Identification of operational trust factors in contractor-owner relationships: a case study in Vietnam

Abstract

In the construction industry, trust development is affected by interactions among partners during interactions. However, few attempts to explore the development of trust between construction parties during the life of a project have been made, and few attempts have reduced the concepts behind trust to an operational level. This study identifies the operational factors that foster trust in contractor-owner relationships over a project's life cycle. Five large construction projects in Vietnam were used as case studies. The study proposed different sets of operational factors for building trust between contractors and owners according to the project phases. Our results indicate that Vietnamese construction parties emphasise relational bonding to build trust between partners, while institutions are given the least attention. Additionally, contractors and owners basically agree on the factors that build trust in institutions and relationships, but the two groups differ significantly in the sets of factors that enhance calculus-based trust.