基于关系治理的建设项目绩效研究

关系治理能够有效促进建设项目绩效提升,但既有研究缺乏对组织间关系治理与项目绩效机制边界条件的探讨.在建设项目背景下,以知识共享为中介变量,项目经理领导力作为调节变量引入关系治理机制,利用文献综述做出研究假设的基础之上构建具有调节机制的中介模型.实证研究发现:关系治理正向影响建设项目绩效;知识共享在关系治理对建设项目绩效...     

A theory framework for balancing vertical and horizontal leadership in projects

This paper develops a framework for understanding the interaction between person-centered leadership by project managers (a.k.a. vertical leadership (VLS)) and team-centered leadership by individuals in the project team (a.k.a. horizontal leadership (HSL)). It builds on Archer's Realist Social Theory and its morphogenetic cycle, which describes the interaction of structure with agency for task fulfillment and the resulting reshaping (morphogenesis) or continuation (morphostasis) of structure for subsequent iterations of the cycle. Data were collected globally in 33 case studies with 166 interviews and analyzed using Alvesson's Constructing Mystery technique. A theory about the cycles and events that shape the interaction between VLS and HLS is developed, which includes events such as nomination, identification, selection, execution and governance, as well as transitioning. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.     

全过程工程咨询项目治理机制选择研究:专业服务交易特征的调节作用

全过程工程咨询信任与合同控制治理机制的选择会直接影响咨询项目绩效,但两者权衡取舍不甚清晰。为厘清治理机制的选择,通过情境模拟实验结合调查问卷,采用 PLS-SEM 和回归分析法,构建基于专业服务交易特征的全咨项目治理机制调节模型,结果表明:信任与合同控制存在互补效应且信任的治理效果显著高于合同控制;专业服务交易复杂性和依赖性强的情境下业主宜选择信任,而在专业服务交易质量标准模糊性强的情境下适合选择合同控制。研究为基于专业服务交易关系的咨询项目拓展边界,为全咨业主依据不同交易情境选择合理的组织间治理机制提供理论指导。     

The challenge of transactional and transformational leadership in projects

Projects as a form of temporary organizing are different from standard organizational processes. Due to their temporary and unique nature, projects are characterized by discontinuous personal constellations and work contents. Although leadership research has called for a consideration of context factors and their effects on leadership, leadership in a temporary setting has hardly been investigated. We therefore extend transactional and transformational leadership theory by looking at it from the perspective of the temporary organization. We develop a research model with testable propositions on the effects of the temporary organizations' characteristics on leadership and on followers' commitment in projects.     

Leadership for future construction industry: Agenda for authentic leadership

Research in the construction industry is beginning to pay more attention to project leadership. Current perception of construction project leaders is largely built around power, authority, and task-orientation. This is due to the traditional focus of the construction industry on technical and managerial features of construction projects. However, greater challenges of modern times and increasingly different business environment necessitate a renewed vision for leadership research and call for a change in traditional perception and mindset about leadership in the construction industry. Globalization and fast changing nature of construction have necessitated a need for project managers to have and apply different leadership behaviors, competencies and styles. To highlight the need for a new breed of construction project leaders, this paper discusses the recent construct of “authentic leadership” in the context of construction projects. Authentic project leaders possess positive values, lead from the heart, set highest levels of ethics and morality, and go beyond their personal interests for well-being of their followers. They capitalize on the environment of trust and are able to motivate people and accomplish challenging tasks. Authentic leadership possesses high potential for development as well as veritable performance of construction project leaders. Proposal made in this paper highlights benefits of authentic leadership development in construction professionals and discusses the relevant practical and research implications. An agenda for research on authentic leadership in the construction industry is also discussed in detail.     

Quality management practices and inter-organizational project performance: Moderating effect of governance mechanisms

While research on the relationship between quality management practices and inter-organizational project performance has found inconsistent results, few studies have considered the contextual factors of quality management practices. Inter-organizational projects involve external participants in quality management and thus, this study tested the moderating role of governance mechanisms (contract governance and trust) on the relationship between quality management practices and inter-organizational project performance. Results of 265 valid questionnaires from China indicated that quality management practices contribute to inter-organizational project performance. Contract governance magnifies the positive effect of quality management practices on inter-organizational project performance while the moderating effect of trust is insignificant. The moderating effect of contract governance indicates a means for strengthening the effect of quality management practices in inter-organizational projects. Further research on more contextual factors of quality management practices should be conducted.     

The identification of temporary horizontal leaders in projects: The case of China

Balanced leadership in projects describes the dynamic transition of leadership authority between the project manager and one or more team members. Within this concept, the present study investigates the context, criteria, and processes for identifying project team members as candidates for the role of horizontal leader. Five case studies, followed by validation interviews were conducted in China. Results show that structure and agency by the project manager set the context, wherein professionality, personality and attitudinal characteristics of team members are evaluated for identification. This is executed in two parallel processes, where the project manager evaluates, develops and assesses candidates, and the team members evaluate their situation, compete with others, develop their skills, and look for guidance from the project manager. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.     

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.     

Organizational enablers for governance and governmentality of projects: A literature review

This study identifies the organizational enablers for governance in the realm of projects. We first conceptualize organizational enablers as comprising of process facilitators and discursive abilities, each with its own factors and mechanisms. Then we apply this concept to the literature on project governance, governance of projects and governmentality. Outcomes indicate that governance is enabled through different forms of flexibility at different levels of governance, institutional setup and authority at the project level, flexible structures and mindsets of people at the organizational level, and through development of self-responsible, self-organizing people for governmentality in project settings. Questions for future research are indicated.     

Shared leadership and project success: The roles of knowledge sharing,cohesion and trust in the team

The role of shared leadership behavior in a project context has received insufficient empirical and theoretical attention. This paper explores its influence on project success, specifically in an IT project context. The paper additionally investigates the mediating role of knowledge sharing, cohesion, and trust in team as moderators. We collected the data of 236 team members in IT projects on two-time points and analyzed the conditional process model through PROCESS after achieving model fit. Results revealed that shared leadership amplifies project success directly and via knowledge sharing and cohesion. Slope analysis revealed that trust in team has an interaction effect with cohesion and knowledge sharing which also affects project success. The study discussed the practical implications and drew conclusions from the results.     

Empowerment: The key to horizontal leadership in projects

Leadership in projects can shift between the project manager (a.k.a. vertical leadership) and one or more team members (a.k.a. horizontal leadership). Our study examines the processes, dimensions, and conditions for empowerment of project team members to temporarily assume leadership of project processes. Twenty interviews were conducted in 10 organizations in China. Results show that empowerment for horizontal leadership is a 3-stage process, wherein the project manager takes justification perception and demand factors as essential conditions for his/her empowerment orientation, which in turn frames the announcement, acceptance, control, autonomy and future of horizontal leaders. Four categories of horizontal leaders were revealed, namely Deputies, Future Stars, Bench Players and Oysters. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.     

Understanding differences in construction project governance between developed and developing countries

Whereas most experts recognize the substantial differences in the construction sector between developed and developing countries, very little is known about how and to what extent construction project governance actually differs between the two contexts. In order to shed light on these differences, a suitable definition of project governance must be adopted and identical variables must be assessed in developed and developing contexts. Three characteristics of temporary multi-organizations that conduct construction projects (used here as categories of analysis) help identify these differences: formal structuring, informal structuring, and the role and participation of stakeholders. Based on three case studies, a survey, and semi-directed interviews, significant differences are found in how power and authority are exercised (and leadership styles applied), in the use of informality and in the roles assumed by stakeholders. Although the analysis of such differences is often considered a diagnosis of problems to be ‘fixed’ in projects in developing countries, we believe that these differences should be read as project governance mechanisms of adaptation to different environmental conditions, and therefore key elements that need to be fully understood by professionals working in developing countries.     

Collaborative governance: A potential approach to preventing violent demolition in China

Due to the unbalanced and confrontational state-citizen relationship, China's urban redevelopment has been accompanied with continuous violent conflicts, which to a large extent damages the public image of Chinese government in recent years. This article first overviews the governance dilemma underlying China's violent demolition from the perspective of institutional arrangement, and then argues a collaborative approach can be a remedy for the dilemma. After the introduction and definition of collaborative governance, this article demonstrates its application in preventing violent demolition with the Caojiaxiang project in Chengdu as a case. It is found that collaborative governance is advantageous in enhancing the legitimacy of governance, increasing the potential to find effective solutions, and enhancing the trust between government and citizens. Despite the disadvantages of collaborative governance, including limited effect and the dependence on social capital, quality of stakeholders' interaction and leadership, this paper argues the success of Caojiaxiang project may be duplicated given the following institutional requirements are met: 1) an institutional procedure to establish and operate evictees' association in urban redevelopment projects; 2) an effective complaint system for the upper-level government to monitor the malpractice of lower-level government; and 3) an judicial system independent of local governments and legal proceeding over any illegal behavior in demolition.     

Trust in megaprojects: A comprehensive literature review of research trends

Megaprojects are large and complex projects involving substantial investment, social importance, and long time span. Owing to the multitude of actors involved in such projects, trust plays a critical role in their delivery. This study presents a comprehensive literature review to gather a wealth of information on a variety of research topics on trust in megaprojects. Related publications were analyzed, and 52 relevant papers were selected for content analysis. The final results show that research on trust in megaprojects is still relatively new, thematically diffused, and generally lacking strong theoretical foundations. A further analysis revealed six main research topics involving trust in megaprojects: (i) trust and the success of megaprojects; (ii) institutional/public trust; (iii) trust and megaproject delivery methods; (iv) trust and contracting; (v) trust as a governance mechanism; and (vi) trust as a competence of project managers. The outcomes of this study contribute to the body of knowledge on trust through a comprehensive investigation of the literature in project management and provide guidelines for further research on the phenomenon of trust in megaprojects, as well as project management delivery process in general.     

A new governance approach for multi-firm projects: Lessons from Olkiluoto 3 and Flamanville 3 nuclear power plant projects

We analyze governance in two contemporary nuclear power plant projects: Olkiluoto 3 (Finland) and Flamanville 3 (France). We suggest that in the governance of large multi-firm projects, any of the prevalent governance approaches that rely on market, hierarchy, or hybrid forms, is not adequate as such. This paper opens up avenues towards a novel theory of governance in large projects by adopting a project network view with multiple networked firms within a single project, and by simultaneously going beyond organizational forms that cut across the traditional firm-market dichotomy. Our analysis suggests four changes in the prevailing perspective towards the governance of large projects. First, there should be a shift from viewing multi-firm projects as hierarchical contract organizations to viewing them as supply networks characterized by a complex and networked organizational structure. Second, there should be a shift in the emphasis of the predominant modes of governance, market and hierarchy towards novel governance approaches that emphasize network-level mechanisms such as self-regulation within the project. Third, there should be a shift from viewing projects as temporary endeavors to viewing projects as short-term events or episodes embedded in the long-term sphere of shared history and expected future activities among the involved actors. Fourth, there should be a shift from the prevailing narrow view of a hierarchical project management system towards an open system view of managing in complex and challenging institutional environments.     

Promoting cooperation in construction projects: an integrated approach of contractual incentive and trust

Contractual incentive and trust are two commonly used governance mechanisms that help to promote inter-organizational cooperation. Little is known, however, about the boundary conditions for the complementation of these two governance mechanisms. The aim is to investigate the interaction of contractual incentive and trust in promoting inter-organizational cooperation. A three-staged Stackelberg model was established and then solved by backward induction. Research results indicate that contractual incentive can motivate the contractor’s task behaviours, while the effect of trust on relational behaviours is path-dependent. Three levels of factors (intra-organizational, inter-organizational and project factors) would affect the selection of the optimal incentive coefficient. Moreover, when the changing rate of the client’s cost of effort is less than or equal to a threshold, contractual incentive and trust can be complementary. The study contributes to theory by offering nuanced insights into the governance mechanisms and addressing the complex contracting issues when mutual trust exists. In addition, this study can help to create favourable circumstances for the complementation between contractual incentive and trust, achieving a better project outcome and relational benefit.     

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。     

Mechanisms for protecting returns on private investments in public infrastructure projects

Despite the widespread attention for the private financing of infrastructure projects, actual empirical work on financing public-private partnerships remains limited. Especially the topics of return on equity and lenders’ cash flow control in relation to uncertainty are under-researched. The aim of this paper is to investigate and discuss the mechanisms applied by private financiers of infrastructure projects to protect their returns on investment. Using semi-structured interviews, the qualitative viewpoints of infrastructure financiers and their consultants on infrastructure investment are examined. The findings identify nine control mechanisms that financiers apply, including a range of asset and risk diversification portfolio strategies for their infrastructure investments, and reveal that they depend on governance mechanisms relating to the project environment, relations, knowledge and expertise. Hence, this study provides a better understanding of the actions and mechanisms applied to protect a return on infrastructure investments that leverage partnering strategies between public authorities and private investors in public infrastructure projects. This contributes to the debate on project financing under uncertainty and its implications for project governance in public private partnerships.     

Translating the invisible: Governing underground utilities in the Amsterdam airport Schiphol terminal project

Governing material conditions—including physical, material subjects such as machines, build constructions, construction materials, and subsoils—is a crucial challenge within projects and is underrepresented in project governance theory. To clarify the relationship between project governance and materiality, we draw on translation theory, which is essentially about the reinterpretation, appropriation, and representation of interests related to materials. This paper studies the challenges of governing the underground during the construction of the new terminal at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The findings show that, during the project life cycle, the translation of the underground by project actors hampered the necessary relocation of utilities in this project. This eventually resulted in delays and unforeseen costs. This translation is explained by a combination of the governance of the project, strategic interactions of project actors, and the characteristics and context of the material conditions. We contribute to project governance studies by demonstrating the usefulness of translation theory to better understand the mechanisms at play in governing underrepresented material conditions in infrastructure projects.     

Asymmetric legitimacy perception across megaproject stakeholders: The case of the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link

With further emancipation of once subdued or marginalized stakeholders, a growing number of megaprojects face increasingly significant social resistance. Asymmetries of support for the projects emerge, rooted in different perceptions of legitimacy across different stakeholder groups. In this paper, we ask how these diverging perceptions of legitimacy develop across stakeholders of cross-border megaprojects. We conduct a multi-site ethnography at one of the biggest contemporary cross-border transport megaprojects in the world – the Danish/German Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link. Tying together three streams of the legitimacy literature in a new analytical approach, we suggest three dimensions of project legitimacy perception: trust, majority, and morality. In doing so, we provide a new integrative model of legitimacy perception in megaprojects. We illustrate how these legitimacy dimensions dynamically interact. We thus provide new insights on how project legitimacy is continuously renegotiated in megaprojects with implications for future developments of project governance.