Project-based networks in the delivery of infrastructure projects and programmes

Methods of delivering complex projects and programmes are changing, and collaborative arrangements are becoming more common. Project scholars emphasise the advantage of inter-organisational cooperation as a strategic vehicle to combine various capabilities that may not reside within the boundaries of a single firm. Large and complex projects are increasingly organised through long-term programmes or pipelines for which multiple organisations (owners, contractors, suppliers, consultants, etc.) are brought together to collaborate under an enduring coalition or framework. This way, the dispersion of critical capabilities is prevented, actors’ competitive interests caused by their ever-changing roles are reduced, and cooperation for achieving shared benefits and common goals is incentivised. This thesis considers these emerging project-based delivery settings as a distinct organisational form and frames them as project-based networks (PBNs), theoretically and empirically elaborating their features. PBNs are typically arranged by clients who bring together delivery partners and other organisations for an extended period of time to deliver various projects, often organised through long-term programmes or pipelines. PBNs integrate diverse specialised capabilities and collaborative high-performing teams with a bespoke skill set to deliver better outcomes. Yet, collaborative PBNs are relatively new forms of organising, therefore, partners are often required to adapt to a new way of delivering projects and programmes. That is, a long-term vision, based on robust collaborative rules and guidelines, is vital. Through an inductive, qualitative approach, built on three single case studies and one multiple case study, the research explains four key dynamics that occur and characterise PBNs: coopetition, tensions, strategic positioning and owner collaborative capabilities. Sixty-one interviews were conducted within three major collaborative arrangements formed in the UK infrastructure industry. The findings suggest (i) four mechanisms for achieving and maintaining sustainable coopetition, (ii) four areas of tensions that can emerge and challenge the performance of PBNs, (iii) a strategic model based on three steps through which organisations use collaborative PBNs for strategic positioning, and (iv) a framework of owner collaborative capabilities. This thesis contributes to project studies by defining PBNs as a distinct organisational form and bringing less explored theoretical conversations into existing project debates. It also contributes to practice by elaborating a new collaborative form of project organisation that is expanding in the infrastructure sector and providing a strategic guide with key recommendations for successful and effective collaborative project and programme delivery.