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The intra-organisational relationships of through-life support services providers are complex, especially given the multifaceted nature of the provision required. For example, capabilities within the UK highways maintenance arena must support engineering design, routine maintenance and the on-going management of the network. While collaboration in construction projects has formed a major research focus in recent years, there is a paucity of work examining collaboration in-flight.

Through a micro-practices approach, two contracts delivering highway infrastructure maintenance and renewal services are examined to explore the intra-organisational relationships that determine the quality of service delivered.

Despite the rhetoric of collaboration and integrated working that pervades the contemporary project discourse, there was a clear focus on addressing immediate technical and commercial concerns, rather than on creating the conditions for integrated working to flourish. On the occasions where the collaborative environment was prioritised, a more integrated service was delivered.

In contrast to other accounts of the ways collaborative working shapes performance, this research reveals an acute need for a sustained collaborative effort; as soon as “collaborative working” was normalised, the level of integration and seamlessness of service was diminished. This questions normative notions of what defines collaborative working in projects and suggests a need for re-framing it as an on-going accomplishment of actors involved. Such a perspective resonates with notions of “organizational becoming”, particularly in that attempts to foster collaboration are themselves constitutive of the unfolding and shifting nature of intra-organisational relationships that emerge in complex contractual arrangements.

The purpose of this study is to explore the causal link between procurement route and ongoing buyer‐supplier relationship.

The research draws on literature in the areas of: facilities management (FM) outsourcing; purchasing and supply chain strategy; and collaborative business relationship management. The research methodology is qualitative, and comprised semi‐structured interviews with buyers and suppliers of FM services.

Findings suggest that in general clients are seeking more collaborative relationships and this may determine a more relational procurement process. Some organisations appear more practiced than others in defining the level of collaboration and business benefits sought. Results support the view that a relational procurement process provides greater clarity of service requirements and facilitates cultural alignment between the buyer and supplier. However, additional time, effort, and cost are incurred, and concerns arise regarding the maturity of the supplier‐market and the sincerity of client intentions to collaborate.

A major practical implication is that facilities managers should recognise the importance of determining relationship objectives and the benefits sought within the context of FM procurement activity and select a purchasing route which supports the achievement of those objectives.

Originality exists in the qualitative approach used to inquire into the causality between relationships and procurement routes. The study offers potential value to both buyers and suppliers of FM services through describing the attributes of a successful collaborative relationship and how they link to a given procurement process, and identifying the potential risks and rewards involved.

Inter-organisational collaboration is becoming increasingly important in complex projects; some project customers even formally require evidence of collaborative competence from potential providers. The purpose of this paper is to explore the governance of collaboration and the ways in which it is enacted in practice for complex projects.

The study is based on a qualitative analysis of 29 semi-structured interviews, primary data from meetings and events supported by secondary data, including standards and industry-specific contract templates.

The paper identifies how collaboration can be effectively governed in complex projects through the emerging role of the collaboration standard and its impact on contractual and relational governance mechanisms. The standard sets higher-level institutional guidelines that affect the way in which collaboration is governed in complex projects. It helps formalise informal relational practices whilst also providing guidelines for building flexibility in contracts by including coordination- and adaptation-oriented provisions conducive to collaboration.

The paper demonstrates the emerging role of the collaboration standard and its influence on contractual and relational mechanisms deployed in complex projects. It shows how the standard can formalise and codify informal collaborative practices and help transfer related learning across projects, thereby contributing towards the dual requirement for standardisation and flexibility in project settings.

Collaboration has been referred to as the driving force behind effective supply chain management and may be the ultimate core capability. However, there is a fairly widespread belief that few firms have truly capitalized on its potential. A study was undertaken to assess the current level of supply chain collaboration and identify best practice.

Supply chain executives provided insights into collaboration. Survey data, personal interviews, and a review of the collaboration literature were used to develop a conceptual model profiling behavior, culture, and relational interactions associated with successful collaboration.

Positive collaboration‐related outcomes include enhancements to efficiency, effectiveness, and market positions for the respondents' firms.

The small sample size represents a limitation, but is balanced by the quality of the respondent base and their expertise/experience. Another limitation involves securing input from only one party to the collaborative relationships. Developing a longitudinal study would help determine how collaboration‐related factors and relationships change over time.

Several respondents mentioned a “blurring of lines” between organizations contrasted to an “us vs them” approach. This was expressed in a number of different ways – treating the arrangements as if they both were part of the same operation, treating them as co‐owned, and employing a new focus on the best common solution. Many of the respondents indicating rewards are not distributed evenly still admitted they get enough “out of” the collaborative arrangements to make it worthwhile.

Real‐world practical experiences are recounted involving many of today's top companies.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the level of collaborative working among project partners in South African construction. The construction industry is made up of a plethora of entities trading as consultants, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and manufacturers. The effort and contributions of these entities with the input of clients result in completed projects. However, the performance of the industry has continued to generate more negative, rather than positive, headlines. Typical headlines include defects, rework, delays, injuries and accidents, all of which are mostly blamed on the endemic fragmented nature of the industry.

The assessment was undertaken through a quantitative survey conducted among general contractor (GC) members of the Master Builders South Africa.

Selected findings relative to the research include short-term objectives and price-oriented approach are prevalent in the industry; poor problem-solving mechanisms exist between project partners; poor use of modularisation; significant numbers of irregular clients and rigid adherence to contents of contract data.

The research findings provide an insight rather than definitive information due to the limited response rate of the survey.

The paper concludes that contractors should embrace collaborative procurement methods to improve performance and promote innovation in the industry.Recommendations include the availability of a consistent work load for the supply chain members as well as the improvement of the relationship between project partners, especially between contractors and their subcontractors/suppliers.

The paper aims to compare the coordination of supply chain networks in contractually different complex construction projects.

A comparative case study of the coordination of collaborative work in two successful hospital construction projects was conducted. One of the projects applied multiple dyadic contracts, whereas the other project applied one multi-party contract between the parties. The projects were located in the USA. Data were collected by observing the coordination on the construction sites for six weeks and by conducting 72 interviews.

The paper shows that depending on the contract type, the timing and extent of complementary procedural coordination differs during projects. Compared with one multi-party contract, the dyadic contracts needed to be complemented during the design phase with three additional procedural coordination mechanisms: organizational design, processes for collaborative work and integrated concurrent engineering sessions. Additionally, common rules of conduct were taken into use during the construction phase. However, regardless of the contract type, procedural coordination mechanisms, such as co-located working, collaborative decision-making in inter-organizational meetings, a liaison role and shared project goals were needed throughout the projects.

If multiple dyadic contracts are applied, procedural coordination mechanisms have to be co-created by all supply chain parties at the beginning of the project.

The paper provides an understanding on successful contractual and complementary procedural coordination mechanisms of supply chain networks in complex construction projects.

This paper aims to expand the debate around the catalysts required to develop, promote, implement and maintain effective collaborative practice.

A review of the benefits of business collaboration and partnering, with special reference to the world's first national standard, BS 11000, to address collaborative business relationships.

Collaborative working is not simply about cutting cost. It offers an alternative and enhanced capability to build new value propositions beyond the capabilities of an individual organisation. The concept of the supply chain is giving way to the concept of a more holistic value chain, value networks and ecosystems. Amid all the changes, one factor remains constant: relationships are a core ingredient for successful business. Staying competitive requires organisations to look beyond their traditional structures and develop both the skills and the processes to meet today's business challenges. It is impractical to rely on individuals and osmosis to deliver collaborative working behaviours. Collaboration must be embedded in the governance and processes of the organisation and reinforced in every aspect of the business through policy, process and systems. The world's first national standard: BS 11000 (collaborative business relationship management) provides a consistent model around which organisations can build more sustainable relationships.

This paper explores the interdependence between operational practices and the behaviours that underpin performance and outcomes.

The purpose of this paper is to achieve an understanding of the challenges and preconditions for inter-organizational collaborative project practices in industrial engineering projects. A framework for identifying the challenges and preconditions for inter-organizational collaboration is presented.

The adopted research method is qualitative, and empirical data were collected from the industrial engineering project sector in Finland. The literature related to industrial engineering projects and inter-organizational collaborative project management practices is summarized, informing the qualitative design of the study.

By analyzing empirical data from industrial engineering projects, the challenges for inter-organizational collaboration are identified in each industrial engineering project stage. A framework of preconditions for inter-organizational collaboration is identified, in which investors are advised to pay attention when deciding on the use of collaborative project management methods.

The findings of this study help practitioners deal effectively with mechanisms aimed at fostering and hindering inter-organizational collaborative practices. The identified preconditions for inter-organizational collaboration provide support for decision-making in every phase of an engineering project and can be used as guidelines throughout the process.

Inter-organizational collaborative project management practices have recently been attracting attention in the industrial engineering project setting. This research is an attempt to identify the underlying forces supporting and preventing inter-organizational collaboration in industrial engineering projects. This study offers a framework that can help academics and project management practitioners deal with the challenges affecting inter-organizational collaboration at each project stage and consider preconditions for inter-organizational collaboration in industrial engineering project settings.

There is a general agreement that the potential of shared learning is great in terms of interprofessional working and client care. Despite the fact that interprofessional education has been a key area of professional education and practice policies for the last decade there is a dearth of evidence of its successful implementation in maternity care. Doctors and midwives are often educated in separate faculties within universities and rarely given the opportunity for shared learning activities, particularly at postgraduate level. Barriers to implementing interprofessional learning are identified within the literature and these include a difference in perception of the status each profession holds and different ways of working and learning which impedes the development of interprofessional relationships. It is argued that through interprofessional education, doctors and midwives should be enabled to develop skills of collaborative working, thus making referrals between professionals more effective. The exploration of the differences of professional cultures in a shared learning environment will enable professionals to formulate agreement on best practice in the clinical areas, based on current best evidence. Thus, interprofessional education aims to dispel the stereotypes and prejudice which often act as a barrier to effective collaborative working. The implications of interprofessional education on three main areas of practice are explored using a review of the literature: professional roles; conflict and collaboration between professions; and the sharing of knowledge and skills. Recommendations are made for the development of post‐registration shared learning that address these key areas.

The purpose of this paper is to explore staff and prisoner experiences of a newly implemented Personality Disorder Service (PDS) within a category B male establishment.

A semi-structured interview was used to explore the experiences of seven male category B PDS prisoners and eight PDS members of staff (four National Health Service (NHS) clinical staff and four prison service staff) from a multi-disciplinary team (MDT). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was completed.

Prisoner sample: one overarching theme “environment” organised two themes: “enabling factors” and “disabling factors” which had a subtheme “integrating men who have sexually offended onto the unit”. Another theme “opportunities for self-development” was identified. Staff sample: an overarching theme “environment” organised two themes: “enabling factors” and “disabling factors”. An overarching theme “multi-disciplinary working” organised two themes: “working in partnership” and “cultural differences in working practices”. Two further themes were: “professional development” and “stressors”.

This study focused on a small sample of staff and prisoners and their experiences of a newly implemented PDS. In addition, both staff and prisoners volunteered to take part in the study, and therefore may not be a representative sample. Consequently the results cannot be generalised to other establishments or PD services.

Staff and prisoner experiences indicate that a multi-disciplinary approach to personality disorder services is desirable and can be effective. Prisoners are gaining experiences of positive therapeutic relationships with staff and hope that their experiences of the PDS will reduce their risk of reoffending. Staff experiences indicate that the integration of two services presents challenges and that they are working to overcome these. It may be advantageous for the impact of cultural differences within a MDT to be explored further.

This is the first study that explores the experiences of the MDT and prisoners of the newly implemented PDS. The PDS forms part of the new development under the National Offender personality disorder pathway.