Dimensions of distance in a project network: Exploring Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant project

This paper proposes that many of the challenges of implementing large multi-firm projects are captured in the multi-dimensional concept of distance between firms in a large project’s actor network. This paper develops a distance framework that includes three dimensions: firm attributes describing actors’ characteristics, network attributes describing the distance in the relationships among the actors in the whole project network, and project practices increasing or decreasing distance among project network’s actors. Empirical evidence is drawn from the project network of Olkiluoto 3, a nuclear power plant currently being built in Finland. This paper elaborates the distance framework by suggesting content for the framework that describes distance in Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant project. By addressing projects as multi-firm enterprises with specific distance characteristics, our research opens up a path towards novel management of a project that engages several firms in its sphere of governance.