Critical success factors for partnering in the Turkish construction industry

Partnering is in the agenda of construction companies worldwide as it is an effective strategy that may increase competitiveness of companies and reduce risks retained by each party. In order for partnering to reach its expected benefits, partner selection is of vital importance. There are also some critical success factors (CSFs) that should be taken into account by the parties in order to maintain a successful partnership throughout its lifecycle. The aim of this research is to identify the factors affecting the partner selection process as well as the CSFs that are found important by the Turkish contractors. Within the context of this research, a questionnaire was designed to collect data and statistical analysis was conducted to reveal the perception of contractors about partnering based on the experiences of 49 Turkish companies. The scope of this paper is limited to short-term project-based joint ventures as it is the most widely used type of partnering in the Turkish construction industry. Results demonstrate that the most important factors while selecting partners are experience in similar projects, corporate image, relations with clients, and financial, technical, and managerial capability of the company. Cooperation among partners, clear definition of roles and responsibilities, mutual decision-making, dispute resolution, effective coordination and communication, and trust among partners are identified as the most important CSFs. After discussing the implications of identified CSFs for the Turkish construction industry, some strategies are proposed for maximising the success of the partnering process.