Relational determinants of construction project outcomes: a social network perspective

Abstract

In contributing a missing qualitative dimension to the emerging relationship-based approach to construction project management, social network theories are used to present a thematic analysis of interviews with senior construction project managers. The results provide new insights into the key stakeholders and social structures which determine construction project outcomes in the design and construct procurement context. They show that from a socio-structural perspective, a design and construct project can be broadly divided into four main stages: project scope/feasibility; tendering/estimating; design development/project planning; construction/handover. Key relational structures linked to project outcomes, both within and between stages, are discussed and the results show that the relationships between actors in different stages are as important as within each stage. Project managers perform an especially critical bridging role in developing a consistent project narrative and language which links project stages together. It is concluded that as lead indicators of project outcomes, the socio-structural concepts of bridging, centrality, structural equivalence and clustering can provide a valuable theoretical and practical foundation to further explore the emergent but as yet under-theorised relationship-based approach to project management.