The application of social network analysis to identify trust-based networks in construction

Swan, W; Khalfan, MMA; McDermott, P

Abstract

The role of trust has been identified as a central influencer on the performance of project teams in both research and policy contexts, to an extent that it is almost taken for granted. However, actually identifying where trust exists and how it impacts project performance is less common. The partnering literature considers trust important, yet it struggles to deal with a portmanteau concept such as trust, which includes many different inter-related concepts. A two-year trust study of trust in the construction sector, The Trust in Construction Project, looked to identify where trust existed in different relationships and how this impacted specific project performance. The application of Social Network Analysis (SNA) in construction project teams has been undertaken, however the consideration of trust to the structure of project relationships gives a different structure than one might see when analysing contractual or quantitative flows of information. This was supported by case study analysis to inform the quantitative data.

Citation

Swan, W., Khalfan, M., & McDermott, P. (2007). The application of social network analysis to identify trust-based networks in construction. International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, 4(4), 369-382. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJNVO.2007.015720

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2007
• Deposit Date: Jan 19, 2009
• Journal: International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations
• Print ISSN: 1470-9503
• Publisher: Inderscience
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 4
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 369-382
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJNVO.2007.015720
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/IJNVO.2007.015720