Abstract

Adding value is widely regarded as a key issue in engineering projects, and cooperative arrangements in project management have been investigated by researchers due to their superiority in value creation compared with traditional arrangements. However, it remains unclear how parties properly interact with each other to create greater value in their cooperative relationships. Based on the paradox theory, this study applied the construct of behavior tension to describe the tension between cooperative and competitive forms of behavior, a pair of two contradictory forces coexisting in owner–contractor partnerships. This study then explored the impact of behavior tension on value creation. Using data from 161 responses, the interactive effect of dependence asymmetry and behavior tension on value creation is examined. The data were analyzed using hierarchical regression. The results show an inverse U-shaped relationship between behavior tension and value creation in owner–contractor partnerships, implying that a balance between cooperation and competition, more than either behavior alone, is helpful in creating value. Meanwhile, dependence asymmetry weakens this inverse U-shaped relationship. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in project and engineering management by adding greater variance to partners’ behavior (i.e., not just cooperation or competition), and by potentially enriching our understanding of how to rearrange interactive behavior among partners in facilitating value creation. Our findings reveal that, to create greater value for each other, engineering managers should change their cognition regarding cooperation and competition, and try to take advantage of the merits of these two opposing forces.

摘要

增加价值被广泛认为是工程项目中的一个关键问题，项目管理中的合作安排因其在价值创造方面与传统安排相比具有优势而受到研究人员的研究。然而，目前尚不清楚各方如何适当地相互互动以在合作关系中创造更大的价值。本研究基于悖论理论，应用行为张力的构想来描述合作与竞争行为之间的张力，这是业主-承包商伙伴关系中并存的两种相互矛盾的力量。本研究随后探讨了行为紧张对价值创造的影响。使用来自 161 个回答的数据，研究了依赖不对称和行为紧张对价值创造的交互影响。使用层次回归分析数据。结果表明，在业主-承包商伙伴关系中，行为紧张与价值创造之间存在倒 U 形关系，这意味着合作与竞争之间的平衡，比单独的任何一种行为都有助于创造价值。同时，依赖不对称削弱了这种倒 U 形关系。本研究通过为合作伙伴的行为（即，不仅仅是合作或竞争）增加更大的差异，并通过潜在地丰富我们对如何重新安排合作伙伴之间的互动行为以促进价值创造的理解，为项目和工程管理中的知识体系做出了贡献。我们的研究结果表明，为了相互创造更大的价值，工程经理们应该改变他们对合作和竞争的认知，