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There is an obvious need in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry for improved project team integration through project delivery to ensure improved project outcomes. The literature reports that, among other methods, project partnering, when followed successfully, provides a great opportunity to improve project performance via improved collaboration among key project stakeholders (e.g., owner, designer, contractor) and reduce claims as a result while letting all project members stay in their traditional roles and work under any contractual framework, including design‐bid‐build. Despite its potential and history in the United States since the late 1980s and being classified as one of the best practices by the Construction Industry Institute in 1996, partnering continues to be underutilized. Existing research on partnering is mostly limited to public projects such as mega roadway and bridge projects. Guided by the literature, the aim of this research is to understand and report barriers to project partnering in the United States from both vertical/horizontal and public/private construction sectors. Via a comprehensive literature review, followed by a Delphi survey of partnering experts, this study systematically classified barriers to project partnering. In study results, implementation barriers to partnering during project delivery are more frequently pronounced than the barriers to its adoption. Of the top reported barriers to project partnering, the majority are cultural; project team related barriers show the greatest area of potential for improvement; and contrary to the literature, none is legislative. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by drawing attention to project delivery and management practices in the AEC industry to improve team collaboration and chances of successful implementation and adoption of integrative practices.

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Construction field supervisors often exchange stories about how decisions they had made on previous projects have saved a substantial number of man-hours leading to improved profits. They rely on their experience-based knowledge to make day-to-day decisions in the field. The knowledge is mostly tacit in nature which is internalized over the course of experience and when asked, the supervisors are unable to codify or articulate it replicable in words. Many construction firms are incorporating knowledge management practices but still, the tacit dimension is relatively unexplored in the literature. Organizations are seeing the tacit dimension as a great competitive advantage due to its relative immobile nature. Employee retirements and knowledge loss are compelling construction firms to capture these know-hows to prepare the future workforce. The first step towards harnessing tacit knowledge is to identify it in practice. This study posits a tacit knowledge measure and identifies barriers to knowledge sharing through case studies involving specialty contactors. Findings show a clear relation between experience and tacit knowledge acquisition. Lack of time and formal procedures, and managers’ reluctance to change are identified as the key barriers to knowledge sharing. Organizations can implement the proposed methodology framework and instrument to strengthen existing knowledge harnessing strategies.

Anthony Sparkling is an Assistant Professor in Construction Management Technology (CMT) at Purdue University where he teaches courses in mechanical and electrical systems, electrical estimating, and electrical construction. His research interests include teams, organizations, contract governance, organizational processes, project/team performance and behavioral feedback systems. Meanwhile, he has a growing interest in the skilled-trades shortage in the United States.