Key drivers of effective collaborative working inconstruction supply chain in South Africa

Abstract

Recent researchinto construction supply chain, has identified need to pursue the drivers for effective collaborative working in construction project delivery. Identification and implementation of the drivers for effective collaboration is deemed to be the precursor for optimising the benefits of collaborative working in construction project delivery. However, there has been little research that focus on key drivers of collaborative working in the construction sector compared to the manufacturing, production and service delivery sectors. The aim of this study is to identify the key drivers for effective collaborative working in construction project delivery. The study primarily adopted an exploratory qualitative design using interviews on three case study projectsthatadopted collaborative working in South Africa. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The results revealed, efficient operational governance practices in team work, effective Integration strategies in team management and people andenvironmental management strategies as the three main factor drivers for effective collaboration in construction business and project delivery. It further established effective communication, building trust, managerial and employee support & motivation and effective leadership as the under bedding tenets of these driving themes. The findings thus affirmed that the human behavioural and environmental factors cannot be overlooked if effective collaborative working in construction project delivery can be achieved. The drivers for effective collaborative working could be diverse with limited understanding of the key factors in the construction industry. The study has given an understanding of the key drivers of effective collaboration thatcan help stakeholders and practitioners to operationalise the factors in order to optimise the benefits of collaborative working in construction supply chain.

Relationship clusters and performance of conflict management strategies in cross-organisational projects teams

“…The emergence of collaborative and partnering seems to support the fact that, non-traditional working models are becoming options to improve relationships in project delivery based on the four attributes of the attachment theory. This supports the position of Kwofie et al (2017Kwofie et al ( , 2019. Kwofie et al (2017Kwofie et al ( , 2019 found that, collaborative working models provided relationship networks that promote performance and thus have become preferred working models for emerging complex construction projects.…”

“…Kwofie et al . (2017, 2019) found that, collaborative working models provided relationship networks that promote performance and thus have become preferred working models for emerging complex construction projects. In this regard, it can be said that, the insight provided by the results, means stakeholders in the industry can pursue collaborative working to develop the relationship linkages and networks that can promote delivery success and optimize performance.…”

“…Lee and Sawang (2016) explained that roles & tasks function underline their orientation in relating to others in tasks and performing roles and this often focuses on task clarity and expectation, monitoring and evaluation and response to request and feedback. In the case of cognition, literature detailed nature of experience and knowledge in task and social function, deductive and inductive knowledge application in decisions, making innovative suggestions as key in collaborative work relationship (Lee and Sawang, 2016;Crawford and Lepine, 2013;Elmualim, 2010;Kwofie et al, 2017Kwofie et al, , 2019. Crawford and Lepine (2013) and Ujene and Edike (2015) affirmed that recognitions for how ones emotions affects others, ability to maintain Conflict management strategies calm and clear-head, commitment to collective team spirit are critical emotional attributes that affect relationship orientations and quality especially in conflict situation.…”

“…Being collaborative means that parties, participants and stakeholders agree to share a significant amount of knowledge, technology and personnel in construction projects, and aim for a prospective vision of strategic alliance (Akintoye and Main, 2007). Skinnarland (2013) and Kwofie et al (2019) recognized that developing collaborative relationships among parties and stakeholders in construction development is vital for enhanced performance and productivity improvement. Cooperative relationship is exhibited where parties and stakeholders will find a balance between cooperation and competition in the relationship (Eriksson, 2008).…”

Importance and Performance of Value-Based Maintenance Practices in Hospital Buildings

“…Improvement in the collaborative working environment rather than a punitive system could potentially help to enhance service delivery. Previous studies shown that collaborative working improved the construction supply chain [60] and infrastructure asset maintenance [61]. Past literature acknowledged that value co-creation could be achieved through intensive cooperation [51], sharing of information [29], knowledge transfer [29,30] and effective communication [51].…”