Application of Dual Concern Theory in Elucidating Conflict Behavior in Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership Projects
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147, Issue 7
Abstract
Conflict and its management are prevailing challenges in infrastructure public-private partnership (PPP) projects. In developing effective conflict management (CM) systems for PPPs, the consideration of behavior and attitudes of PPP project parties is valuable given their contribution to escalation and deescalation of conflict. In order to guide the incorporation of behavior and attitudes in the CM process for infrastructure PPPs, this paper examines how the behavioral patterns and corresponding CM styles proposed by the dual concern theory (DCT) relate to CM in infrastructure PPPs. Behavioral tendencies of PPP project parties in conflict situations are scrutinized based on their concern for their own and/or others’ outcome and subsequent inclination toward the five CM styles (integrating, obliging, dominating, avoiding, and compromising) depicted by the DCT. The results demonstrate, in some part, that there is sufficient connectivity to support the application of the DCT in CM of infrastructure PPPs. On that basis, a conceptual framework that incorporates behavioral aspects in CM for infrastructure PPPs has been developed. This framework fills a theoretical gap in existing knowledge regarding conflict and can be applied to develop strategies for constructively managing conflict in infrastructure PPP practice.
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Data Availability Statement
All data generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the University of Adelaide for providing financial support for this research through the Adelaide Scholarships International.
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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147 • Issue 7 • July 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: May 5, 2020
Accepted: Feb 9, 2021
Published online: Apr 28, 2021
Published in print: Jul 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Sep 28, 2021
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