A network theory-based analysis of stakeholder issues and their interrelationships in large construction projects: a case study

Abstract

Large construction projects are characterized by numerous stakeholders and conflicting interests involved. Previous stakeholder management studies placed great emphasis on stakeholder identification and analysis based on individual stakeholder attributes, which are confined in completeness without taking into account stakeholder-related issues and their interrelationships. In real situations, a project environment is a network of interconnected stakeholder issues, where stakeholder perception and salience are affected by the propagating influences of these issue interactions. This paper conducts a network theory-based analysis to investigate the underlying network of stakeholder issues in large construction projects, as well as to identify key issues and relationships impacting project execution. Network analysis procedures are illustrated through a case study of a large building project. Recommendations and lessons learnt are drawn for future large public construction projects. This paper provides a network perspective to analyse stakeholder issues and interrelationships, eventually increasing the overall accuracy and effectiveness of project stakeholder management.

Investigating the effects of stakeholder collaboration strategies on risk prevention performance in a digital innovation ecosystem

“…Based on the evaluation results of degree and network reachability, we divided the nodes in the network into strong and weak actors. The stronger node with higher degree indicates it can better collect information from its neighbors in the network to cope with risks (Castillo et al, 2018;Li et al, 2020), while the stronger node with higher network reachability indicates it can better capture information available in the global network (Mok et al, 2017;Sytch and Tatarynowicz, 2014). Three collaboration strategies are designed to connect relevant actors in the network, i.e.…”

“…Actually, the degree index reflects only the local influence of a stakeholder on its adjacent partners and therefore shows limited effectiveness in risk prevention. In contrast, the network reachability of a node reveals how the stakeholder is embedded in the network structure (Mok et al, 2017;Sytch and Tatarynowicz, 2014). High network reachability means that risk-related information can be distributed effectively and rapidly among stakeholders throughout the whole network (Lee et al, 2018;Freeman, 1979).…”

“…Global network depicts many-to-many relationships among nodes in the whole network (Li et al, 2020;Tu, 2020), in which one stakeholder can move beyond its neighbors to gain information across a broader network space. Network reachability is used to capture all the information ties available in the global network (Mok et al, 2017;Sytch and Tatarynowicz, 2014). High network reachability is viewed as an advantageous position for the stakeholder, which can derive information in the global network (Lee et al, 2018).…”

Relationship between contractor satisfaction and project management performance

“…As Freeman's (1984) stakeholder theory holds, stakeholder satisfaction management is useful for solving corporate social-related issues effectively and generating good business performance (Porter and Kramer, 2006). In many cases, the perception of success for complex projects has little to do with whether they are completed on time, at cost, and with the desired quality, but the achievement of the desired objectives of different stakeholders (Turner and Zolin, 2012;El-Sawalhi and Salah, 2015;Ujene and Edike, 2015;Mok, Shen and Yang, 2017). Many accept participant satisfaction as a new dimension of project success (e.g.…”

“…In addition to the 'iron triangle' measures of cost, schedule, and quality, satisfaction has been recognized as another effective measure of project performance (Ibbs and Ashley, 1987;Toor and Ogunlana, 2010;Li, Ng and Skitmore, 2013;Ha et al, 2017). Studies of construction project participant satisfaction have become increasingly prominent over the past decade, with a positive change in focus from individual performance to a greater emphasis on stakeholder interests (Toor and Ogunlana, 2010;Hosseini, Chileshe and Zillante, 2014;Ibiyemi et al, 2014;El-Sawalhi and Salah, 2015;Forsythe, 2015;Ujene and Edike, 2015;Andriof et al, 2017;Mok, Shen and Yang, 2017;Xio, Liu and Pang, 2019). Additionally, project participant satisfaction provides an early sign of the likely outputs in executing complex projects (Williams et al, 2012;Xiong et al, 2014).…”