Employee reactions to adoption of alternative project delivery methods within the AEC industry

The implementation of alternative project delivery methods (APDMs) in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has increased in recent years. Yet implementation of these methods requires an organizational change effort. One of the challenges facing organizations that are implementing organizational change initiatives is employee resistance to change. The aim of this study was to investigate AEC employees’ reactions to the adoption of APDMs and to examine the methods used to communicate the APDM adoption to employees. To achieve the aim, survey responses were collected from 140 respondents across AEC owner organizations in the United States. Results indicate that employees in AEC owner organizations react favorably to adopting a change in their project delivery systems. Results further reveal that increasing the use of organizational change management (OCM) practices is related to decreased employee resistance to change. Surprisingly, employee reactions do not mediate the relationship between OCM practices and APDM adoption. The findings also indicate that the most effective ways to disseminate change messages to employees are presentations, on-the-job support, and meetings. The findings of this study may be useful for change practitioners in which employees’ reactions toward the changes in project delivery methods are more supportive than resistive to change.