The Interactive Effects of Communication Network Structure and Organizational Size on Task Performance in Project-Based Organizations: The Mediating Role of Bootleg Innovation Behavior

Abstract

A PBO is a temporary organization formed by assembling members with diverse experiences and backgrounds, aimed at achieving specific innovation goals. Constructing a reasonable communication network structure and enhancing organizational synergy are effective ways to promote the sustainable development of the system. This study, based on the Input–Process–Output (IPO) model and social network analysis, utilized a group collaboration platform to conduct a three-stage communication experiment on 685 construction project managers. Under two organizational sizes, the internal mechanism of how communication networks with two levels of centralization influence task performance were tested. The results indicate that in the case of a smaller organizational size, PBOs using a decentralized communication network tend to achieve higher task performance. However, as the organizational size expands, PBOs employing a centralized communication network may surpass in task performance. Additionally, we found that with the expansion of organizational size, bootleg innovation behaviors of organizational members are continually stimulated, further enhancing collective task performance. This study, based on the evolution of communication network parameters, explores the structural characteristics of organizational communication networks and the mechanisms underlying the emergence of bootleg innovation behaviors. It delineates the key pathways for improving collective task performance. The findings can provide a scientific reference for the organizational evolution and development of engineering project management.

Centralized or Decentralized? Communication Network and Collective Effectiveness of PBOs—A Task Urgency Perspective

“…Drawing upon the existing research on communication networks of engineering project teams featured in mainstream peer-reviewed papers and case studies [32][33][34], this study summarizes four types of communication networks. These networks include the fully connected network, the subgroup network, the core-periphery network, and the locally clustered network.…”

Unveiling the Impact of Communication Network on Engineering Project Team Performance: The Interplay of Centralization and Tie Strength

“…57,[95][96][97] These studies have shown specific communication patterns in engineering project management teams in real-world, but have also sparked controversy regarding different communication patterns and performance outcomes. 98 Based on this foundation, the study combines the classic communication networks and summarizes the typical communication networks of engineering project teams. Using the IMO model and classic communication experiments, it analyzes from an innovative perspective the interaction between network structural attributes and network relational attributes.…”