Identification of project cultural factors affecting the performance of UAE construction projects

Abstract

The cultural impact of project management has recently attracted a lot of interest from academics, as it has quite a significant impact on project success or failure. In the construction industry, few studies have been conducted on the relationship between project organizational culture and performance from the perspective of work practices at the project level. This study's aim is to identify the cultural factors affecting the performance of UAE construction projects by using a mixed-methods approach. Data collection was based on a detailed analysis of the literature and the experiences of key project participants who were engaged in UAE construction projects. SPSS software was used to look at data from 124 recently completed projects in the UAE construction industry. This study identified eight cultural factors positively affecting the performance of UAE construction projects, which are client commitment, consultant commitment, contractor commitment, goal alignment and reliance, cooperative orientation, empowerment orientation, worker orientation, and authority. The contractor commitment-related factors have the most effect on overall project performance, while the authority-related factors were ranked as having the least effect. The study's findings help professionals in the construction industry implement practices that improve project cultures, which can enhance project performance and success.