In the era of high turbulence and increasing uncertainty, project-based organizations (PBOs) can hardly survive crises on their own. How inter-organizational project governance contributes to their survival and what strategies they can take to facilitate this process have become critical problems that need to be addressed. Based on transaction cost economics, this research explores the impacts of contractual and relational governance on the PBOs resilience.
This paper sequentially uses symmetric partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) and asymmetric fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) approaches to empirically validate and explore configurational relationships based on sample data of 343 PBOs in the Chinese engineering industry.
The study found that contractual governance and relational governance indirectly affect the PBOs resilience through modularity and boundary spanning. Contractual and relational governance, together with modularity and boundary spanning, configurationally facilitate loose coupling in inter-organizational relationships in the face of crisis.
The configurations of contractual and relational governance, modularity and boundary spanning can lead to high organizational resilience in PBOs. The practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
