Client decision-making to support innovations on megaprojects

![CDATA[Innovation requires a social governance environment that supports creativity. This research aims to examine the governance context on megaprojects with a focus on the client’s role. This paper discusses early observations of one case study of a client involved with the finance, design, management, construction and operation of an innovative megaproject in Singapore. It is the largest sports facilities infrastructure Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) project in the world. It is also the largest and first PPP project in Singapore. PPP projects have multiple ‘clients’. In this study the client network comprises the government agency responsible for setting up the project framework and the various PPP consortium partners. The procurement strategy is innovative for this country. A series of other innovations in terms of project information management and functional and environmental design have also been identified. The theory of cultural political economy and the concept of governmentality underpin the study. The narrative inquiry and social network analysis methods will be used. The preliminary results indicate that various stakeholders both within and external to the client network can influence decision-making to support or suppress the delivery of innovations. Furthermore client decision-making was shown to be deeply embedded informal multilevel networks through the use of various forms of power by stakeholders with individual interests. Despite the importance of organisational structures in formalising communication flows and patterns, the manner in which work is carried out on a daily basis tends to be negotiated by informal relationships and interactions between members within and across organisations. Megaproject decision-making is thus a network research problem requiring an understanding of the nature and structure of power relations. The next stage of analysis involves the use of Social Network Analysis as a form of “organisational x-ray” to make visible those network characteristics typically regarded as invisible. The demonstration of the characteristics of different network structures’ influence on client decision-making to support or suppress innovations on megaprojects has implications for practitioners and researchers alike.]]