Assessing collaborative performance on construction projects through knowledge exchange

Abstract

Purpose -How knowledge exchange can be used for the continuous assessment and improvement of collaborative performance of project-based organisations in construction is explored. Collaboration on construction projects must be facilitated by people alongside practice of continuous performance assessment and improvement. However, currently available assessment tools fail to explicitly define appropriate behaviours and actions due to a poor understanding of what it means for people to collaborate. On the other hand, it is established that knowledge exchange is the focus of collaborative efforts on construction projects; therefore, as most knowledge resides with people, it represents their role in collaboration.Design/methodology/approach -Through a phenomenological/interpretivist and qualitative methodology, how knowledge exchange can be used for the continuous assessment and improvement of collaborative performance in project-based organisations in construction is explored. A single case study of a UK rail strategic alliance was adopted and 6 semi-structured interviews were conducted and subsequently analysed through a thematic analysis.Findings -An assessment tool is proposed based on a set of 20 characteristics of knowledge exchange, divided into seven categories and linked to indicators of collaboration. The tool can be applied to highly collaborative projects where BIM and Lean are implemented, and project participants are collocated. By measuring their performance against the set criteria, project teams can assess which of their behaviours and actions are inappropriate, and focus their efforts on correcting them.Originality/value -Defining the abstract indicators traditionally used to assess collaboration in terms of characteristics pertinent to day-to-day communication amongst participants on collaborative projects to facilitate the continuous assessment and improvement of collaborative performance.

Relationship between Big Five personality traits and knowledge sharing behaviour: moderating role of Islamic work ethics

“…, 2016; Fullwood and Rowley, 2017; Tufail et al. , 2017; Staykova and Underwood, 2017; Wang and Shi, 2019). However, there is comparatively less information on the importance of KS in the telecommunications industry, especially in Pakistan (Lin et al.…”

“…However, a lack of KS seems to be one of the challenges to effective knowledge management in organisations. Therefore, KS has been seen as important and is widely discussed by many academics, as well as construction, public, and private industries and organisations (Henttonen et al, 2016;Fullwood and Rowley, 2017;Tufail et al, 2017;Staykova and Underwood, 2017;Wang and Shi, 2019). However, there is comparatively less information on the importance of KS in the telecommunications industry, especially in Pakistan (Lin et al, 2009).…”

Impact of Control and Trust on Megaproject Success: The Mediating Role of Social Exchange Norms

“…Information sharing can help participants adopt consistent management actions, establish common goals, and understand each other's strategic intentions to improve project performance and achieve common interests. e collaborative performance of construction projects is mainly encouraged by knowledge and information exchange [78]. Information sharing is a social process that can promote the cooperation quality and management efficiency, which improves megaproject performance in restricting cost, overruns, and time delays [65].…”

How to enhance collaboration

“…The review is based on “Assessing collaborative performance on construction projects through knowledge exchange: a UK rail strategic alliance case study” by Staykova and Underwood, (2017) published in Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management . Knowledge exchange between different project participants can enhance collaborative ventures.…”