Investigating underlying factors of collaboration for construction projects in emerging economies using exploratory factor analysis

Competing relationships and a lack of collaboration are common in the construction industry. Consequently, many reasons, such as lack of trust, unfair risk sharing and ineffective communication, are highlighted by actors as challenges in the construction sector. Collaboration has been demonstrated as a solution for these challenges for the construction industry. However, collaborative environments are still far from effective in emerging economies with a lack of research and information available for such countries. We have used the Kurdistan region of Iraq to investigate and explore these challenges using systematic enquiry, utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods. This article aims to explore these challenges, by reviewing past literature and investigating construction practices to better quantify those factors that underlie collaboration. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to identify the most critical factors. Then, a questionnaire was used to survey the opinions of practitioners, analysed through exploratory factor analysis. Six factors were identified: project vision, participant behaviour, communication, relationship definition, contractual agreements and systematic process. Additionally, the paper provides suggestions as to how industry might apply such factors. This article contributes to a scarce literature regarding construction projects in Kurdistan region and emerging economies in general.