Relational competence in complex temporary organizations: The case of a French hospital construction project network

Large and complex project networks are characterized by the collaboration of heterogeneous organizations and individuals. In addition to project management techniques and complementary skills, relational competence, i.e. the ability to actively create and develop collaborative relationships is an essential asset for managing project networks. Networks represent structured role systems which may be a substitute for stable organizational structures and routines. This study investigates relational competence in the network of a large construction project of a French hospital. Based on network data and qualitative interviews, we compare the formal roles and positions of actors in the network to their actual roles and positions and analyze how relational competence promotes the coordination of project work. We find several actors whose network position and relational competence correspond to the formal organization and several actors with a mismatch between the formal organization and the actual role and position. In the latter cases, other network members step in and contribute to an effective coordination. The concept of relational competence in combination with network analysis contributes to a better understanding of the functioning of project networks. In particular, it reveals dysfunctions in the project network and allows for identifying the reasons for failure.     

Managing collaborative space in multi-partner projects

Collaboration across company borders in multi-partner construction projects has proven to be challenging. An increasing number of projects aim to strengthen such collaboration by collocating project members from different companies in the same physical space. Yet we know little about the management practices required for taking advantage of such a collaborative space. To begin to remedy this shortcoming, we present an in-depth case study of a hospital construction project that applied a collaborative space and focus on the management practices influencing this space. With the help of affordance theory, we identified two types of management practices and show how they transform across project phases. These management practices included designing the physical elements of the collaborative space, and creating shared collaboration practices for the space. We contribute to the construction management literature by taking the first step in conceptualizing the connections between space, management and collaboration practices in the context of multi-partner projects. We suggest managers to consider carefully what kind of collaboration practices the space is expected to enhance and plan the physical and social space to support it.     

Governing technical and organizational complexity through supply chain integration: A dyadic perspective on performance in infrastructure projects

Despite its declared importance for governing complexity in projects, few empirical studies have studied how different types of supply chain integration (SCI) activities (e.g., coordinative and collaborative integration) interplay and affect performance. To address this gap, the purpose of this paper is to study how complexity can be governed through coordinative and collaborative SCI, and how their interplay affects performance in project-based buyer-supplier relationships. We apply structural equation modeling, using dyadic empirical data from 102 infrastructure projects. The overall results verify our developed model and illuminate how the interplay between contractual and relational governance, in terms of coordinative and collaborative SCI, mediates the effect of technical and organizational complexity on project performance. This study contributes to theory and practice by distinguishing between contractual governance based on formal coordinative SCI and relational governance based on emerged collaborative SCI, as well as showing how their interplay affects performance in project-based supply chains.     

Collaborative practices of knowledge work in IT projects

While projects in the Information Technology (IT) domain have been studied extensively, not much is known about the practices of knowledge work that is needed for IT projects to be brought together and enacted as temporary organisational structures. Building on the knowledge-as-practice perspective, we set out to explore collaborative work, which occurs through dialogic practices across knowledge domains in IT projects. Drawing upon multiple case study research in the IT industry, we run a qualitative analysis based on semi-structured interviews with the management level staff of six IT organisations. Based on the insights on IT projects in the six case organisations that varied in size and the degree of knowledge structure we develop a practice-based understanding of the collaborative practices of knowledge work. We identify three main practices of knowledge work in IT projects: a) expressing differences, b) co-creation, and c) mutual alignment, directing domain expert knowledge work at the collective level and towards shared project objectives. The practices emerged in the form of collaboration and as a function of cross-domain multi-disciplinary teams’ alignment in IT projects. We offer novel insights into the essential role of the dialogue in collaborative knowledge work practices in IT projects, and their respective parent organisations.     

Organizational context and collaboration on international projects: The case of a professional service firm

In project teams that are distributed across the international subsidiaries of a firm, collaboration can be a challenge. The organizational context of projects is not always conducive to international collaboration. Priorities and interests of sub-teams are likely to differ from those of the central team. In a grounded theory study of international client projects in a project-based organization, the impact of organizational context on collaboration is explored. It was found that the organizational context can provide important resources such as authority, policies, procedures and systems that can be appropriated to enable collaboration. However, this applies only when there are drivers for collaboration, consisting of interdependency and interest in the project's success. Even in a context not conducive to collaboration, the drivers encourage teams to constitute informal mechanisms, enabling some level of collaboration. A framework for the impact of organizational context on collaboration in international projects is presented.     

Wireless networking in tunnelling projects

Emerging collaborative technologies and working methods often require tremendous engineering and organisational efforts for successful implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs). According to a research conducted in Turkish construction industry, most of the problems that occur during the construction phase are due to lack of co-operation and communication between designers and contractors and lack of prompt expert decisions during on-site engineering. Similar to any major construction project, tunnelling project’s success is highly dependent on collaborative team work where communication and information exchange take place between project members. Distributed collaborative teamwork, as the case in most of the large scale construction projects as well as tunnelling projects, empowered by state of the art information and communication technology, promises more efficient work processes, reduced travelling needs, and increased opportunities for project communication. Following the fast development of mobile computing in recent years, many sectors have adopted mobile devices and wireless technologies enabling real-time information transfer thereby improving business processes. For some years, the feasibility of implementing wireless solutions to construction sites has been researched. Potentially, mobile and wireless technologies enable construction staff to be more flexible in terms of location and time. For better use of mobile collaboration in construction projects, mobile technologies and construction sector have to be examined in some detail to implant the most suitable technology for real-time information access and improved collaboration of distributed teams in construction. However, case studies in construction are very limited in number and scope. This paper discusses and proposes an implementation scenario of wireless networking in Marmaray; a multi-site tunnelling project in Istanbul. Benefits, possible problems and cost assessments are discussed.     

Resilience and creative problem-solving capacities in project teams: A relational view

Teams often struggle with their assigned projects and evidence indicates relatively limited project success. Recent research advanced a behavioral perspective to the study of the variance in project performance. We seek to advance this literature by developing and testing a dual-pathway model of project performance. Specifically, we expand on relational coordination theory to suggest that teams can enhance their project performance through two knowledge creation mechanisms – access to knowledge and experiential learning – which underpin resilience and creative problem solving. Results of time-lagged data from project teams indicate that high quality relationships between team members facilitate both experiential learning and access to knowledge, which in turn are positively related to team resilience. Team resilience, in turn, is indirectly related to project performance, through creative problem solving. We advance the extant literature of project management by enhancing our understanding of how relationally coordinated project teams develop capabilities – resilience and creative problem solving – and improve their project performance.     

Dynamics of control in construction project teams

Control is pervasive in construction project environments. The management of projects through various planning and control tools has therefore been described essentially as rebureaucratization which increases control over individuals, teams and organizations through ideologies of efficiency and performativity. Yet certain characteristics of the project setting make it an ideal climate for the empowerment of individuals and teams. The manifestations of control in five construction project management teams involved in two ongoing construction projects in Hong Kong are examined. The interpretive and exploratory focus of the study favoured the use of a qualitative research design and the case study approach in particular. Control is viewed as all devices and systems employed to ensure that acts, behaviours, outcomes and decisions of individuals, teams and organizations are consistent with meeting organizational or project goals, objectives and strategies. The findings indicate that a portfolio of control modes is implemented in project teams comprising both formal (i.e. behaviour‐ and outcome‐based) and informal (i.e. clan‐ and self‐based) control mechanisms which are not necessarily incompatible. While formal control remains the primary control mode, a portfolio of control appears necessary to augment the inadequacies of formal control due to the evolving nature of the project environment.     

基于Cloud-BIM 的工程项目数据管理研究

建筑业动态和碎片的属性导致项目协同团队之间的数据管理在工程项目生命周期内没有获得有效改善。研究提出了工程项目大数据实时处理模型和基于Cloud-BIM 的模型应用框架,Cloud-BIM 平台对工程项目大数据进行收集、集成、关联、存储和数据挖掘,实现工程项目数据的再利用和知识管理。基于云计算的应用框架不仅使个人与项目团队之间,而且使各个项目组织之间以一致的、实时的、可持续、基于项目生命周期的方式进行数据管理,从而有效提高项目不同组织界面之间的协同工作,有助于把项目数据转换成组织的信息资产。     

Collaboration barriers in BIM-based construction networks: A conceptual model

Building information modelling (BIM) teams, hereafter referred to as BIM-based construction networks, are teams whose possibly geographically dispersed members from various organisations and disciplines, perform project tasks on BIM-enabled projects. In recent years, BIM-based construction networks have progressively become the norm in executing BIM activities on projects. However, even though achieving BIM's full capabilities relies on effective collaboration among the team members in BIM-based construction networks, it is still a struggle for these members to collaborate. Nonetheless, only a few studies have been conducted to identify the barriers to strengthening team collaboration in BIM-based construction networks. To address this gap, the current study, by examining 73 journal articles on collaboration in BIM-based construction networks, builds upon a theoretical review of the literature. A conceptual model is presented to capture the main barriers to collaboration in BIM-based construction networks. The study benefits researchers as well as project managers. For researchers, the conceptual model provides an intermediate theory, namely, a theoretical basis to direct further knowledge creation attempts on the topic. In addition, the conceptual model supports project managers on BIM-enabled projects. That is, it simplifies the knowledge now available for practical applications enabling it to be translated into guidelines and practical instructions on real-life projects.     

The formation of a collaborative project identity in an infrastructure alliance project

Inter-organizational projects struggle to build a sense of joint belonging and a culture of cooperation. In evaluating the social processes of collaboration in inter-organizational projects, organizational identity is considered a core concept. To extend existing knowledge of how collaborative identity is formed in inter-organizational infrastructure projects, the study investigates how the specific characteristics of temporary organizations (time, team, task and context) influence identity formation activities. A case study of the first Finnish infrastructure alliance project identifies six key activities supporting the formation of collaborative project identity: (1) articulating a joint vision for collaborative project identity; (2) converging on mutual conceptions of collaborative project alliance philosophy; (3) attaining a shared collaborative mentality; (4) designing ways of working with multiple identities; (5) attaining distinctiveness and (6) legitimizing activities. The findings indicate that identity formation activities are context-dependent, and that the formation of organizational identity differs between temporary and permanent organizations. The findings illuminate how managers can build a collaborative project identity.     

How do institutional pressures moderate the impacts of relational governance on the performance of international projects? An empirical assessment

Relational governance has been considered a major governance strategy to mitigate the increasing contractual hazards in today's complex and volatile markets. In international projects, the effectiveness of relational governance can be much complicated by the host country's institutional environments, especially when trust and relational norms are treated as different types of relational governance. This research aims to study empirically how institutional pressures may affect the effectiveness of trust and relational norms and to form a contingency theory of relational governance. In this paper, an empirical analysis was conducted to test and measure the moderating effects of institutional pressures on the performance impacts of trust and relational norms. The results show that institutional pressures positively moderate the impacts of trust but negatively moderate the impacts of relational norms, indicating that trust and relational norms function and benefit projects differently and should be employed differently contingent on the institutional environments.     

Integrative studies on rural landscapes: policy expectations and research practice

During the 1990s, integrative (interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary) approaches gained increasing importance for rural landscape studies and numbers of such projects rose. However, it is not clear, what funding agencies expect from integrative projects, how researchers make them operational and what their outputs are. To identify policy expectations and research practice, we did a literature review and conducted standardised interviews with funding agencies, researchers, and project leaders. Results revealed that funding agencies have varying understandings of interdisciplinarity. They set up interdisciplinary programs not primarily to achieve scientific progress but to solve societal and environmental problems. Regarding publication output, peer-reviewed papers are preferred before research reports. Funding agencies seldom give practical advice to projects on how to meet their demands. Researchers frame project objectives in terms of their problem solving capacity. Although perceiving lack of common operational understanding of interdisciplinarity as a problem, researchers do not arrive at a common terminology. As barriers to integration we identified the spatial distance between researchers, project meetings, and management problems. Researchers perceive a tension between the applied character of the projects and the scientific expectations placed on them. Funding-agencies’ expectations are hardly known to researchers. We recommend greater dialogue between funding agencies and researchers especially regarding interdisciplinary objectives, problems and solutions. We suggest paying greater attention to the organisation and management of research to assure the necessary support for integrative research teams.     

Interplay of relational and contractual governance in public-private partnerships: The mediating role of relational norms,trust and partners' contribution

Defining the nature of the relationship between contractual and relational governance is critical for understanding how to maintain commitment and coordination between private and public organizations in long-term partnerships. In this study, a theoretical model explains Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project performance as the result of a mediation process. Contractual and relational governance elements operate sequentially with relational elements (relational norms and trust), playing a mediating role between contractual elements, project actors' behaviour and final performance. Based on the analysis of a survey of PPP practitioners in The Netherlands, and using Consistent Partial Least Squares Modeling, the study provides empirical support for these mediating effects. The findings are aligned with the idea that both economic incentives and hierarchical relationships formalized in contract agreements require being internalized in working practices by means of informal and socially based mechanisms. The enabling and compensating mechanisms underlying the mediation role of relational governance elements are discussed. Managers can particularly find in relational norms a leverage point for designing collaborative day-to-day practices aimed at reinforcing trust and long-term contractual obligations.     

公共项目治理评价的定量化研究

公共项目治理理论的研究取得了长足进步,已经发展到亟需解决定量化研究及模型化分析的阶段。通过对主流治理理论中治理评价研究的理论和方法的梳理,发现开展对公共项目治理评价研究是解决公共项目治理理论定量化、模型化分析的关键。公共项目作为一个临时性社会网络组织,其治理情境中除了正式契约治理之外大量的非正式关系治理机制发挥着重要作用,因此,将契约治理和关系治理共同纳入公共项目治理评价的研究框架,构建公共项目治理绩效作为中间理论变量,从而明确公共项目治理的内涵,建立能够对公共项目治理绩效与实现程度进行衡量的标准,为后续治理水平评价的定量化、模型化研究提供治理核心要素及可测度的评价指标。公共项目治理绩效测量的研究将会促使后续公共项目治理水平评价等对策性问题迎刃而解。     

基于关系治理的EPC项目管理绩效影响因素研究

现阶段,EPC 模式在我国工程领域得到日益广泛应用。针对 EPC 模式下如何从业主与总承包商关系治理角度改善项目管理绩效的问题,采用结构方程模型,通过对 309 个 EPC 项目有关数据进行检验,以关系行为中“合作”作为中介变量,探讨并验证了关系治理多因素对项目管理绩效的影响程度和改善机理。研究表明,关系治理中信任、承诺、沟通和惯例4 个关键要素可有效促进双方合作,从而改善 EPC 项目管理绩效。进一步明确了 EPC 模式下“关系治理—合作—项目管理绩效”的关联路径。关系治理理论及方法在 EPC 项目中合理使用,将对我国工程领域大力推广 EPC 模式具有现实意义。     

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.     

上海现代建筑设计(集团)建筑协同设计平台研究与应用

本文首先分析了建筑CAD协同设计发展过程中存在的问题,指出建筑CAD协同设计的发展需要经过二维协同设计向三维协同设计的过渡。接着对适合于大型建筑设计企业的建筑CAD协同设计平台的关键问题进行了阐述。通过上海现代建筑设计集团一个实际工程项目,详细描述了建筑工程协同设计的方法与过程。然后对建筑协同设计的标准统一、工种协同等特点和高效沟通及超大项目的应用优势进行了讨论,最后对本研究采用的协同设计平台进行了总结,指出了尚待完善的问题,并对建筑协同设计平台的发展方向进行了展望。     

Unraveling local relationship patterns in project networks: A network motif approach

Characterizing relationship patterns among organizations in project networks has become a hot issue in the emerging field of project network management. Many researchers focus on social network centralities (e.g. degree, betweenness, and closeness) and global network measures (e.g., network density, degree distribution, and clustering coefficient) to investigate the relationship patterns in project networks. However, little is known about the local relationship patterns, i.e., relational structures among a small number of project organizations. In this paper, we will construct the contractors’ collaboration networks by mapping collaborative relationships between hundreds of contractors within the electronic database of National Quality Award Projects (NQAP) of China. The research purpose is to make use of the normative network motif approach in characterizing the local relationship patterns of project networks and in demonstrating how such relationship patterns evolve, thus contributing to the field of project network research. We find two distinct types of local collaboration patterns, i.e., motif and antimotif in the NQAP collaboration network. The motifs are the evolutionary favored patterns induced by macro network clustering tendency and individual structural embeddedness. Moreover, the evolution of the NQAP collaboration network shows a phase transition characterized by the distribution of the local collaboration patterns. The motif approach is expected to help project organizations devise appropriate strategies to select partners as well as to help governors establish effective strategies of project network governance.     

Balancing control and flexibility in joint risk management: Lessons learned from two construction projects

Joint risk management (JRM) is an approach that highlights the importance of collaboration between the project actors in managing risk that cannot be identified at the outset of the project. Despite the recognition of the concept in the literature, the use of JRM in practice seems to be rare. Based on contingency theory, we investigate how mechanistic (control-oriented) and organic (flexibility-oriented) management systems influence the implementation of JRM in two construction projects. In the first project, the actors managed to achieve a balance between control and flexibility, which paved the way for successful JRM. The extensive use of control in the second project hampered flexibility and constrained the use of JRM. We conclude that JRM requires both control for managing risk that has been identified and flexibility for dealing with unforeseen events. When a mechanistic approach is dominant, risk management remains a formal process carried out individually rather than collaboratively.