Managing conflicts in joint venture contracts in infrastructure construction projects in Sri Lanka

Purpose – Understanding and addressing the causes and root causes of inevitable conflicts is essential for conflict management in Construction Joint Ventures (CJVs). However, there is a lack of research identifying these causes, root causes and conflict management approaches in different stages of a CJV's lifecycle. Therefore, this paper presents a framework to manage conflicts during the inception, formation and operational stages of CJVs in infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative multiple case study approach was employed to investigate four CJV infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka, selected through purposive sampling. During the case studies, data were gathered through multiple sources, including eight in-depth interviews with senior project managers and document reviews. The collected data were analysed using content analysis and the root cause analysis tool, Five-Whys analysis. Findings – Findings are mapped into a framework suggesting a structured approach to conflict management, emphasising the importance of proactive and reactive approaches for addressing causes and root causes across CJV's lifecycle. Conflicts at the inception stage are minimal due to limited interaction between partners; however, selecting a suitable CJV partner is crucial. During the formation and operational stages, disagreements are often managed through negotiation as a reactive approach, while the root causes of these disagreements can be addressed through suitable proactive approaches, such as entering into an all-inclusive CJV contract agreement. Originality/value – This study proposes a conflict management framework for infrastructure CJVs uncovering the underlying root causes of conflicts, along with relevant proactive and reactive conflict management approaches at different stages of the lifecycle in CJV projects in Sri Lanka.