Organic coordination in project design: Complemented or substituted by standardization?

Abstract

While high levels of uncertainty and interdependence in project design demand organic coordination, the role of standardization remains ambiguous; limited evidence exists on whether it acts as a complement or a substitute, which complicates the effective configuration of coordination mechanisms to address these challenges. This study examines the relationship between standardization and organic coordination in the context of project design. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 311 respondents from 46 firms involved in Chinese building projects. The results show that the level of interdependence is positively related to the use of group meeting and interpersonal communication; the level of uncertainty is positively related to the use of group meeting only. Also, the use of boundary objects moderately reduces the marginal need for group meeting driven by interdependence. In contrast, the adoption of digital information systems increases the demand for both interpersonal communication and group meeting to manage uncertainty. This study contributes to the project management literature by revealing that the complementary or substitutive relationship between organic coordination and standardization is contingent upon the levels of interdependence, uncertainty, and the specific standardization methods applied. It also offers managerial insights for appropriately configuring these coordination mechanisms in project design.