Bridging boundaries between organizations in construction

Sofia Pemsel and Kristian Widen

Construction Management and Economics, 2011, vol. 29, issue 5, 495-506

Abstract: Organizations have boundaries that serve various purposes; for example, differentiating internal operations from external activities and controlling flows of information. Boundaries can however hinder knowledge exchange in inter-organizational collaboration, leading to less effective outcomes. Empirical results from comparative case studies on how boundaries between organizations in a project can be bridged effectively to support knowledge exchange are presented. End-user organizations and real estate companies form the subjects of the enquiry. The results show that the depth of involvement of the end-user organization varies widely and, with it, the use of bridging roles and activities. To identify bridging strategies that can foster productive knowledge exchange in inter-organizational collaboration, it is necessary to understand contextual aspects of end-users' needs to ensure the availability of sufficient competence within, and time for, the project team to perform its duties.

Keywords: Organizational boundaries; communication; bridging strategies; end-users; projects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2011.563786

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