A Research Framework for Evaluating the Maturity of Relationship Management in Chinese Mega-Construction and Infrastructure Megaprojects: A Relational Contracting Perspective

The number of mega construction and infrastructure (MCI) projects has increased exponentially in China over the past two decades as a result of the outstanding economic achievement and rapid urbanization development. However, projects of that size are commonly beset with performance paradox. Relationship management has been increasingly recognized as a key for improving the outcomes of construction projects by developing and implementing various related tools, such as relational contracting, partnering schemes, and strategic alliance. Given that good relationships amongst project parties is crucial to project success as Guanxi plays an essential role in Chinese societies and businesses, this study aims to develop a systematic and pragmatic framework for evaluating relationship management practice in Chinese MCI projects in terms of its maturity. This study will be conducted as part of a key program funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Mixed methodology, including interviews, survey, and case studies, will be employed to identify the critical factors for and their relative importance in good relationship management to formulate a unified and pragmatic evaluation framework. Furthermore, the developed framework will be used to evaluate the status of relationship management in MCI projects based on case studies of selected projects. Findings of this study will be beneficial to promote relationship-based collaboration and improve the outcomes of MCI projects.