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This exploratory research examines the relationship between project performance and organizational characteristics in construction companies. Nine Chilean construction firms were involved in this study. Key performance indicators (KPIs) were introduced to periodically capture the project performance of 41 projects in these companies. Furthermore, their organizational characteristics were evaluated using social network analysis metrics. A correlation analysis revealed the relationships among four metrics from six social networks and nine KPIs.Significant correlations were found between the density, average degree, diameter and average path length of social networks and the medians and standard deviations of KPIs. The results confirm that a relation exists between high connectivity and short communication paths within the social networks of a construction company and high KPIs of construction project performance. Additionally, high inverse correlations were observed, suggesting that connectivity may be a consequence of poor project results, such as for the accident KPI. The results indicate that high connectivity and closeness inside corporate social networks are not necessarily related to good performance in construction projects. Thus, corporate social networks do not possess an ideal condition that enables optimal company performance in all areas.

6The performance of construction companies is linked to the performance of their projects, as 7 their financial success as well as the satisfaction of their clients depends on it. However, most 8 studies of construction companies' performance consider mainly the corporate aspects but not 9 the performance they achieve in their projects that are a result of their management practices. 10A key issue is determining the differences among management practices used by construction 11 companies that provide them with a competitive advantage. This is the purpose of this study. 12To achieve this goal, nine construction companies participated in this collaborative 13 benchmarking study. There is a group of management practices that differentiate the 14 investigated construction companies. The results highlight the relevance of the management 15 of information and communication and the importance of lean management practices as the 16 tools for analysis and planning or to improve processes. Construction companies' managers 17should consider these differentiating elements as a path to achieve a competitive advantage. 18 19

Purpose The construction industrys business model is mainly based on the interaction among the architecture office, the engineering office and the construction company. The performance and practices of architects offices, unlike those of the other actors, are difficult to characterize and there have been few studies on these issues. To better understand architects' performance, the purpose of this paper is to develop a benchmarking tool based on real practices identified by managers of Chilean architecture offices.Design/methodology/approachThe research method includes a complete literature review, followed by a study of a sample of nine Chilean architecture offices, with whom a series of four workshops was developed, to establish both performance indicators and relevant management practices. Finally, these metrics were applied in an architectural office as a pilot case.FindingsFour management dimensions were defined: client management, external coordination, internal organization and human resources. Key performance indicators were divided into process, financial and quality indicators. The workshops carried out with the architectural offices demonstrated the relevance of benchmarking tools such as the one developed, which enables the systematic measurement of both management practices and performance indicators. Originality/valueAlthough there have been several efforts to create benchmarking tools for the construction industry, few efforts have focused on architecture offices. Therefore, this research aims to explicitly identify management practices that can be used for this type of organization and to coordinate among multiple actors to find the best way to measure their performance, other than the fulfilment of schedules and budgets.