Challenges with collaboration: the interaction of formal and informal ties in infrastructure construction

Collaborative project delivery models (CPDM) have been introduced in infrastructure construc-tion delivery to improve project outcomes and reduce adversity characteristic for the field.Recent research discusses the interaction of formal and informal governance but highlights theneed for further research into the interaction as well as its functions and dysfunctions. Withhelp of a social network lens, we study how collaboration in a CPDM can be understood by theinteraction of formal and formal ties and their (dys)functions. Based on 45 in-depth interviews,observations and document analysis, we studied two major infrastructure construction projectsutilising a CPDM and the challenges caused by the interaction of formal and informal ties. Ourresults indicate that these two types of ties interact in a cyclic fashion, where formal ties formthe foundation to develop informal ties, and informal ties shape how formal ties are understood.Strong formal and informal ties have both positive as well as negative consequences for collab-oration in a CPDM. Furthermore, although these challenges can be beneficial to certain partiesin the project, they can also be dysfunctional to other parties. The research contributes to theacademic debate on the interplay between formal and formal ties.