Drexler Jr, J A and Larson, E W (2000) Partnering: Why project owner-contractor relationships change. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 126(4), pp. 293-297. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Over the last decade, research in the construction industry has explored the owner-contractor relationship in project management resulting in a different paradigm called partnering. Partnering is a relationship characterized by cooperation and collaboration in contrast to the adversarial relationship more commonly experienced between owners and contractors. This study utilized data collected from 276 construction projects to examine the stability in the owner-contractor relationship. Owner-contractor relationships were classified as being adversarial, guarded adversarial, informal partners, or project partners. Fifty-eight percent of the projects experienced some fundamental change in working relationship - either positive or negative. Projects that began as formal partnerships were the most stable with over two thirds ending as they began. Guarded adversarial was the least stable with fewer than 30% maintaining this kind of relationship at the end of the project. Content analysis of the reasons stated for the change revealed factors that contribute to an improvement or deterioration in working relationships. The writers use this analysis to make recommendations for sustaining and improving partnerships between owner and contractors.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Index terms: | partnership, owner, partnering, project management, construction industry, project partner, paradigm, stability, content analysis, deterioration, cooperation, construction project, collaboration |
| Subjects: | psychology, material degradation and durability, data analysis and analytics, sociology, partnership management, industry analysis, management, education and knowledge transfer, structural engineering, project management theory and practice, production management |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Engineering Principles, Construction Materials, Research Practice, Project Management, Stakeholder Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here