The emergence of partnering in construction practice: an activity theory perspective

Abstract

Over the last decades, interest has increased enormously in collaborative arrangements subsumed under the term partnering. Recent critics have stated that prescriptive approaches dominate the discussion on partnering in construction. There is a lack of multiple perspectives on the partnering phenomenon including its economic, social, organizational and institutional contexts. Taking this criticism as a starting point, the collaborative practice in a road maintenance contract is investigated from an activity theory perspective. The research findings show that partnering is transient and transformative in nature and that its emergence depends on the individual, organizational and activity-related circumstances of social interaction. The need for a collaborative relationship particularly contradicts and challenges the behaviour and working style that individuals had internalized and been used to. Hence, partnering development is not only a matter of learning new knowledge and adjusting existing working processes. It also requires discarding old routines and behaviour and overcoming vicious circles of reinforcing perceptions.

Sorting out the essence of owner–contractor collaboration in capital project delivery

“…On the basis of a construction partnering case study in the Netherlands, Hartmann and Bresnen (2011) suggest that partnering is "an embedded practice and constructed through individuals' social interaction to support unlearning of old routines and behavior". In a similar vein, based on case study of one UK-based construction partnering Chan et al (2012) indicate Table 3 Comparing top-10 rank of relationship elements with prior studies.…”

Expensive or expansive? Learning the value of boundary crossing in design projects

“…These boundary-crossing strategies have proven difficult to apply in practice Hartmann and Bresnen, 2011;Pemsel and Widén, 2011;Gottlieb and Haugbølle, 2013). The problems associated with boundaries cannot be solved in a simple way because they stem from an inherent feature of the division of labour: the contradiction between exchange value and use value (Lefebvre, 1991;Engeström, 2000).…”

Relational Contracting Philosophy for Challenges of Indian Construction Industry

“…Partnering development is not only a matter of learning new knowledge and adjusting existing working processes, but it also requires discarding old routines and behavior [14]. But it is unfair for management to expect employees to change unless they are continuously trained in the new concepts [15].…”