Construction Project Organising

Simon Addyman is Associate Professor of Project Management in the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction at UCL. He is an APM Certified Project Manager and received his doctorate in Construction Project Management from UCL in 2019. Hedley Smyth is an Emeritus Professor in the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction at UCL. His research focus is on the organisational behavior of construction firms and the interface between the firm and project.

• Preface xiiiEditorial – Construction Project Organising: Towards a Theoretical and PracticalUnderstanding xvSimon Addyman and Hedley SmythSummary of Chapters xxxixPart I The Cultural Landscape 11 Construction Cultures: Sources, Signs, and Solutions of Toxicity 3Stewart Clegg, Martin Loosemore, Derek Walker, Alfons van Marrewijk and Shankar Sankaran1.1 Introduction 31.2 Organisational Culture 31.3 Toxic Project Culture 51.4 Sources of Toxic Project Culture 51.5 Detoxing a Project Culture 71.6 Stimulating Reflection and Learning 91.7 Conclusions 12References 122 Organising Occupational Health, Safety, and Well-Being in Construction: Working to Rule or Working Towards Well-Being? 17Jing Xu and Yanga Wu2.1 Introduction 172.2 Safety Management: A Tale of Two Paradigms 182.3 Working Towards Occupational Health and Well-Being in Construction 192.3.1 The Structuration of Occupational Health and Well-Being 202.4 Methods 202.5 Findings 212.5.1 Signification and Communication of OHW 212.5.1.1 Interpretations of OHW 212.5.1.2 The Meaning of OHW in Management 222.5.2 Domination and Responsibility of OHW 222.5.2.1 The Tensions Between Business Priorities and OHW 222.5.2.2 Imbalanced Power and Responsibility Between Management and Workers 232.5.3 Legitimation, Norms, and OHW 242.5.3.1 ‘Norms’ of Construction Project Business and Works 242.5.3.2 The Influence of ‘Norms’ on Trust and OHW 242.6 Discussion 252.7 Conclusion 27References 28Part II Wider Integration 313 Systems Integration in Construction: An Open-Ended Challenge for Project Organising 33Jennifer Whyte and Andrew Davies3.1 Introduction 333.2 Challenges of Systems Integration in Construction Project Organising 353.2.1 Construction Projects as Interventions 353.2.2 Construction Projects as Evolving Phenomena 363.2.3 Construction Projects as Heterogeneous 373.3 From the Origins of Systems Integration to Its Application in Construction 393.3.1 Origins of Systems Integration 393.3.2 Systems Integration and Organisation Theory: Collaboration Through Coordination and Cooperation 403.3.3 Systems Integration and Construction 413.4 Systems Integration in Construction and Contexts of Use 423.5 Conclusions 45References 464 Organising Project Finance 51D’Maris Coffman and John Kelsey4.1 Introduction 514.2 Economic and Finance Theory 524.2.1 The Basis of Project Value 524.2.2 Sources of Forecasting Error 524.2.3 Why Do Firms Exist? 534.2.4 Managers vs. Owners and the Basis of Firm Value 534.3 Agency Costs and Project Governance 544.3.1 Governance of Large Projects to Minimise Agency Costs 544.3.2 The Whole Life Contract Mechanism as a Means of Minimising Agency Costs 554.3.3 Long-Term vs. Short-Term Risk 564.3.4 Project Finance as a Solution to Project Governance 564.3.5 UK Public–Private Finance Initiative 574.4 Methodology 584.5 Case Study: Peterborough City Hospital (National Audit Office 2012, 2013) 594.5.1 Background 594.5.2 The New Hospital 604.5.3 Organisational and Governance Arrangements 604.5.4 Operational Performance 614.5.5 Client–SPV Relations 624.6 Discussion, Lessons, and Theoretical Challenges 624.7 Conclusions 64References 645 Organising for Digital Transformation: Ecosystems, Platforms, and Future States 69Bethan Morgan, Eleni Papadonikolaki and Tim Jaques5.1 Introduction 695.2 Modularity, Platforms, and Business Ecosystems 715.2.1 Modularity and Industry Change 715.2.2 Platform Thinking 725.2.3 Business Models 735.2.4 Complexity 745.2.5 Business Ecosystems 755.3 Organising for Digitalisation: New Entrants and Incumbent Firms 775.4 Future States 785.4.1 Future State Founding Principles 795.4.2 The Advantages of Using Future State Thinking in the Built Environment 795.4.3 Using Future States to Create a Business Ecosystem 805.5 Conclusion 81References 826 A Resilience Perspective on Governance for Construction Project Delivery 85Nils O.E. Olsson and Ole Jonny Klakegg6.1 Introduction 856.2 Theoretical Background 876.2.1 Governance 876.2.2 Resilience in Different Research Areas 876.2.3 Resilience in Projects 886.2.4 Resilience and Flexibility 886.3 Reflections on Project Governance, Resilience, and Survival 896.4 Project Cases and Implications on Governance 906.4.1 Before Decision – Staying Alive Long Enough to Get Funding 916.4.1.1 Nord-Norge Line 916.4.2 After Decision – Staying Relevant and Delivery Through Execution 926.4.2.1 Venjar-Langset 926.4.2.2 Gardermoen Line 936.4.3 Non-Survival of Norwegian Railway Projects 946.4.3.1 High-Speed Railway 946.5 Discussion 946.5.1 Different Approaches to Resilience in Different Project Phases 946.5.2 Reflections on the Norwegian Railway Cases 956.6 Conclusions 96References 98Part III The Firm–Project Interface 1017 Organising Construction Firms 103Hedley Smyth7.1 Introduction 1037.2 What the Literature Says 1037.2.1 Government and Industry Reports and Their Limitations for Performance Improvement 1047.2.2 Systems of Systems, Systems Integration, and Loose Coupling 1057.2.3 Transactional and Transformational Business Models 1067.2.4 Organising and Reorganising the Construction Firm 1087.3 Methodology and Methods 1097.4 A Range of Findings and Analysis 1107.5 Conclusions 113References 1148 Aligning Construction Projects with Strategy 119Catherine Killen, Shankar Sankaran, Stewart Clegg and Hedley Smyth8.1 Introduction 1198.2 PPM and Strategy 1208.3 PPM and Strategy in Construction 1208.4 Method 1218.5 Findings Addressing the Question ‘How Do Construction Companies Align Projects with Strategy?’ 1228.5.1 The Nature of Strategic Resource Allocation Decisions in Construction 1228.5.2 Strategy and Competitive Advantage 1228.5.3 Multi-Project Management 1238.5.4 How Is Portfolio Management Achieved in Construction Firms? 1238.5.5 Portfolio Decision-Making – Whether and How to Bid 1258.5.6 Flexibility and Responsiveness 1258.5.7 Repeat Business and Resources 1258.5.8 Challenges and Performance 1268.6 Discussion 1278.6.1 Strategy and Projects – A Two-Way Relationship 1278.6.2 Internal and External Decisions Determine the Portfolio 1298.6.3 Flexibility and Responsiveness 1298.6.4 PPM in Practice in Construction 1298.7 Conclusions and Recommendations 131References 1329 Urban Development Project Ecologies – An Organisational Routines Perspective 135Susanna Hedborg9.1 Introduction 1359.2 UrbanDevelopment as a Project Ecology 1369.3 Project Ecologies and Its Temporary Organising 1379.4 Organisational Routines in a Project Context 1379.5 The Case of an Urban Development District 1389.5.1 Case Background 1389.5.2 A Note on Collecting and Analysing the Material 1399.6 Illustrative Examples of Inter-Project Routines 1409.6.1 The Procuring Together Routine 1419.6.2 The Meeting Routine 1419.7 Discussion 1429.7.1 Project Ecologies Further the Understanding of Construction Project Contexts 1429.7.2 Inter-Project Routines Influence on Urban Development Project Ecologies 1439.7.3 The Client Role in Urban Development Project Ecologies 1449.8 Concluding Thoughts and Further Development 145References 14510 Reflective Practices and Learning in Construction Organisations via Professional Communities of Practice 149Meri Duryan10.1 Introduction 14910.2 Reflective Practice 15010.2.1 Reflective Practice in Construction Organisations 15110.3 Communities of Practice as Boundary Spanners in Construction Firms 15210.3.1 Reflective Practice in Communities of Practice 15310.4 Methodology and Methods 15310.5 Findings and Discussion 15510.5.1 Professional Communities of Practice 15510.5.2 Reflective Practice 15910.6 Conclusions 161References 162Part IV Inside the Project 16511 The Use of Collaborative Space and Socialisation Tensions in Inter- Organisational Construction Projects 167Kirsi Aaltonen and Virpi Turkulainen11.1 Introduction 16711.2 Theoretical Background 16811.2.1 The Origins of Co-Locational Spaces and Their Use in Construction Projects 16811.2.2 The Use and Outcomes of Collaborative Spaces in Inter-Organisational Construction Projects 16911.2.3 Socialisation in Inter-Organisational Projects 17011.3 Methodology 17111.4 Findings 17211.4.1 The Spatial Design of the Physical Collaborative Space 17211.4.2 Facilitation of Collaborative Working in the Collaborative Space 17511.4.3 Emergent Boundaries Between Full- and Part-Time Members of the Collaborative Space 17611.4.4 Development of a Shared Identity in the Collaborative Space 17711.5 Discussion and Conclusions 17811.5.1 Theoretical Contribution and Implications 17911.5.2 Further Research 18011.5.3 Managerial Implications 181References 18112 On the Synchronisation of Activities During Construction Projects 185Tuomas Ahola12.1 Introduction 18512.2 Synchronisation of Activities in Construction Projects 18612.2.1 Task Interdependencies and Synchronisation 18612.2.2 Synchronisation of Activities in Temporary Organising 18712.3 Processes by Which Synchronisation Is Lost and Restored 18812.4 Performance Implications of Desynchronisation 19112.5 Factors Associated with Synchronisation in Construction Projects 19312.6 Conclusion 195References 19713 Organising Beyond the Hierarchy – A Network Management Perspective 201Huda Almadhoob13.1 Introduction 20113.2 Social Network Analysis 20213.3 The Case Study 20313.3.1 Background 20313.3.2 BSCU Project Formal Organisational Structure 20413.4 Empirical Analysis 20513.4.1 Clusters in BSCU Project Networks 20513.4.2 Intra-Cluster Relationships and Decision-Making 20813.5 Conclusion 216References 21714 Procurement, Collaboration, and the Role of Dialogue 221Simon Addyman14.1 Introduction 22114.2 Procurement and Collaborative Working Practices 22214.3 Language and Dialogue in Organisations 22314.4 Applying Chronotope to the Analysis of Dialogue 22614.5 Implications for Collaborative Working Practices 22814.6 Conclusion 231References 232Author Biographies 237Index 243