TECHNICAL PAPERS
May 1, 2007

Building Constructive Innovation Networks: Role of Relationship Management

Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 133, Issue 5

Abstract

In response to the growing demands for innovation, networked arrangements that draw together and synthesize the knowledge resources of multiple organizations and sectors have come to the fore-front within the construction arena. Because they are based on a relational governance principal, these new arrangements require management strategies and techniques that may not be synonymous with conventional approaches. Drawing on the Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation as an example of an interorganizational innovation network, this case study examines its formation and operation to determine the role that relational governance plays in these new arrangements and to provide insights into the relationship-based management strategies employed. The case study indicates that although a mix of governance modes supplements the relational approach, network management remains a critical, if often overlooked, function. Based on the findings, a preliminary relationship management framework is presented as well as some key lessons for those responsible for the architecture, operation, and administration of these innovation networks.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

References

ACIL Tasman Sydney Pty Ltd. (2005). “Evaluation of construction and property sector R and D scenarios—Case study evaluation of CRC CI investment strategy.” Rep., Prepared for the CRC for Construction Innovation, Sydney, Australia.
Agranoff, R., and McGuire, M. (2001a). “After the network is formed: Processes, power, and performance.” Getting results through collaboration: Networks and network structures for public policy and management, M. P. Mandell, ed., Quorum Books, Westport, Conn., 11–29.
Agranoff, R., and McGuire, M. (2001b). “Big questions in public network management research.” J. Public Administration Research and Theory, 11(3), 295–326.
Anderson, F., and Manseau, A. (1999). “A systematic approach to generation/transmission/use of innovation in construction activities.” 3rd Int. Conf. on Technology Policy and Innovation: Global Knowledge and Partnerships—Creating Value in the 21st Century, Austin, Tex.
Ansell, C. (2000). “The network polity: Regional development in Western Europe.” Governance, 13(3), 303–333.
Borys, B., and Jemison, D. (1989). “Hybrid arrangements as strategic alliances: Theoretical issues in organizational combinations.” Acad. Manage. Rev., 14(92), 234–249.
Brown, K., and Keast, R. (2003). “Community-government engagement: Community connections through networked arrangements.” Asian J. Public Administration, 25(1), 107–132.
Brown, W. B. (1984). “Firm-like behavior in markets: The administered channel.” Int. J. Industrial Organization, 2(3), 263–276.
Bryson, J. (1995). Strategic planning for public and non-profit organizations, Jossey Bass, San Francisco.
Bureau of Industry Economics. (1991). “‘Networks’: A third form of organisation.” Discussion Paper 14, Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.
Connell, J. P., and Kubisch, A. C. (1998). “Applying a theory of change approach to the evaluation of comprehensive community initiatives: Progress, prospects, and problems.” New approaches to evaluating community initiatives, Vol. 2: Theory, measurement, and analysis, K. Fulbright-Anderson, A. C. Kubisch, and J. P. Connell, eds., The Aspen Institute, Washington, D.C., 15–44.
Considine, M., and Lewis, J. (1999). “Governance at the ground level: The frontline bureaucrat in the age of markets and networks public administration review.” Public Admin. Rev., 59(6), 467–480.
Conway, S. (1995). “Informal boundary spanning networks in successful technological innovation.” Technology, Analysis, and Strategic Management, 7(3), 327–342.
Cooper, I. (1997). “The UK’s changing research base for construction: The impact of recent government policy.” Build. Res. Inf., 25(5), 292–300.
CRC for Construction Innovation (CRC CI). (2003). “Building our Future.” Annual Rep. No. 2002-03, ⟨www.construction-innovation.info⟩ (Dec. 20, 2006).
CRC for Construction Innovation (CRC CI). (2004). “Building our future, Brisbane, Australia.” Annual Rep. No. 2003-04, ⟨www.construction-innovation.info⟩ (Dec. 20, 2006).
CRC for Construction Innovation (CRC CI). (2005). “Building our future Brisbane, Australia.” Annual Rep. No. 2004-05, ⟨www.construction-innovation.info⟩ (Dec. 20, 2006).
CRC for Construction Innovation (CRC CI). (2006). “Construction innovation renewal bid document.” ⟨www.construction-innovation.intranet/access.htp⟩.
Dewick, P., and Miozzo, M. (2004). “Networks and innovation: Sustainable technologies in Scottish social housing.” R and D Management, 34(4), 323–333.
Dulaimi, M. F., Ling, F., and Barjacharya, A. (2002). “Enhancing integration and innovation in construction.” Build. Res. Inf., 30(4), 237–247.
Gann, D. M. (2000). Building innovation: Complex constructs in a changing world, Thomas Telford, London.
Gann, D. M., and Salter, A. J. (2000). “Innovation in project based, service-enhanced firms: The construction of complex products and systems.” Res. Policy, 29(7–8), 955–972.
Hampson, K., and Manley, K. (2001). “Construction innovation and public policy in Australia.” Innovation in construction: An international review of public policies, A. Manseau and G. Seaden, eds., E & FN Spon, London, 31–59.
Hampson, K., Messer, D., and Manley, K. (2003). “Driving collaboration in Australian property and construction.” Draft document, CRC Construction Innovation (March), Brisbane, Australia.
Huxham, C., ed. (1996). Creating collaborative advantage, Sage, London.
Inkpen, A. C. (1996). “Creating knowledge through collaboration.” California Manage. Rev., 39(1), 123–140.
Innes, J., and Booher, D. (1999). “Consensus building and complex adaptive systems: A framework for evaluating collaborative planning.” J. Am. Plan. Assn., 65(4), 412–423.
Jarillo, J. C. (1988). “On strategic networks.” Strategic Manage. J., 9, 34–41.
Keast, R., and Brown, K. (2002). “The government service delivery network: A case study of the push and pull of central government coordination.” Public Management Review, 4(4), 439–459.
Keast, R., Brown, K., Mandell, M. P., and Woolcock, G. (2004). “Network structures: Working differently and changing expectations.” Public Admin. Rev., 64(3), 363–371.
Keast, R., Mandell, M. P., and Brown, K. (2005). “Governance arrangements and network management: The impact on hybrid networks.” 9th Int. Research Symp. on Public Management, Milan, Italy.
Keast, R., Mandell, M. P., and Brown, K. (2006). “Mixing state, market and network governance: The role of governments in ‘crowded’ policy domains.” Int. J. Organizational Theory and Behavior, 9(1), 27–50.
Kickert, W. J. M., Klijn, E.-H., and Koppenjan, J. F. M. (1997). “Managing networks in the public sector: Findings and reflections.” Managing complex networks: Strategies for the public sector, W. J. M. Kickert, E.-H. Klijn, and J. F. M. Koppenjan, eds., Sage, London, 166–188.
Koppenjan, J., and Klijn, E.-H. (2004). Managing uncertainties in networks, Routledge, London.
Leydesdorff, L. (2000). “The triple helix: An evolutionary model of innovation.” Res. Policy, 29(2), 243–255.
Limerick, D., Cunnington, B., and Crowther, F. (1998). Managing the new organisation: Collaboration and sustainability in the postcorporate world, Business & Professional Publishing, Warriewood, New South Wales, Australia.
Ling, F. Y. Y. (2003). “Managing the implementation of construction innovations.” Constr. Manage. Econom., 21(6), 635–649.
Lowndes, V., and Skelcher, C. (1998). “The dynamics of multi-organisational partnerships: An analysis of changing modes of governance.” Public Admin. Rev., 76(2), 313–333.
Lundvall, B.-A. (1992). National systems of innovation: Towards a theory of innovation and interactive learning, Pinter, London.
Mackintosh, M. (1992). “Partnership: Issues of policy and negotiation.” Local Economy, 7(3), 210–224.
Mandell, M. P. (1988). “Intergovernmental management in interorganizational networks: A revised perspective.” Int. J. Public Administration, 11(4), 393–416.
Mandell, M. P. (1990). “Network management: Strategic behavior in the public sector.” Strategies for managing intergovernmental policies and networks, R. W. Gage and M. P. Mandell, eds., Praeger, New York, 29–54.
Mandell, M. P. (1994). “Managing interdependence through programme structures: A revised paradigm.” Am. Rev. Public Admin., 24(1), 99–121.
Mandell, M. P. (2000). “From networks to network structures: Collaborative strategies.” Handbook of strategic management, 2nd Ed., B. Rabin, G. Miller, and W. Hildreth, eds., Marcel Dekker, New York, 371–385.
Manseau, A., and Seadon, G. (2001). “Analytical framework.” Innovation in construction: An international review of public policies, A. Manseau and G. Seadon, eds., E & FN Spon, London, 7–16.
Manseau, A., and Shields, R. (2005). Building tomorrow: Innovation in construction and engineering, Ashgate, Burlington, Vt.
Marshall, C., and Rossman, G. B. (1989). Designing qualitative research, Sage, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Menard, C. (2002). “The economics of hybrid organisations.” Presidential address ISNIE 2002, MIT, Cambridge, Mass., ⟨www.isnie.org⟩ (March 27, 2005).
Miozzo, M., and Dewick, P. (2002). “Building competitive advantage: Innovation and corporate governance in European construction.” Res. Policy, 31(6), 989–1008.
Nam, C. H., and Tatum, C. B. (1997). “Leaders and champions for construction innovation.” Constr. Manage. Econom., 15(3), 259–70.
Oberscall, A. (1973). Social conflicts and social movements, Prentice-Hall, Englewood-Cliffs, N.J.
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation: Research methods, 2nd Ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Powell, W. W. (1990). “Neither market nor hierarchy: Network forms of organization.” Res. Organ. Behav., 12, An Annual Series of Analytical Essays and Critical Research, B. M. Staw and L. L. Cummings, eds., 295–336.
Powell, W. W., Koput, K. W., and Smith-Doer, L. (1996). “Interorganizational collaboration and the locus of innovation: Networks of learning in biotechnology.” Adm. Sci. Q., 41(1), 116–145.
Rhodes, R. A. W. (1997). “From marketisation to diplomacy: It’s the mix that matters.” Public Policy and Administration, 12(2), 31–50.
Schaeffer, P., and Loveridge, S. (2002). “Towards an understanding of types of public private cooperation.” Public Perf. Manage. Rev., 26(2), 169–189.
Seadon, G. (1997). “The future of national construction research organizations: Scenarios for the changing roles, functions, research agendas, and funding.” Build. Res. Inf., 25(5), 250–256.
Swan, J., Scarbrough, H., and Robertson, M. (2003). “The construction of ‘communities of practice’ in the management of innovation.” Manage. Learn., 33(4), 477–496.
Sydow, J. (2004). “Network development by means of network evaluation?—Explorative insights from a case in the financial services industry.” Human Relations, 57(2), 201–220.
Tatum, C. B. (1984). “What prompts construction innovation?” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 110(3), 311–323.
Thompson, G., Frances, J., Levacic, R., and Mitchell, J., eds. (1991). Markets, hierarchies, and networks: The coordination of social life, Sage, London.
Thorell, H. B. (1986). “Networks: Between markets and hierarchies.” Strategic Manage. J., 7(10), 37–51.
Walker, D., and Hampson, K. (2003a). “Developing cross-team relationships.” Procurement strategies: A relationship based approach, D. Walker and K. Hampson, eds., Blackwell Science Ltd., Oxford, U.K., 169–203.
Walker, D., and Hampson, K. (2003b). “Enterprise networks, partnerships and alliancing.” Procurement strategies: A relationship based approach, D. Walker and K. Hampson, eds., Blackwell Science Ltd., Oxford, U.K., 30–73.
Williamson, O. E. (1975). Markets and hierarchies: Analysis and antitrust implications, a study in economics of internal organization, Free Press, New York.
Winch, G. (2005). “Managing complex connective processes: Innovation brokering.” Building tomorrow: Innovation in construction and engineering, A. Manseau and R. Shields eds., Ashgate, Burlington, Vt., 81–100.
Yin, R. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods, 3rd Ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 133Issue 5May 2007
Pages: 364 - 373

History

Received: Jul 19, 2005
Accepted: Dec 19, 2006
Published online: May 1, 2007
Published in print: May 2007

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations

Robyn Keast [email protected]
Senior Lecturer, School of Managment, Queensland Univ. of Technology, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane Qld 4001, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
Keith Hampson [email protected]
Chief Executive Officer, Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation, Queensland Univ. of Technology, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane Qld 4001, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

Cited by

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share