Venkataraman, V and Cheng, J C P (2014) Social network analysis on the inter-organizational interactions in green building projects. In: Raiden, A and Aboagye-Nimo, E (eds.) Proceedings of 30th Annual ARCOM Conference, 1-3 September 2014, Portsmouth, UK.
Abstract
Green building projects are collaboration intensive in nature, and construction of a green building involves execution of complex tasks that are different from those in conventional construction projects. Therefore, collaboration among stakeholders is critical to the success of a green building project. This paper aims to study the inter-organizational interactions among key project stakeholders in green building projects and to investigate the relationship between the interactions and the project performance. To achieve these aims, social network analysis techniques were used to analyse the organizational relationships in green building projects. Considering the nature of green building projects, network measurements were classified into four different aspects – (1) Design, (2) Sustainability, (3) Construction, and (4) Finance. Social network analysis metrics like density, centrality and degree were defined and used respectively to measure the organizational relationships, key players, and powerful and influential players in each network. The developed social network model was applied to a case study green building project in Hong Kong and the outcome is presented in this paper. First hand data concerning communication frequency and information exchanges were collected from key project participants involved in the green building project through interviews and questionnaire. The results show that over-involvement of the client due to the lack of trust in the design team and the strained relationship between the client and the project manager affected the overall project performance. Key players and potential bottlenecks in organizational relationships for each aspect in this green building project are discussed and suggestions for improving project performance were provided.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | green building; high-performance teams; organizational relationships; project communications; social network analysis |
| Index terms: | interaction, collaboration, construction project, project stakeholder, project performance, green building, questionnaire, social network analysis, design team, social network, information exchange, density, Hong Kong, interview, project communication, case study, project manager |
| Subjects: | behavioral psychology, sociology, Geography, production management, project management theory and practice, professional development, management, design practice, research methods, professional practice, data science, analytical methods, profession, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice, Information Management, Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Design Practice, Digital Applications, Urban Studies, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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