Organizational configurations of temporary multi-organizations delivering megaprojects: Insights from five megaprojects in China

Temporary multi-organizations (TMOs) are individual temporary client organizations that are jointly established and owned by multiple shareholders to undertake the predefined purposes in megaproject delivery. We conduct in-depth analysis of the organizational configurations of TMOs through a multi-case study of five megaprojects in China. We believe establishing a TMO is a multi-factorial decision and propose two types of TMO – integrated and independent – based on distinct motives for their establishment. Different TMO structuring processes of integrated and independent TMOs further give rise to distinctive patterns of TMO configuration. Based on the analysis of TMOs’ intra- and inter-organizational configurations, two patterns of organizational configuration – tightly- and loosely-coupled networks – emerge inductively from the data, and we highlight the dynamic nature of TMO configuration. This paper offers guidance to practitioners on designing and structuring TMOs and dealing with intra- and inter-organizational relations.