Partnering relationships in construction: A literature review

There is no unified view as to what partnering relationships are in the construction industry. The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature in order to identify the main assumptions about partnering relationships in construction research and practice. The literature is compared to the Construction Industry Institute’s (CII, 1991) frequently cited definition of partnering as a long-term commitment between two or more parties in which shared understanding and trust develop for the benefits of improving construction. The literature review reveals a tendency to focus on project partnering in dyads between clients and contractors and there is also an emphasis on formal tools to develop these relationships, even if social aspects and relationship dynamics are recognised. The paper discusses these findings and suggests that, in order to increase the understanding of the substance and function of partnering relationships, it could be useful to incorporate knowledge from theoretical perspectives that are more in line with the CII definition. Two perspectives that seem particularly interesting in this respect are Supply Chain Management (SCM) and the Industrial Network Approach (INA), both of which focus on long-term relationships between actors beyond the dyad. INA also emphasises the informal aspects of relationship development. Incorporating these dimensions of partnering relationships requires processual and longitudinal studies, which are relatively rare in the contemporary partnering literature.     

基于单项Partnering模式的建设项目供应链

借鉴Partnering模式,将原有的供应链模刑进行完善,建立基于Partnering模式的建设供应链模型,从而改善业主、设计商、承包商的关系,使项目各参与方达到共同赢利的目的。     

Handling measurement issues and strategic directions in Kraljic''s purchasing portfolio model

Kraljic's purchasing portfolio model, which was introduced in 1983, still is the dominant approach in the profession. Contrary to the growing use of the Kraljic matrix, there are problems and unanswered questions with respect to measurement and strategic issues. Based on explorative case studies, the critique of Kraljic's model has been disputed and refuted to a large extent. This study describes the solutions of experienced practitioners to the problems which have been put forward in literature. The case studies point out which measurement methods are possible and which supplier strategies are feasible, including additional strategic movements of commodities within the matrix. The research findings indicate that there is no simple, standardized blue print for the application of the portfolio analysis. It requires reflecting on results, critical thinking and sophistication of purchasing management.     

论Partnering项目管理模式

Partnering模式是一种新的项目管理模式,目前在一些发达国家和地区开始采用,并取得了成功。本文对Partnering项目管理模式的基本思想、类型、运作流程等方面的内容进行了阐述分析,并指出了这种模式的优点。     

浅谈Partnering模式应用的CSFs及其障碍

Partnering模式正被广泛应用在各种不同领域中，评定Partnering模式应用的CSFS及其障碍越来越被组织或学者重视，逐步成为了项目管理中的一项议程。总结了前人的研究成果，提出了普遍认为的CSFS，具体分析了Partnering模式应用的障碍，为Partnering模式的推广提供了借鉴作用。     

Purchasing strategies in the Kraljic matrix—A power and dependence perspective

Kraljic's purchasing portfolio approach has inspired many academics to undertake further research into purchasing portfolio models. Refined models typically recommend one purchasing strategy for each portfolio quadrant. Yet, it has been shown that purchasers make a clear distinction between alternative purchasing strategies within each quadrant. The fundamental assumption of portfolio models seems to be that differences in power and dependence between buyers and suppliers exist. Still, little is known about how these concepts influence the choice for a specific purchasing strategy. In this paper, ‘relative power’ and ‘total interdependence’ for a number of portfolio-based purchasing strategies have been quantified empirically, using data from a comprehensive survey among Dutch purchasing professionals. The survey data largely confirmed the hypotheses that were deduced from the literature.     

Quality management practices and their relationship to buyer’s supplier ratings: a study in the Korean automotive industry

This research explores if quality management practices are different among suppliers whose performance is rated high, medium, or low by a common buying company and identifies which specific practices contribute to the differences. The entire population of first-tier suppliers to a Korean auto assembler was surveyed to measure use of quality management practices. Useable returns were received from 25% of the suppliers surveyed. To measure conformance quality and overall rating, suppliers were categorized into high, medium, and low performing groups based on the buying company’s data. Multivariate analysis of variance was done using general linear model (GLM-MANOVA) to explore differences in the high-, medium-, and low-performing supplier groups based on their use of quality management practices. No statistically significant differences were found when suppliers were categorized based on conformance quality. However, when categorized based on overall rating, the highest rated suppliers were found to emphasize process management and employee satisfaction to a greater degree than the lowest rated suppliers.     

External communication behaviour of purchasers—effects on supplier management performance

This article presents findings of a research effort that focuses on the relationships among the external communication behaviour of purchasers, individual and contextual factors and the performance in supplier management. Communication quantity, openness and friendliness were identified as dimensions of individual communication behaviour. Information and relationship quality were used as the two dimensions of communication quality. The results, based on structural equation analysis, provide support for the positive influence of individual communication behaviour on communication quality and supplier management performance. Results suggest that relationship quality appears to be of great significance in the model. Oral communication capability and purchasers’ attitudes towards individual communication with suppliers also play important roles in explaining external communication behaviour of purchasers.     

浅析Partnering模式在铁路建设中的运用

近年来,Partnering模式在欧美国家以及我国香港和台湾地区迅速发展,运用成效显著,而在我国铁路建设领域运用不多。本文提出了铁路建设项目的Partnering模式的工作流程。最后,结合合福高铁建设项目提出了在此项目上拟用Partnering模式的思路。     

工程管理Partnering模式的合作博弈分析

工程管理Partnering模式是项目利益相关者相互博弈并最终形成"合作博弈"的均衡战略组合。本文结合合作博弈理论模型,分析了Partnering模式各利益相关者间的合作博弈,指出:Partnering模式的各利益相关者合作的充分条件是在有效磋商的基础上签署有约束力的Partnering协议;工程管理Partnering模式利益相关者的合作博弈具有凸性,能提高利益相关者的利益;并提出基于Shapley值建立合理的Partnering模式利益相关者的收益分配机制。     

Supplier involvement in new product development and innovation: Taking stock and looking to the future

This paper provides a comprehensive and critical review and synthesis of the current state of empirical research into supplier involvement in new product development (NPD). The paper begins by defining supplier involvement in NPD and evaluating the rationale for supplier involvement in NPD. This suggests that early and extensive supplier involvement in NPD projects has the potential to improve NPD effectiveness and efficiency, however, existing research remains fragmented and empirical findings to date show conflicting results. The paper takes stock of the research on supplier involvement in NPD, tracing the origins of the literature to the late 1980s, and evaluating the development of the field up to the present day. From this broad base of empirical research the analysis identifies a set of factors affecting the success of supplier involvement projects. The paper concludes with a discussion of two emerging themes: (1) supplier relationship development and adaptation; (2) supply network involvement in product innovation.     

The ties that bind: Buyer-supplier relations in the construction industry

This study considers the consequences of Inter Organisational relations at two levels: the micro level of the individual, and the macro level of the organisation. Merging Transaction Cost Economics with theories on the Social Embeddedness of relations, the paper tackles several hypotheses about problems in buyer–supplier relations. We amend the general hypothesis, as has been put forward by other researchers, that having a common past in combination with an expected common future in business will reduce the likelihood that problems and conflicts occur. Our focus lies on whether this shared past and future can preclude problems better when the organisational relations are at the micro level. Our analyses of survey data from 448 contractor–subcontractor relations from the contractor's perspective in the construction industry reveal mixed support for effects of a shared past or future. We hardly find any of the expected positive effects of a shared past on supplier performance. However, we do find support for the hypothesis that a larger likelihood of future business with the same business partner has a stronger (negative) effect on the occurrence of problems if the expected future business is at the level of individuals (instead of at the level of organisations).     

基于价值链理论的战略Partnering模式竞争优势分析

首先介绍了战略Partnering模式和价值链理论的相关知识,然后利用价值链理论对战略Partnering模式进行分析,得出战略Partnering模式相比传统工作模式的竞争优势。希望能够促进战略Partnering模式在我国的应用。     

Partnering模式在我国内地建设工程领域的应用和推广

在大量检索和深入阅读有关Partnering模式文献的基础上,综合分析国内外组织或学者对Partnering模式的研究成果,对Partnering模式的内涵、核心优势和在执行过程中的关键成功因素和主要实施障碍进行深度解析,指出了Partnering模式在我国应用的局限所在,寻求Partnering在我国内地尚未推广的合理解释。     

Collaboration in Multi-Partner R&D Projects: The Impact of Partnering Scale and Scope

How can firms design collaboration structures for effective performance in R&D projects that involve multiple partners? To address this question, we examine the theoretical underpinnings of collaboration structures in multi-partner R&D projects—i.e., the scale and the scope of partnering efforts. Partnering scale captures the extent of resource interdependencies between a firm and its partners; partnering scope captures both the breadth and depth of the interdependencies between a firm and its partners. Using primary data from 147 multi-partner R&D projects, we develop and test hypotheses that examine the impact of partnering scale and scope decisions on partnering performance. Results indicate that partnering scale has a curvilinear relationship with partnering performance. That is, intermediate levels of partnering scale are associated with higher partnering performance, compared to low or high levels of partnering scale. However, we also find that the nature of this relationship is moderated by the sub-dimensions of partnering scope. Specifically, increase in partnering breadth appears to magnify the negative effect of partnering scale on performance. In contrast, increase in partnering depth appears to overcome this negative effect, allowing firms to operate at higher levels of partnering scale. Taken together, these results highlight the importance of adopting a comprehensive approach to designing collaboration structures for multi-partner R&D projects.     

The purchasing market entry process—A study of 10 Swedish industrial small and medium-sized enterprises

While an area of importance and concern to managers, international purchasing remains an under researched phenomenon, especially in the context of small and medium-sized firms. Therefore, this article presents a study of the international purchasing market entry processes of 10 industrial SMEs. The findings indicate that managers of SMEs are often reluctant to source abroad. Purchasing markets entries are generally more reactive than proactive, occurring as a consequence of needs for certain products that cannot be found domestically, high domestic costs, unsolicited opportunities and pressures from owners and customers. Nearby purchasing markets typically dominate throughout the process unless cost savings motivate firms to explore more remote markets.     

The reluctance of construction purchasers towards project partnering

While the literature argues that there are several benefits for construction purchasers who join forces to co-develop the project with contractors and to increase cooperation between the various project stakeholders (construction partnering), little research has been done on the reasons for the lack of extensive diffusion of such methods in the construction industry. This paper aims at understanding the rationale behind the reluctance of construction purchasers for this coordination mechanism in France. In particular the paper investigates the impact of the characteristics of the project but also of the characteristics of the purchasing companies in their project procurement behaviour. The findings reveal that the characteristics of the purchasing companies in terms of purchasing strategy, structure and culture seem more explanatory of their procurement behaviour than of the project characteristics. The paper suggests that the lack of diffusion and understanding of construction partnering may be due to the resistance of purchasers who feel threatened by the structural changes it involves in their purchasing habits.     

The impact of purchasing strategy-structure (mis)fit on purchasing cost and innovation performance

The organizational design literature strongly supports the notion of “structure follows strategy”, and suggests that a misfit between the two has a negative effect on performance. Building on this line of argument, we examine to what extent the (mis)fit between purchasing strategy and purchasing structure impacts purchasing performance. We focus on cost and innovation purchase category strategies, and examine how the deviation from an ideal purchasing structure defined along three dimensions (centralization, formalization, and cross-functionality) impacts purchasing performance. Analysing data collected from 469 firms in ten countries, we demonstrate that a strategy-structure misfit negatively impacts purchasing performance in both cost and innovation strategies. We also find that purchasing proficiency is a mediator in this relationship between misfit and performance. Our findings aid managerial decision making by empirically validating the necessity of having the right purchasing structure for successfully executing different purchasing strategies.     

Supplier development and cost management in Southeast Asia—Results from a field study

This paper is about supplier development when international companies have production sites in Southeast Asia and look for opportunities to switch from international suppliers to local suppliers. We conducted a field study involving site visits to companies in Thailand and Vietnam, and interviews at corporate supply chain departments. Some key observations are: cost management was a dominant motive for taking local supplier development initiatives. Furthermore, local sourcing and local supplier development were important for international companies to improve access to local customer markets. Firms deliberately assessed whether a particular supplier would likely be able to improve sufficiently to warrant investing in supplier development, which typically involved a combination of initiatives, requiring the international firm to take considerable efforts. Local sourcing strategies and priorities for supplier development initiatives tended to focus on items with low supply risk and low volume. These findings are discussed based on transaction cost economics, and we suggest that firms use several ways to reduce the risk of transaction-specific investments in supplier development initiatives.     

Antecedents and consequences of social capital on buyer performance improvement

The ability to leverage social capital within strategic buyer–supplier relationships is increasingly cited as a key driver of value creation. Despite the importance of strategic partnerships, the process by which social capital accumulates within buyer–supplier relationships and contributes to buyer performance improvements is not well understood. Drawing on social capital theory, we develop a model linking positive relational capital, and its antecedents, supplier integration and supplier closeness, to buyer performance improvements. Further, we hypothesize that structural capital, as reflected in managerial communication and technical exchanges, is also positively related to buyer performance improvements. Using data provided by 111 procurement executives from the United Kingdom, we find support for our hypotheses. The study extends the supply chain management and social capital literature and suggests important implications for both research and practice.