Trust and Interorganizational Interactions for Managing Conflicts in a Blended Team

Abstract

A blended team environment may be expected to promote trust and interaction among key team players. The quality of this interaction affects construction project performance. This paper investigates the effectiveness of such teaming from the perspective of trust between two key project participants (the client and the construction management organization) on an industrial construction project. Sixteen senior project members from both project organizations were administered a semistructured questionnaire. Simple inferences from the analyses of their responses provided the basis for this study’s conclusions. The study found that there were difficulties in establishing trust between the two organizations. This affected the flow of information and communication among team members. Consequently, there was an increase in relationship conflicts, and generally more control and supervision of work had to be imposed beyond those expected in blended team environments. Previous working experience and ability to trust were both highly valued factors for the client, whereas integrity and ability to trust were the main factors seen to boost interorganizational trust from the construction management team’s point of view. The findings of the research are of benefit to stakeholders in construction projects. An understanding of the pitfalls to achieving positive interorganizational interactions may position future blended teams for better performance and overall project delivery success.