Identification of the causes of conflict among construction players in Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

Construction-related conflict is one of the issues that require considerable attention in the construction industry. Hence, this study intends to identify the factors causing conflict among the construction players in Sarawak, Malaysia. Simple random sampling was used to select the respondents for this research. Respondents for this research comprised contractors, consultants, and clients in organizations. Out of 196 distributed copies of the questionnaire, a total of 80 copies were completed and returned amounting to40.81% response rate. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to obtain descriptive statistics. The Relative Importance Index (RII) was used to rank the factors causing conflict. A total of twenty-five (25) factors were identified. Insufficient funding was ranked the most severe among factors causing the client-related conflict. Changes in design was ranked first among factors causing the contractor-related conflict. Poor contract management was ranked first among the factors causing the consultant-related conflict. The findings in this research complement the existing body of knowledge on construction-related disputes. This research has provided a better understanding of the factors that could lead to conflicts among the construction players during the execution of construction projects.