Nwajei, U O K (2021) How relational contract theory influence management strategies and project outcomes: A systematic literature review. Construction Management and Economics, 39(5), pp. 432-457. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
Despite growing interest in Relational Contracting (RC), few studies have comprehensively investigated the qualities required for a successful RC project. Macneil’s ten norms are principles of behaviour in contracts based on the application of relational contract theory and play an essential role in the formation and agreement of parties and their commitment to means and objectives. In contributing a missing dimension to the RC approach in construction, the purpose of this research is to conduct a systematic review of studies of relational contracting to answer the question: In what ways can the influence of RC theory be observed in the management strategies and outcomes of relational projects? Macneil's norms are used to provide a link between strategies and outcomes as a way of understanding RC and its influence on collaboration between the project actors in determining project outcomes. The results provide new insights with a view of consolidating extant literature and contributing through mapping practice back to theory. Findings show that the norms are evident in projects but with varied application and realisation in practice. This paper offers managerial implications and future research directions to investigate and capture the part played by the norms as mechanisms in construction projects.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | governance; macneil; norms; project management; relational contracting; systematic review |
| Index terms: | management strategy, contract theory, project management, relational contracting, collaboration, project outcome, norms, dimension, commitment, systematic literature review, mapping, construction project, strategy, governance |
| Subjects: | project management theory and practice, spatial and geospatial analysis, legal systems, research evaluation and metrics, contractual arrangements, production management, psychology, project completion, business, management, sociology, health monitoring assessment and metrics |
| Topics: | Project Management, Research Practice, Organizational Design, Legal Issues, Health and Safety, Business Strategy, Procurement, Governance |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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