Exploring the behaviours of construction project participants through social cognitive theory

It has been theorised that human functioning is governed by a triadic reciprocal causal interaction between the cognitive, behavioural and environmental contexts within which people operate. Applying this theory to the construction project context, it can be hypothesised that if the internal dispositions of project participants can be determined and the situational context in which they operate is known, then the behaviours of project participants can be predicted. This hypothesis if valid has significant implications for behaviour management on construction projects, especially in respect of behaviours relating to aspects such as health and safety and collaborative working which are considered priorities on many modern projects. This study thus explores the application and validity of this theory within the construction project context by examining empirical evidence from a number construction projects in the UK to establish if it is possible to predict the behaviour of project participants by examining their perceptions and attitudes on these construction projects and the environmental context under which these projects were undertaken. Although the results generally confirm the hypothesis, it is argued from the lack of overwhelming evidence that efforts to manage behaviours on construction projects must go beyond the cognitive and the situational context set out in the theory. Group dynamics and project outcomes must also be taken into account.