Partnering: More than a workshop, a catalyst for change

Partnering is an increasingly popular management tool aimed at reversing the negative affects of adversarial relationships in construction. Currently, partnering in the construction industry focuses on a project by project implementation effort. However, this approach does not address the organizational changes required to fully internalize partnering into a construction corporate culture. Many organizational behaviorists agree that a cultural change must be managed. However, it is usually a difficult venture that must be carefully considered and cautiously undertaken (Frost 1985). This paper investigates partnering from a strategic viewpoint. It imbeds the strategic aspect of a partnering process into a modern organizational-change model. The resulting partnering process model serves as a guide for those construction organizations preparing to partner or those currently partnering with a desire to internalize their concepts and values.