The role of people rather than process in boosting both project and corporate results in the construction industry is gathering momentum as an emerging area of study called “social network analysis.” Researchers are now studying projects and companies to determine how poor communication and too much focus on an “engineering approach” undermine more stellar performances. Some say development of the SNA concept could transform the industry.
One researcher, Paul Chinowsky, associate professor in the civil, environmental and architectural engineering department at the University of Colorado, Boulder, says the concept is routine in other business sectors such as health care and transportation, but construction “still clings to a reactive project execution model and meeting historical benchmarks,” a focus that is starting to have “diminishing results.” The researchers’ models show that in order to enhance performance, project teams and executive suites need to focus on new parameters such as “enhanced innovation, learning, knowledge exchange and a notable increase in the classic project benchmarks,” Chinowsky says.