RICS COBRA 2018...RICS COBRA 2018 The Construction, Building and Real Estate Research Conference of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Held in London, UK in association with

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RICS COBRA 201823 – 24 April 2018RICS HQ, London, UK

In association with

RICS COBRA 2018The Construction, Building and Real Estate Research Conference of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Held in London, UK in association with University College London

23 – 24 April 2018RICS HQ, London, UK

© RICS, 2018ISBN: 978-1-78321-265-1ISSN: 2398-8614

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Parliament SquareLondonSW1P 3ADUnited Kingdom


The papers in this proceeding are intended for knowledge sharing, stimulate debate, and research findings only. This publication does not necessarily represent the views of RICS or University College London.

114 Facilitating coordination, integration and the building of social capital through social media in a large infrastructure programme


COBRA 2018 FACILITATING COORDINATION, INTEGRATION AND THE BUILDING OF SOCIAL CAPITAL THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA IN A LARGE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMME Mandalia, B.1; Badi, S.2 and Pryke, S.1

1The Bartlett, School of Construction and Project Management, UCL, 1-19 Torrington Place, WC1E 6BT. 2Faculty of Business & Law, The British University in Dubai (BUiD), Block 11, DIAC, Dubai, UAE. ABSTRACT

Coordination and integration are vital project functions enabling a project team to achieve successful project delivery. The development of social capital is also considered as a powerful mechanism that is vital to facilitate collaborative working. There is little empirical evidence suggesting how these are achieved through social media within large infrastructure projects. Adopting the instrumental theory of technology, this study assesses the use of social media within a London Underground Programme of works created to deliver a series of integrated station upgrades. It evaluates the applicability of social media technologies in an attempt to address issues of coordination, integration and the building of social capital. The study found limited evidence of project-based coordination and integration occurring through the social media tool. However, the tool was identified as a knowledge integration instrument providing wider accessibility to knowledge, experience and resources throughout the organization, and as a networking tool that enables the building of social capital at both project and organizational levels.

Keywords: coordination; integration; social capital; social media; infrastructure

INTRODUCTION The function of coordination As construction projects teams grow in size and complexity, task and participant dependences become more copious, varied and complicated thus increasing the need for team coordination (Faraj and Xiao, 2006). Coordination is defined as the synchronisation of interdependent activities, responsibilities and authority and management structures to ensure that the resources of an organisation are used most efficiently in pursuit of business objectives (Malone and Crowston, 1994). Within the project context, coordination can be seen as a process of managing resources in an organised manner so that a high degree of operational efficiency can be achieved in an environment where high uncertainty and task interdependence are present (Hossain and Wu, 2009). Kotlarsky et al. (2008) arrange coordination mechanisms into four categories: organisational design, work-based, technology-based and social mechanisms. Technology based mechanisms allow people to communicate asynchronously and is particularly useful when members are geographically dispersed


by enabling information to be captured, processed, stored and exchanged efficiently (Kotlarsky et al, 2008). The function of integration Integration can be considered as the merging of different disciplines or organizations with different goals, needs and cultures into a cohesive and mutually supporting unit (Jørgensen and Emmitt, 2009). The construction industry comprises of several types of organizations with different cultures, working practices and characteristics (Baiden et al, 2006). Whilst, these organizations possess the complimentary skills, expertise and knowledge required for successful project delivery, information and knowledge flows need to be managed effectively in order to deliver project outcomes (Vincent and Kirkpatrick, 1995). As construction projects become increasingly complex, El-Gohary and El-Diraby (2010) emphasize the need to support collaborative working by integrating work processes across several stakeholder groups, disciplines and projects. A single team focus on goals and objectives and behavioural factors such as trust, communication, respect and no blame culture were identified as the main behavioural factors influencing the development of team integration (Ibrahim et al., 2014). The building of social capital Project social capital is expressed as the sum of the actual and potential resources embedded within, available through, and derived from a network of relationships possessed by an individual or a cluster of individuals that can be used to achieve the goals of a project (Brookes et al. 2006). These relationships can act as an important conduit facilitating information flows and influence (Jones and Lichtenstein, 2008). Onyx and Bullen (2000) distinguish between three different forms of social capital: bonding, bridging and linking. Bonding social capital is characterised by strong multi-functional ties, high degrees of trust and goodwill amongst individuals in the project network (Meyerson et al. 1996). Bridging social capital is developed between different networks and serves to expand the skills and network resources by allowing access to resources that are not available within one’s existing network (Meng, 2012). Finally, linking social capital relates to relations of unequal power and is concerned with the development of relations between people who are not on equal footing (Meng, 2012). Social capital provides a means of coordination and collaboration amongst project participant and, hence, enhances project performance (Koh et al. 2015). Research gap The main research question that underpins this study is: Can the use of social media support coordination, integration and the building of social capital in large infrastructure programmes? Social media is defined as a form of new media that facilitates social interaction and communication through the use of online internet-based platforms. The emergence of social media enables new communication capabilities in various aspects as presented in Figure 1.


Figure 1: Transformations of communication through social media (adapted from Trainor, 2012)

In comparison with conventional forms of media, which are typically limited in reach and restricted to the place of implementation, social media tools are able to overcome these obstacles due to five characteristics that differentiate them from other forms of media as depicted in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Characteristics of social media (adapted from Singarahu et al, 2016)

Social media platforms have become part of the corporate realm (Fischer and Reuber, 2011), however there is little empirical evidence on the effectiveness of social media platforms in supporting coordination, integration and the building of social capital within large infrastructure projects. In order to attend to the research question above, the instrumental theory of technology is adopted (Feenberg, 1991). The theory claims that technologies are tools under the influence of human control and the value generated is dependent upon the application of the technology rather than the functionalities that it provides (Feenberg, 1991). It is through active consistent participation, that the functional capabilities offered by social media platforms facilitate coordination by allowing for information to be gathered, processed,


exchanged, and consumed and can thus be considered as technological enablers of value creation in service exchange processes (Spaulding, 2010). However the value gained remains dependent on the quality of the information input and hence social media platforms are devoid of value until the technological functions receive information from interacting actors (Spaulding, 2010). Singaraju et al, (2016) thus maintain that social media platforms are intermediary actors, adopting the role of system integrators and thus facilitating smooth resource integration. In terms of the building of social capital, Gil de Zúñiga et al. (2012) support the notion that users can utilize social media platforms to interactively establish, develop and maintain ‘successful relational exchanges’. Thus social media platforms are able to bring direct value to the user by building his or her network from which social capital can be harnessed (Gil de Zúñiga et al., 2012).

RESEARCH METHOD

An inductive qualitative research methodology was adopted (Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007). A single case study approach was utilized within the context of a major programme of works: London Underground’s Integrated Stations Programme (ISP). The programme of work was to deliver 26 stations through an integrated approach to project delivery. By integrating the various work streams, the aim was to deliver cost efficiencies, reduce disruption to operations and deliver significant visual improvement to the appearance of the stations. The social media tool Yammer was adopted in 2015 as a means to improve communication and collaboration at a project level, across multiple projects through sharing lessons and knowledge and across the supply chain. Following a purposive sampling strategy (Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007), ten participants operating within five specialist functions were selected following set criteria to ensure the information richness of the data. Interviews were held face-to-face and ranged from 45-90 minutes in duration. The interview protocol involved open-ended questions which covered the use of social media for recreational and business purposes, and the issues of co-ordination, integration and social capital within the context of social media use in ISP. Participants were assured of their anonymity and, with their consent, the interviews were recorded and later transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was based on the manual inspection of the transcripts to identify emergent themes from which new knowledge could be inducted.


RESEARCH FINDINGS The use of social media within the recreational and business environments The interviewees confirmed their personal use of social media platforms for recreational purposes, however, social media usage for business purposes was extremely limited, if not almost non-existent. Although, 90% of interviewees had subscribed to social media platform Yammer within ISP, they emphasised that this was not reflective of the whole programme and the value gained from the platform was deemed limited and unsatisfactory. In accordance with Singaraju et al. (2016), successful communication through social media is dependent upon the intended recipient receiving and interpreting the message correctly. As a result of the limited adoption of Yammer within ISP, the tool was considered as an inconsistent and unreliable form of communication. Consequently, individuals were more likely to revert back to reliable forms of communication to avoid duplicating work. Some individuals suggested that the enforcement of social media tools was necessary to increase the number of users, whilst others argued that enforcing the tool would dampen the benefits gained from the platform and the overall effectiveness of the tool. Concurrent with the instrumental perspective of technology (Feenberg, 1991), interviewees agreed that social media tools were only as good as the quality of the information input. Social media use and coordination Concurrent with the findings of Andre et al, (2012), individuals highlighted that within ISP, Yammer was currently used for self-promotion purposes, progress updates and for sharing good news stories, rather than for actively managing project-based activities. Whilst it was evident that several attempts to coordinate project activities had been undertaken, coordination had not progressed as planned due to the low participation rate and slow uptake of Yammer within ISP. Thus individuals felt the platform was not a reliable means to coordinate important project-based activities as it often resulted in duplicated work and confusion. According to Singaraju et al, (2016), social media platforms are devoid of value until the modular functions receive information from interacting actors. 50% of interviewees believed that if the rate of participation on Yammer increased, the tool would be useful in coordinating the interfaces between the ISP programme and other programmes within London Underground. In addition, as teams were co-located, there was no reason to communicate via Yammer when an effective face-to-face form of communication could be utilized which reduced the risk of information being misinterpreted. Furthermore, it was proposed by the interviewees that at most Yammer could facilitate coordination by enabling information to be captured, processed, stored and exchanged efficiently. Thus Yammer can be classified as a technology based coordination mechanism (Kotlarsky et al, 2008), which indirectly allows individuals to coordinate their activities through continuous interaction, communication and knowledge sharing. Social media use and integration Interviewees believed that Yammer permitted access to a wider target audience and thus provided individuals with access to a depth of resources, knowledge and experience, which would otherwise be unknown and inaccessible, hence, acting as an


affective knowledge integration tool. Supporting Singaraju et al, (2016), we maintain that social media platforms are intermediary actors, adopting the role of system integrators and thus facilitating smooth resource integration. However, the reluctance to adopt social media platforms was evident within ISP, particularly within the commercial function as Yammer was seen not to be ideal in sharing commercially sensitive and confidential information due to security issues. It was also recognised that whilst social media platforms do not require expensive and complex technical implementations, a corporate cultural change is a fundamental prerequisite for the successful implementation of these technologies, particularly construction organisations. Consistent with the findings of Boedker et al. (2011), leadership was identified as a powerful factor necessary for implementing a change initiative of this scale.

Social media use and the building of social capital

The creation and maintenance of relationships are heavily reliant on the frequency and intensity of interactions between team members which enable sustained socialisation and act as conduits facilitating the flow of information (Jones and Lichtenstein, 2008). The interviewees agreed that consistent social interactions and active participation with other team members were important factors required to enhance the quality of relationships and the ability to maintain these relationships effectively. Social platforms such as LinkedIn were identified as important platforms enabling people to interact with others outside of their organisation. In contrast, a platform such as Yammer, which is in its early stages of implementation, may not be as mature with a strong identity, therefore, people may be unable to associate the platform with a specific purpose or perceive its associated benefits. However, it was recognised that Yammer could provide easier opportunities to connect with senior management within the organisation due to the informal nature of the tool. This suggests that Yammer could provide opportunities for the maturity of linking social capital, which is concerned, with the development of relations between people who are not on equal footing (Meng, 2012). The ‘bridging’ form of social capital was also observed which is developed between different networks and serves to expand the skills and resources of a network by allowing access to resources that are unavailable within the existing network (Meng, 2012). However, in general, this form of social capital was found to be limited within ISP.

CONCLUSIONS

The results support the instrumental theory of technology (Feenberg, 1991). Indeed, there was limited evidence of project-based coordination and integration occurring through the social media tool. A number of barriers were identified particularly the limited adoption of the tool, and its inconsistency and unreliability. However, the social media tool was identified as a knowledge integration instrument providing wider reach and thus increased access to a wealth of knowledge, experience and resources throughout the organisation. Similarly, individuals perceived it as a networking tool enabling them to connect, build and maintain relationships with new individuals as well as senior members within the organisation. Social media tools can, thus, provide various social capital gains at both project and organisational levels. To conclude, for social media platforms to be embraced within large infrastructure programmes, there are key priorities that need to be addressed:


• The implementation of social media tools should be considered as a large-scale

change initiative with the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats adequately evaluated.

• Reclassify the tool to coincide with the business environment, which will inhibit its perception as a socialising tool such as Facebook.

• Clear user guidelines are needed on the tool’s use and intended purposes. • User training is needed which should be tailored to the needs of the various

functions operating within a project. • Management and leadership teams should influence the adoption rates of the

tool, either through enforcing its use or communicating its benefits to the target users.

• For the platform to not be misused, organisations should monitor use and adapt their IM policies accordingly.

• To prevent information overload and productivity losses, the use of social media should replace any existing communication medium, for the tool to be embraced cooperatively.

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RICS COBRA 2018...RICS COBRA 2018 The Construction, Building and Real Estate Research Conference of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Held in London, UK in association with