Inter-organisational project network integration: a systematic literature review

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to achieve an understanding of integration in inter-organisational project networks. This paper encapsulates scattered research streams concentrating on integration and adds to the perspectives of integration studies towards inter-organisational project network landscapes. The adopted research method is a systematic literature review through a qualitative content analysis, which provides a conceptual framework on integration in project networks. The framework includes eight concepts of integration in project networks. The developed framework improves understanding of how academic literature examines and comprehends integration in inter-organisational project networks. Furthermore, this paper shows that the research area is emerging and has until now focused mainly on construction and infrastructure sectors in the project management literature. The findings highlight consistent streams of discussion, gaps in knowledge, and propose a need for further research. There are a limited number of efforts towards creating a comprehensive understanding of how integration is presented and takes place in practice in complex project networks. This paper points out collaborative practices as the centre of academic attention. In addition, it reveals a scarce attention on exhaustive themes such as integration governance. This study creates a framework and common language for further use for academics and practitioners.