8 / 2017-08-01 21:03:19

Achieving Truly Collaboration of Project participants Through Implementing Relational Contract Norms: The Mediating Role of Integrated Project Delivery Incentive Mechanisms

Integrated project delivery, Collaboration, Relational Contract, Financial incentives, Non-financial incentives.

As an emerging relational contracting mode in construction industry, successful integrated project delivery (IPD) largely depends on achieving truly in-depth collaboration among different project participants, whose interests and objectives are aligned through relational contract (RC). However, little is known about the relationship between RC and IPD organization. This research aims to investigate the influencing mechanism of RC norms on IPD project organizational collaboration (IPDC) through examining the mediating role of IPD incentives mechanism (financial and non-financial incentives). Using data of 144 responses from IPD practitioners to a questionnaire survey, our hypotheses were tested and verified through Partial Least Squares. Results indicate that different RC norms positively affect IPDC in different extent through partial mediating effects of both financial and non-financial incentives. The RC norm of “Propriety of means” seems to be a stronger influencer to IPDC comparing with the other RC norms. This research provides theoretical guides for IPD practitioners on properly implementing RC for building and maintaining a highly collaborative IPD organization.