Ingredients to engender trust in construction project teams in Vietnam

Abstract

Purpose - A construction project typically involves many participants such as owners, consultants, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers. It is important for them to have harmonious relationships so that the project can be completed expeditiously. Trust is a critical factor to maintain harmonious relationships. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the ingredients to bring about trust in construction project teams in Vietnam. The specific objectives were to investigate the existence of personal trust, explore relationship between trust and project outcomes, and identify attributes that help to improve trust. Design/methodology/approach - This research employed questionnaire survey as the research method and collected data via face-to-face and e-mail interviews. The sample comprised randomly selected construction practitioners in Vietnam. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software. Findings - The results showed that trust exists between members of construction project team members in Vietnam. It was found that trust can leverage project quality and client satisfaction. In this regard, a number of factors were found to be significantly important to the development of trust. Research limitations/implications - The sample size was relatively small. Practical implications - When operating in Vietnam, practitioners should adopt a long-term mindset so as to develop trust. They should also select partners who have good reputations as these are more trustworthy. Originality/value - This study contributes to knowledge by showing that trust exists between individuals participating in construction projects in Vietnam and it leads to higher output quality and client satisfaction. Unique attributes to increase trust in Vietnam were also uncovered. Copyright © 2012 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.