interactions, uncertainty and contested knowledge, and interdependency among diverse and unequal interests. When combined with interdisciplinary research, collaborative governance provides a viable normative model because of its emphasis on reciprocity, relationships, learning and creativity. Ultimately, such an approach could lead to the sorts of system adaptations and transformations that are required for IWAM.     

The role of learning and knowledge in adapting to climate change: a case study of Norwegian municipalities

Coping with climate change includes the role of learning and knowledge. Taking a process perspective, this article analyses how municipal officers in the Oslo region of Norway are acquiring knowledge and building competence for adapting to climate change. The article illustrates the interaction between elements of experiential learning, transformative learning and social learning as bases for adapting to emerging climate changes; each being necessary and none alone being sufficient. Their importance differs according to how profound the changes in knowledge and competence are. Experiential learning and transformative learning are stronger under single-loop learning whereas social learning might emerge as more important under triple-loop learning. Because of the uncertainties of climate change, the central government might be wise not to issue detailed regulations for adaptation by municipalities.     

The management of project management: A conceptual framework for project governance

For an organization to create optimal value from its investment in projects there must be a clear link between the outputs created by the projects and the requirements of the organization's business strategy. This means that organizations that have a structure in place for aligning the project deliverables with their organizational goals will be better placed to realize their investment in projects, and achieve the value defined by their business strategies. This paper examines existing research, ideas and concepts of project governance and enterprise project management, and offers a framework to build on current theory development and practice. Synthesizing existing literature of project/program management, governance and portfolio management, this paper proposes four key elements to improve the performance of projects and hence create value for organizations. These four elements are (1) portfolio management: focused on selecting the right projects and programs to support the organization's strategy, and terminating ones that no longer contribute to the business success of the organization; (2) project sponsorship: providing the direct link between the executive and the project or program manager, focused on the whole project lifecycle; (3) Project Management Office (PMO): providing oversight and strategic reporting capabilities; (4) projects and program support: the effective support and management of projects and programs are the measures of an effective governance system. The purpose of the framework described in this paper is to provide guidance to organizations in the development of effective project governance to optimize the management of projects.     

The impact of the design of learning spaces on attention and memory from a neuroarchitectural approach: A systematic review

Enriched environments in animal models have demonstrated that exposure to an optimal stimulus improves behavior, cognition, and genomics. However, the evidence base for the neurophysiological influence of human environment enrichment has not been extensively studied. This systematic review compiles indicators about the effect of built, indoor environments on the cognitive processes of memory and attention in humans. This work pursues two main objectives: (1) to define current knowledge and the methods that are useful and identify whether previously published studies indicate consistencies and (2) to report the approaches and strategies that can be used in evaluating cognitive processes affected by environment response. Results of this systematic review show that (1) form and geometry, (2) space distribution and context, (3) color and texture, (4) height, width, and enclosure, (5) transition and circulation, and (6) light, sound, and temperature have an impact on memory and/or attention, and they can be assessed objectively. Despite all the advances in this field, methodological limitations and a lack of cross-validated standard protocols are found. Therefore, future research is necessary to provide a deep insight into how human cognition can be heightened by the environment to which it is exposed.     

Niche comparisons: toward a new approach for analysing competition and organizational performance in the international construction market

Over the past few decades, studies on competition and organizational performance in the international construction market have been prolific. Construction companies are founded, then grow, compete, evolve, and die in the international landscape, a common process from an ecological perspective. However, few studies have considered the international construction market from this perspective. Using niche theory, which was initially populated in the field of natural bio-ecology and then introduced to business management and economics, a NW/O-L (niche width/overlap and location) framework is established in this study. With this framework, the niche evolution of the top 225 international contractors is explored along two dimensions—product and geography. The effects of a proper niche on an international construction company’s performance are also investigated using the cluster analysis method. It was discovered that, despite fluctuations over time, the contractor’s niche is highly related to its performance in the international construction market. The most appropriate niche for international construction contractors is a wide niche width, with a small niche overlap and with its location near to the market centre with comparatively more market resources. However, only a few contractors can survive in this niche, as the majority of contractors are in a narrow niche width, with a comparatively large niche overlap and far from the market centre. Contractors which do not fit either of these two niches have proved to be poor performers in this study.     

The locus of control: a determinant of opportunistic behaviour in construction health and safety

Current research and practice in the field of risk management focus almost exclusively on the downside of risk, meaning that many opportunities for improved performance go unmissed. There is substantial evidence that opportunities demand a different management approach to problems and, that there is need to better understand this process. However, our understanding of opportunism has been hindered by the absence of research into the main forces that impede and drive opportunistic behaviour. This paper explores these forces and investigates one in particular – the locus of control (self perceived influence over decision‐making). This investigation is conducted in a health and safety context because this is an area of particularly poor performance in the construction industry, where the locus of control is especially relevant. The paper concludes that the overall locus of control is high in relation to health and safety issues. However, there is considerable discrepancy in perceived levels of influence between different occupational, gender and ethnic groups, which need to be addressed if the industry is to improve its performance in this area.     

Project-based learning patterns for dominant design renewal: The case of Electric Vehicle

The increasing environmental concerns call for deep renewals in existing technologies and traditional design solutions in many industries. Electric Vehicle (EV) is emblematic of such a radical shift. Based on case studies and an action research within an on going project, this article analyses how project-based learning can question such a dominant design. After a brief history of past EV failures, we focus on what should be addressed to prevent the current projects from being just another bubble. We characterize the four projects-based learning patterns experimented in the 1990s and 2000s: concept car projects, derivative projects, vanguard development projects, and multi-projects concurrent programs. We analyse how the last two project-based learning patterns succeed to address the dominant design renewal challenges. We demonstrate that they develop different linkages between innovative projects and permanent departments of the firms. We show that multi-project concurrent program reduces dramatically the deployment lead-time of the new industrial paradigm.     

The role of theory in construction management: a call for debate

We raise a number of questions concerning the theoretical basis of construction management, and enquire into the nature of construction management theory. We highlight the dominant research paradigm in construction management, and call for attention to be paid to alternative research paradigms. We call for a scholarly debate to investigate these issues.     

The virtual campus: a new place for (lifelong) learning?

In the early spring of 2001 a collection of German universities founded a virtual faculty of architecture, which was named “Liquid Campus”. Current thinking about future forms of education in the field of architecture combined with over 4 years of experience with net-based design studios, led to questions about the future of existing universities, their buildings, and their use. This problem was put to 43 students in the form of a design exercise to create a place for a virtual university. In the current situation, in which the administration of knowledge is more and more located on the internet, and even the so-called meeting places themselves can be virtualised through the help of video-conference-software, the exercise was to design a virtual campus in the framework and to carry out this design work in a simulation of distributed practice. Initial criticism of the project came from the students in that exemplary working methods were not described, but left for the students to discover on their own. The creation of a concept for the Liquid Campus meant that the participants had to imagine working in a world without the face to face contacts that form the basis (at present) of personal interaction. Additionally, the assignment to create or design possible links between the real and the virtual was not an easy task for students who normally design and plan real physical buildings. Even the tutors had difficulties in producing focused constructive criticism about a virtual campus; in effect, the virtualisation of the university leads to a distinctive blurring of its boundaries. The project was conducted using the pedagogical framework of the netzentwurf.de, a relatively well-established Internet-based communication platform. This means that the studio was organised in the “traditional” structure consisting of an initial 3-day workshop, a face to face midterm review, and a collective final review, held 3.5 months later in the Museum of Communication in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. In teams of three (with each student from a different university and a tutor located at a fourth), the students worked over the Internet to produce collaborative design solutions. The groups ended up with designs that spanned a range of solutions between real and virtual architecture. Examples of the student's work (which is all available online) as well as their working methods are described. It must be said that the energy invested in the studio by the organisers of the virtual campus (as well as the students who took part) was considerably higher than in normal design studios and the paper seeks to look critically at the effort in relation to the outcomes achieved. The range and depth of the student's work was surprising to many in the project, especially considering the initial hurdles (both social and technological) that had to overcome. The self-referential nature of the theme, the method and the working environment encouraged the students to take a more philosophical approach to the design problem. The paper explores the implications of the student's conclusions on the nature of the university in general and draws conclusions specific to architectural education and the role of architecture in this process.     

The construction industry as a loosely coupled system: implications for productivity and innovation

Previous research suggests that the construction industry is characterized by (1) particular complexity factors owing to industry specific uncertainties and interdependences, and (2) inefficiency of operations. The aim of this study was to analyse the operations and behaviour of firms as a means of dealing with complexity. The observations made indicate that the industry as a whole is featured as a loosely coupled system. Taking this as a starting point, the couplings among activities, resources and actors were analysed in different dimensions. The pattern of couplings builds on two interdependent layers: tight couplings in individual projects and loose couplings based on collective adaptations in the permanent network. It is concluded that the pattern of couplings seems to favour short term productivity while hampering innovation and learning.     

The House of Commons: a precedent for post-occupancy evaluation

ABSTRACT

Building scientists have retraced the origins of modern post-occupancy evaluations (POEs) to the 1960s, but this paper shows that the use of POEs and their integration into the process of improving building performance has been a more longstanding practice. Focusing on the post-occupancy history of the House of Commons from 1854 until 1941 as a case study, this paper examines the nature and functions of these earlier precursors of modern POEs. A review of original archive material illuminates how POEs allowed Parliament as an organization to establish a large repository of knowledge on building performance, offering insights into technological, environmental and human factors. To understand the nature of these historic practices, however, it is critical to distinguish between POE functions that were embedded within the routine operational procedures, led by an in-house team of attendants, and those covered by several larger studies. The latter were more in-depth inquiries conducted by the Office of Works in collaboration with parliamentary committees, scientific researchers and in-house technical staff. These historic practices have also highlighted the role of institutional structures in enabling better collaboration between end users and facilities management in the process of operating, assessing and improving buildings in use.     

The use of a modelling system as a tool for air quality management: annual high-resolution simulations and evaluation

The high levels of air pollutants over the North-Western Mediterranean (NWM) exceed the thresholds set in current air quality regulations. They demand a detailed diagnosis of those areas where the exceedances of thresholds related to human health are found. In this sense, there is a need for modelling studies for the specific area of the NWM that take into account the annual cycle to address the diagnosis of air pollution. A new approach to the modelling of air quality in the NWM has been adopted by combining the WRF-EMICAT-CMAQ-DREAM modelling system to diagnose the current status of the levels of photochemical air pollution (focusing on ozone, O(3); nitrogen dioxide, NO(2); carbon monoxide, CO; and particulate matter, PM10) in the area during an annual cycle (year 2004). The complexity of the area of study requires the application of high spatial and temporal resolution (2 km and 1 h). The annual simulations need to cover the complex different meteorological situations and types of episodes of air pollution in the area of study. The outputs of the modelling system are evaluated against observations from 52 meteorological and 59 air quality stations belonging to the Environmental Department of the Catalonia Government (Spain), which involve a dense and accurate spatial distribution of stations in the territory (32,215 km(2)). The results indicate a good behaviour of the model in both coastal and inland areas of the NWM, with a slight trend to the overestimation of tropospheric O(3) concentrations and the underestimation of other photochemical pollutants (NO(2), CO and PM10). The modelling diagnosis indicates that the main air quality-related problems in the NWM are the exceedances of the 1-hr O(3) information threshold set in the Directive 2002/3/EC (180 microg m(-3)) as a consequence of the transport of O(3) precursors downwind the Barcelona Greater Area (BGA); and the exceedances of the annual value for the protection of human health for NO(2) and PM10 (40 microg m(-3), Directive 1999/30/EC), both in the BGA, as a consequence of the high traffic-related emissions.