TECHNICAL PAPERS
Oct 14, 2009

Project Organizations as Social Networks

Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 136, Issue 4

Abstract

High-performance teams achieve outcomes that exceed the expectations of the project and often demonstrate unique or innovative approaches within a final solution. The foundation of this high performance is the ability to focus on the success of the team over individual objectives. However, the recognition of this emphasis is based on the establishment of professional trust and strong communications between the team members. The social network model of construction introduced a dual-focused approach to enhancing these elements and creating high-performance project teams. The approach emphasizes balancing both a traditional project management emphasis on efficiency of communications with a focus on the social factors that move the project team from efficient to effective. In this paper, the model is extended to present the results of four studies of organizations that are full-service engineering companies that also provide construction oversight services. The paper presents the results of these studies in terms of the social network model and the achievement of high performance in the project teams. Analytical and graphical results are presented based on social network analysis techniques to provide a multiperspective analysis of the project teams.

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Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 136Issue 4April 2010
Pages: 452 - 458

History

Received: Dec 21, 2008
Accepted: Oct 1, 2009
Published online: Oct 14, 2009
Published in print: Apr 2010

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Authors

Affiliations

Paul S. Chinowsky [email protected]
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0428 (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected]
James Diekmann [email protected]
Professor, Dept. of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0428. E-mail: [email protected]
John O’Brien [email protected]
Research Assistant, Dept. of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0428. E-mail: [email protected]

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