Recommended Practices for Effective Management of Academia–Industry Collaborative Research Teams in Construction Management

Abstract

A significant benefit of research collaboration between academia and industry is that it encourages industry to make use of research outcomes produced through the synergy effect between academic and industry participants. Despite these potential benefits, only a limited number of studies have looked at actual cases of such collaboration in the construction management area. To help improve academia–industry collaborative research, the current study validated the success factors collected from extant literature against actual cases. The study conducted in-depth studies of 11 research teams, a mix of well-functioning and subpar-functioning teams. The 11 research teams, whose work was completed between 1988 and 2011, were selected from the research efforts sponsored by the Construction Industry Institute (CII), an organized research unit of the University of Texas at Austin. The case studies of the 11 research teams included semistructured interviews with 39 participants and an analysis of research team documents (e.g., team meeting minutes). The study then identified and analyzed recommended practices linked with the success factors of the collaborative research between academics and industry practitioners. As a result, this study provides a guide to successful academia–industry collaborative research that can enhance the academic body of knowledge as well as industry dissemination and implementation.