Charting the path towards a long-term knowledge brokerage function: an ecosystems view

Hybrid networks of actors such as policymakers, funders, scholars, and business practitioners are simultaneous producers and consumers of evidence use. While this diversity of evidence use is a strength, it also necessitates greater collaboration among interested parties for knowledge exchange. To address this need, we investigate how ecotones, which are hybrid networks operating in the transitional area between two distinct ecosystems, such as academic research and policy ecosystems, must involve, disseminate, and integrate different types of knowledge. Specifically, our research aims to unpack how an ecotone’s knowledge brokerage function evolves over its lifecycle. This paper presents the findings of a phenomenological investigation involving experts from the policy and academic research ecosystems. The study introduces a three-stage maturity transitions framework that outlines the trajectory of the brokerage function throughout the ecotone’s lifecycle: i. as a service function, ii. a programme-partnership, and iii. a network of networks. The paper contributes to the theory of knowledge brokerage for policy-making. We reflect on our findings and discuss the theoretical contributions within an ecosystem approach and their associated research and policy implications

Normalizing White-Collar Wrongdoing in Professional Service Firms

There is extensive literature on top managers committing wrongdoing, but few studies examine white-collar wrongdoing. Drawing on the experiences of a professional service firm, we examine why and how engineering consultants normalize wrongdoing. Leveraging bounded rationality theory, we find that organizational myopia promotes inadequate administrative systems that hold consultants prisoner to their rules and procedures, leading to normalized wrongdoing. Our theoretical contributions are threefold: (1) we contribute to the literature on wrongdoing, presenting the relation between organizational myopia and normalized wrongdoing, (2) we contribute to the administrative systems literature, showing their link with poor project performance, and (3) we show how administrative systems and normalized wrongdoing play a role in project scope creep. We introduce an iceberg model to show that the failed project (the tip of the iceberg) is due to organizational myopia and inefficient administrative systems that need to be addressed before starting any project

A study of the concept of future-proofing in healthcare building asset management and the role of BIM in its delivery

This research assessed the concept of future-proofing (FP) as a proactive initiative for enterprise asset management is an urgent need against uncertainty, particularly in health care due to unforeseeable demographic shifts and rapid advances in medical technology. Building information modelling (BIM) is a data-driven initiative but a rigorous analysis will indicate that a synergy exists. A multiphase design methodology was adopted to cover as much breadth and depth around the synergies that exist between future-proofing and BIM both in terms of delivery (supply chain) and in an enterprise context (organisational structures). In the first phase, an exploratory survey was conducted. The exploratory data were gathered to include responses of industry experts. The findings provide valuable insights regarding the integration of flexibility and design standardisation and whether this integration can improve change-readiness in designing future-proof healthcare facilities. Then, a first round of primary and secondary case study data were gathered from a major public asset owner organisation. The findings focused on the governance of BIM and FP in an enterprise context. As such three agendas emerged, namely government, strategic management and, due to the opportunities that BIM brings, information management. Then, a second round of primary qualitative data were collected and a series of interviews were conducted. The interviews targeted the opinion of leading industry experts across all phases of a project. At this phase the aim was to develop a classification ontology of the interactions between FP and BIM during project delivery. Finally, the findings were triangulated. As such, a reference model was developed, concentrating on the functional and organisational aspects of the core business of a service organisation. Finally, the three types of findings were connected to give a deployment plan for future-proofing asset management taking into account adoption of innovation which service providers can use to manage their assets across an enterprise

Captain and conscript or companions in operational reconfiguration? The case of an infrastructure owner with projects and asset management units

Infrastructure owners with projects and asset management units reconfigure their operational capabilities to deal with external stressors. We distinguish between two reconfiguration approaches, the discrete and the continuous approach. The discrete approach is broadly adopted in the infrastructure sector and draws from the project capabilities literature, whereas the continuous approach draws from the general management literature and views reconfiguration as a best practice dynamic capability. This article compares and contrasts the two approaches by leveraging an ethnographic study of an infrastructure owner. We explain why the discrete approach was initially adopted but ultimately failed. Later, by adopting the continuous approach, the organisation succeeded by enabling the two units to work collaboratively by developing two dynamic capabilities: negotiating and disseminating for reconfiguring their operational capabilities. Our research contributes to the theoretical elaboration of why and how change management processes succeed or fail. We discuss the implications of our study to the capabilities literature and project organising research and the managerial implications of developing dynamic capabilities for operational reconfiguration in organisations with projects and asset management units

Evidence on the Role of Digital Technologies in Built Environment Projects

• This report explores how digital technologies reshape the innovation process and catalyse digital innovations in a highly project-based setting: the built environment (BE). • There is a tension between the short- and long-term thinking of digital innovation in BE. • The BE sector innovates at the boundaries of the projects it builds instead of the boundaries of the organizations who own and operate the built assets. • The sector remains short-sighted in focusing on project innovations. • We call for long-term strategic thinking in terms of digital innovation, including new business models and capabilities to purposely adapt an organization’s resource base

Governance, cooperation and coordination in large inter-organisational project networks: a viable system perspective

Purpose: This study aims to further the understanding of multi-level analysis in inter-organisational relationships by investigating the interplay of governance, cooperation and coordination in inter-organisational projects (IOPs) on sub-system and project levels. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use the Viable Systems Model as a framework to analyse inter-organisational project governance, cooperation and coordination by adopting a multiple-case study. Findings: The findings illustrate how governance and coordination mechanisms exhibit a filter-down effect on lower sub-systems while cooperation influence is confined within each sub-system. While remarking the importance of specific sub-systems on the overall project performance, the interplay of governance, cooperation and coordination across sub-systems appears to be complex, with governance influencing cooperation and coordination, whereas cooperation and coordination influence each other with an incremental effect. Originality/value: This study defines two propositions that explain how multiple levels of analysis (project and sub-systems) can support the governance of large inter-organisational projects. The authors elaborate theory on the interplay of inter-organisational project governance, cooperation and coordination

Design of flexible and adaptable healthcare buildings of the future: a BIM approach

The UK's Government Construction adviser announced that all the public construction will be implemented with BIM in the coming years. This decision affects dramatically the design phase of healthcare facilities as by 2016, BIM is mandatory in the implementation of the design process. Moreover, The UK Construction Strategy plan does not offer for investigating the multidisciplinary design space of possible solutions. The uncertainty that impacts on healthcare (demographic trends, changing patterns of disease, technological advances and clinical knowledge) has led healthcare policy makers to take action to manage demand for healthcare services and the supply enabled by healthcare infrastructure. A state of the art review of literature identified that healthcare facilities are not designed to be change-ready and that owners of such facilities have dynamic requirements. To future-proof healthcare facilities a design process is required to offer a collaborative, parametric lean construction practice that enables the design team to generate and analyse flexible healthcare building design spaces based on multi-stakeholder requirements. BIM and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) offer dynamic decisions early in the design process. Here, IPD, the RIBA Outline Plan of Work 2012 and the BIM Guide from the Computer Integrated Construction Research Program were used to define the exact information exchange between the parties in a BIM-based construction process for change-ready healthcare facilities. A generic process map is derived from the literature for future testing and is presented in respect to the principles and philosophies of process protocol

Using BIM to integrate and achieve holistic future-proofing objectives in healthcare projects

Future proofing (FP) as a proactive initiative for Asset Management is an urgent need against uncertainty, particularly in healthcare due to unforeseeable demographic shifts and rapid advances in medical technology. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is another initiative with profound impacts, but a rigorous analysis between them will indicate that a synergy exists. The aim of this study is to develop a classification ontology of the interactions between FP and BIM by considering the perceptions of healthcare construction experts. Interviews with 13 senior managers were conducted adopting the method of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and an interaction matrix of BIM capabilities for implementing holistic FP objectives has been developed. The outcome is a taxonomy analysis of 30 interactions with supporting empirical evidence which were further measured quantitatively. For benefits realisation in the context of BIM and FP, the industry experts recognise FP as a strategy that supports organisational and building performance. BIM drives towards lifecycle operation information and data maintainability via communicating the FP strategy from a whole-life perspective and ensuring knowledge transfer across all stages. Healthcare Operators and construction experts should be able to benefit from this taxonomy analysis as an aid to planning for FP throughout their BIM processes

Supporting future-proof healthcare design by narrowing the design space of solutions using building information modelling

BIM has been characterized by the UK Government’s chief construction adviser as unstoppable regarding its rise in construction and he further positioned BIM as mandatory for public projects in the UK by 2016. Moreover, large scale public projects such as healthcare facilities must be seen as a process, being able to meet the constantly changing demands imposed on healthcare infrastructure. Facilities should be designed as change-ready rather than to meet fixed requirements, therefore, the designer should accommodate as large section of design space potential solutions instead of mistakenly narrowing the response of the project to only one solution. Scenario based design was employed as research and design method for the proposed software modules which would extend the Activity Database (ADB). Two modules are proposed that will enable designers to improve their spatial design decisions for both new and refurbishment projects through partially automated knowledge extraction. Additionally, the integration of flexibility and standardisation concepts has been addressed. The proposed design approach is intended to provide rich knowledge representation at the early stages of the design process in less time and effor

What are the causes and cures of poor megaproject performance? A systematic literature review and research agenda

This systematic literature review explores the megaproject management literature and contributes by improving our understanding of the causes and cures of poor megaproject performance. The review analyzes 6,007 titles and abstracts and 86 full papers, identifying a total of 18 causes and 54 cures to address poor megaproject performance. We suggest five avenues for future research that should consider examining megaprojects as large-scale, inter-organizational production systems: (1) designing the system architecture; (2) bridging the gap with manufacturing; (3) building and leading collaborations; (4) engaging institutions and communities; and (5) decomposing and integrating the supply chain