Inter-organisational relationships in construction projects: an analysis of inter-organisational relationships over time through the theoretical lens of trust and power

Trust is a subject that has drawn considerable interest amongst the construction project management research community. It has been portrayed as an ingredient for success that is somewhat lacking in the construction industry. Construction project settings have been portrayed as problematic arenas when it comes to the development of trust. The timely aspect of projects has been portrayed as one of the barriers for the development of trust. Nonetheless, there are several aspects to the concept of trust that are not adequately teased out in the literature concerning trust in construction. The multi-faceted aspect of trust is rarely incorporated in such studies. Also, its benefits go completely unquestioned. Moreover, the aspect of power and its relevance to trust did not draw considerable attention. Consequently, this study aims at providing a better-informed explanation of inter-organisational relationships in construction projects through the theoretical lens of trust and power and the way these aspects develop over a project’s duration. Accordingly, in this study, the main foundations of the concept of trust are addressed in a contextually embedded manner. Construction projects are defined as Temporary and Multiple Organisations (TMOs) and as such, the characteristics of such organisations affect relationships at the inter-organisational level. The research takes an exploratory stand and seeks to develop an understanding of how trust and power underpin inter-organisational relationships in construction project settings over time. A multiple case-study approach was chosen. The findings reveal that organisations understand and in turn make sense of trust in a contextually embedded manner. In making sense of trust, the matters at play are important to organisations. Moreover, several types of trust (system trust, relational trust, calculus based trust etc.) are drawn upon when interacting with other organisations in projects. The findings also revealed that organisations are aware of the sources of power (or otherwise lacking) to their own respective organisations. Based on this knowledge of power as well as trust, organisations take actions and decisions. In turn, the explanations shed a different light on the concepts of trust and power and their development over time in construction project organisational settings. Several arguments concerning trust and power in the literature are put into question and in turn constitute a catalyst for further research concerning trust and power in construction project organisations from a fresh perspective.