A Stitch in Time Saves Nine: Nexus between Critical Delay Factors, Leadership Self-Efficacy, and Transnational Mega Construction Project Success

Umer Zaman, Laura Florez-Perez, Saba Abbasi, Shahid Nawaz, Pablo Farías and Mahir Pradana
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Umer Zaman: Endicott College of International Studies (ECIS), Woosong University, Daejeon 34606, Korea
Laura Florez-Perez: Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, Faculty of the Built Environment, University College London (UCL), London WC1E 6BT, UK
Saba Abbasi: Management Science Department, National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Shahid Nawaz: Department of Management Sciences, Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB), Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Pablo Farías: Departamento de Administración, Facultad de Economía y Negocios, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8330015, Chile
Mahir Pradana: Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Communication and Business, Telkom University, Batu 40257, Indonesia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: Delay factors are frequent in the construction industry globally, resulting in significant overruns in project cost and time. In context, megaprojects can be more prone to critical delays, hence, demanding a high degree of self-confident leadership. Despite the continuous scholarly attempts to examine mega construction project success, the underlying role of critical delay factors and leadership self-efficacy has been largely overlooked. Hence, to address these rarely examined linkages, the present study empirically explored the effects of critical delay factors (CDFs) on transnational mega construction project (TMCP) success with the moderating influence of leadership self-efficacy (LSE). Based on a study sample (N = 211) extracted from the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, the hypothesized relationships were tested through partial least squares–structural equation modeling. The study included nine critical delay factors and three subdimensions of TMCP success, derived from previous research. The findings revealed a negative relationship between CDFs and TMCP success, as a 1% increase in CDFs triggered a 28.8% negative change in TMCP success. A positive moderating effect of LSE on the relationship between CDFs and TMCP success was also empirically supported, as 1% increase in LSE resulted in 18.4% positive change in TMCP success. The present study bridges the fragmented literature on critical delay factors in the global construction industry, megaproject success, and project leadership, by providing the first empirical evidence linking these potential relationships. Moreover, the present study also provides an extension to existing studies to identify the role of CDFs and LSE in impacting multi-faceted success (i.e., management success, ownership success, and investment success) in mega construction projects.

Keywords: transnational mega construction project; critical delay factors; project leader’s self-efficacy; mega construction project success; China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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