Building Bridges for Bridges

Towards a Participatory Approach for Tackling Large-Scale Societal Assignments in Project-Based Polycentric Systems: The Case of the Large-Scale Rehabilitation Assignment of Civil Engineering Structures in the Netherlands

Master thesis (2020)

Authors

A.J. Bletsis Technology, Policy and Management

Contributors

F.M. Brazier System Engineering - TPM (supervisor 1)
I. Lefter System Engineering - TPM (supervisor 1)
J.H. Kwakkel Policy Analysis - TPM (supervisor 2)
P.H.G. van Langen System Engineering - TPM (coach)
Faculty
Technology, Policy and Management
Copyright: © 2020 Alexander Bletsis
Civil engineering Participatory systems Sociotechnical systems Project-based Programme management Civil infrastructure Polycentricity
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Published Date

2020

Language

English

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Faculty

Technology, Policy and Management

Abstract

The Dutch civil engineering sector is facing a large-scale rehabilitation assignment of their civilengineering structures, that consists of complex projects that lead to cost overruns and time delays. As a consequencethereof, the sector as a whole must realise a productivity growth to match the required capacity and complexity.Criteria such as innovation, knowledge dissemination and digitisation have a positive effect on productivity growth.However, barriers such as current rules & regulation, individual interests and short-term competition result incollective action problems. Furthermore, the sector is characterised as a polycentric system that consists of multipleautonomous yet interdependent public and private actors with diverging interest. These aspects the challenges of therehabilitation assignment. Therefore, there is a need for governance and coordination that is able to facilitatecollective action. This article presents a novel conceptual framework of governance and coordination is that is ableto address the challenges of the rehabilitation assignment. More specifically, the framework combines programmemanagement, process management, polycentric systems, hybrid organisational structures and participatory systemsto facilitate collective action.