Virtualness:a new organisational dimension

In current literature a new organisational form is presented, the virtual organisation (VO). ms organisational form is a co-operation between a number of companies who combine their strengths to develop a new service or product. The current VO literature is ambiguous about the definition and characteristics of VOs. Furthermore, few empirical studies have been performed about the organisational structure, the internal communication and the consequences of virtual settings to knowledge and learning. In the literature it is assumed that knowledge is developed and transferred between the involved parties. However, little is mentioned how this knowledge is transferred and to who it is transferred. In this research the VO is not defined as a new organisation structure, but virtualness is an organisational dimension. The main research question is to investigate the relationshp between virtualness and knowledge development and transfer. Several dimensions are important in this respect: (a) the degree of virtualness; @) the context dependent indicators that indirectly influence virtualness; (c) knowledge development and transfer and (d) the consequences of different degrees of virtualness (and context dependent indicators) for knowledge development and transfer. It is assumed that knowledge development and transfer are affected by a high degree of virtualness. These questions are investigated with help of three case studies

Aligning innovation ecosystem strategies with internal R&D

Innovation based on external cooperation is becoming more and more relevant for many firms. We focus primarily on the innovation ecosystem in which firms live in a symbiotic relationship for co-evolvement around a particular technological platform. Literature in this field often focuses on the external strategy, but neglects aligning the ecosystem with the internal R&D strategy. We define three ecosystem types with different engagement models. With help of four case studies we study four different innovation ecosystem strategies. In addition we use an analysis framework ESAO (ecosystem, strategy, architecture, organizing) to discuss alignment between the internal and external perspectives of the firm

SBUF rapport nr. 12623

Denna rapport redogör för en genomförd förstudie om framtidens projektering i svensk byggindustri. Projekteringsprocessen är en komplex process som involverar många olika aktörer. Tyngdpunkten i studien ligger på att undersöka samarbete mellan dessa aktörer, t ex hur kommunikationen och lärandet kan utvecklas för att förnya och förbättra projekteringsprocessen. Förstudien bygger på tre utförda aktiviteter: (1) en litteraturstudie. (2) en intervjustudie, samt (3) en workshop. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur man kan förbättra projekteringsprocessen genom att kartlägga och undersöka nuvarande samt nya metoder och tekniker kring kommunikation och samarbete mellan olika aktörer i projekteringsprocessen för att uppnå en effektivare, snabbare och mer produktionsanpassad byggprocess. Målsättningen är att undersöka projekteringens problem och förbättringsmöjligheter utifrån forskningslitteraturen och intervjuer med aktörer inom den svenska byggbranschen. Som slutsats behöver vi utveckla och forska på en helhetssyn som bygger på en kombination av flera element: (a) användningen av ny teknologi, (b) nya arbetsmetoder och processor, (c) organisationsförändringar i termer av incitament, feedback, och bonussystem, (d) och möjligtvis nya former för samarbete mellan olika företa

Client's presence during design. A study on roles, practice and visual management

From earlier studies we know that communication between clients and the design team can be difficult and needs and wishes of the client are not always understood. Studies related to integrated design processes, cooperative work approaches and collocation support a better cooperation between the client and the design team. Furthermore, visualisation is known for being supportive of sharing information and knowledge embedded in practice. The aim of this article is to explore how the physical presence of the client and application of visual means influence practices for sharing information and collaboration toward realizing the client’s needs and wishes in the final design. The research applies a multiple case study of three qualitative cases in an Integrated Design Team (IDT) setting. All three cases were followed throughout the entire design process, where the design teams were semi-collocated. Based on empirical data we found the following: (1) the physical presence of the client in a IDT environment influences (i) the relationship between the client and the IDT, (ii) and the client's role towards being an active member during the design process. (2) The client applies a traditional way of sharing their information in contrast to the work practice and potential for visualization within the IDT (3) There exists potential for increasing the use of visual means and possibilities of visual management to enable the understanding of the client’s needs and wishes in an IDT

Collaborative governance models towards sustainable infrastructure projects: the case of resources

The construction and infrastructure industry contribute to almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions and is one of the largest drivers of resource use. This sector of the global economy is thus a promising area to look at for reducing environmental impact and increase sustainability. The impact of collaboration and cooperation within the project organisation has begun to garner more attention as the scale and scope, as well as the levels of uncertainty and complexity in construction and infrastructure projects have grown. This has led to an increase in collaborative contracting models applied to complex construction projects. In order to investigate the impact of collaborative contracting and the possibilities to advance the goal of resource efficiency and decrease environmental impact, a case study of two Nordic projects, utilising a collaborative project management model, is conducted. The findings suggest that the potential of using collaborative project management models in order to increase the sustainability of construction solutions is high. However, the use and understanding of the models vary between project actors. We conclude that the new collaborative project management models are important features in reducing environmental impact from infrastructure construction, yet several organisational and practical issues remain to be solved

Early Contractor Involvement in the construction industry - a preliminary literature review

The Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) concept focuses on increasing efficiency in the construction process by involving the contractor in the design phase and has increased in popularity in recent years. The concept is not new, and the main body of literature applies a relatively unified understanding of the concept. There are, however, differences in the literature on how ECI is applied due to contextual differences. The goal of this paper is to provide a preliminary schematic analysis of current ECI literature and examine the current ECI research. ECI is placed in the wider umbrella framework of relationship contracting, together with alliancing and partnering. The similarities and differences will be briefly touched upon. The literature review is based on a database query in Scopus and Web of Science. A total of 4 648 articles were identified initially, focusing on key words of ‘early contractor involvement’ or ‘ECI’. The search was further refined by adding the key-words ‘construction’ an ‘building’, forming a core list of 332 articles. Further refining by comparing abstracts and key-words, as well as the definition of ‘ECI’ in the text resulted in a curated list of 27 articles. The articles were then compared on type, method, theory, contribution and context/country. The review reveals a rather unified definition of ECI, but contractor involvement early in the design can be found in multiple concepts related to collaborative management models. The focus of the literature is also mainly on the contractual phase and less attention is given to project governance and execution. The literature focuses on the contractual aspects and incentive structures of ECI, while less focus is on how ECI is organized in the project, the division of responsibility and sharing of amongst the partners. Furthermore, there is a difference in how the concept of ECI is applied in different countries. The review also finds that multiple types of methods are applied in ECI studies but that few studies apply a theoretical lens or endeavour to contribute to theory. \ua0The article discusses the literature as well as possible future research

Expertst\uf6d eller ’byggare’? - Modellsamordnarens roll och funktion som kunskapsledare i byggprocessen

Denna arbetsrapport bygger p\ue5 ett forskningsprojekt finansierat av Sveriges byggindustrier. Forskningsprojektet har unders\uf6kt hur nya professionella roller och funktioner i byggsektorn utvecklas. Studien har s\ue4rskilt fokuserat p\ue5 modellsamordnarens roll och funktion som ledare och kunskapsb\ue4rare genom byggprocessen. I projektet har en enk\ue4tstudie kombinerats med intervjuer och gruppdiskussioner