Moshood, T D; Ling, Y V; Chai, C and Lee, C K (2025) Intention to engage in inter-contractor cooperation: A belief elicitation study in the construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 32(12), pp. 8592-8620. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose – Partnering has been introduced to the construction field to improve project delivery efficiency. However, little research outlines the factors influencing the intention to form partnerships. This paper aims to investigate the relationships between attitude, subjective norm perceived behavioural control (PBC) and intention to form partnering, as well as to elicit behavioural, normative and control beliefs regarding partnering formation. The study also examines the relationships between these beliefs and their respective constructs within the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework. Design/methodology/approach – In order to achieve these objectives, a two-stage approach was employed. First, a belief elicitation study (BES) involving 20 construction industry professionals was conducted to elicit salient beliefs. Subsequently, a TPB survey was administered to 99 contractors from grades G4 to G7. Partial Least Square analysis assessed the factors influencing the intention to form partnering. Findings – The results supported six hypotheses, while six others were unsupported. Perceived usefulness significantly influenced attitude towards intention to form partnering, followed by attitude itself, which also significantly influenced intention. The project management team and sole proprietors had significant effects on the subjective norms, while facilitating conditions and consensus on appropriation significantly affected PBC. Practical implications – This research contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on the role of intention in partnering formation. Moreover, by applying the BES, this research extends the TPB model of intention to form partnering in construction projects, offering valuable insights for future research and practice. Originality/value – This study investigates the relationships between attitude, subjective norm PBC and intention to form partnering, as well as to elicit behavioural, normative and control beliefs regarding partnering formation. The study also examines the relationships between these beliefs and their respective constructs within the TPB framework.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | belief elicitation study; construction projects; partnering; theory of planned behaviour |
| Index terms: | partnership, efficiency, partnering, project delivery, planned behaviour, construction industry, subjective norm, survey, perceived usefulness, project management team, cooperation, partial least square, evidence, methodology, construction project |
| Subjects: | performance management, industry analysis, statistical analysis, partnership management, profession, data collection methods, project delivery, production management, research methods, behavioral psychology, social justice, evaluation and assessment methods, psychology |
| Topics: | Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Organizational Design, Procurement, Project Management, Quality Management, Ethics |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here