Collaborative Behavior in Relational Contracting Projects in Hong Kong—A Contractor’s Perspective

Shoeb Ahmed Memon, Steve Rowlinson, Riza Yosia Sunindijo and Hafiz Zahoor
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Shoeb Ahmed Memon: Faculty of Science & Technology, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Steve Rowlinson: Department of Real Estate & Construction, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Riza Yosia Sunindijo: School of Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Hafiz Zahoor: Department of Construction Engineering & Management, National University of Sciences & Technology, Risalpur Campus, KPK 24080, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-15

Abstract: The construction industry in Hong Kong has adopted relational contracting (RC) as a way forward to address frequent conflicts in construction projects and to promote sustainable development. Despite this effort, adversarial behavior of project team members is still prevalent, stemming from conflicting agendas, which hinders the successful implementation of RC. There is a need to improve collaborative attitudes and behavior among project team members in RC projects, but there is still a lack of understanding of factors that can promote this inter-organizational collaboration. Therefore, using the theory of planned behavior, this research investigates factors that form relational attitudes, collaborative intentions, and collaborative behavior, and their relationships in RC projects in Hong Kong. Quantitative data were collected from experienced practitioners in RC projects and were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results reveal that senior management commitment and relational norms are needed to nurture relational attitudes, which in turn influence the development of collaborative intentions. These intentions can eventually promote collaborative behavior, which is expressed by teamwork, affective trust, and extra-role behavior (striving beyond roles to maintain collaboration). The findings advance knowledge and contribute to practice by providing a structured process to nurture collaboration in RC projects for sustainable development.

Keywords: collaborative working; collaborative behavior; Hong Kong; relational contracting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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