Boosting stakeholders' intention to participate in socially responsible collective action in megaprojects: perspectives of mega water transfer projects in China
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 10 February 2023
Issue publication date: 10 September 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Megaprojects have large impact on the environment and stakeholders should take collective action to ensure that these projects are developed in a socially responsible manner. Hitherto, it is not known whether group and subjective norms and social identity could compel stakeholders to take socially responsible collective actions in megaprojects. The aim of this study is to design and test a model to boost stakeholders' intention to take socially responsible collective action in the context of mega water transfer projects in China.
Design/methodology/approach
A quasi-experimental causal research design was adopted to establish cause–effect relationships among the dependent variable (we-intention) and independent variables (subjective norms, group norms, social identity and desire). This study adopts the belief–desire–intention model and social influence theory to empirically investigate how to boost the stakeholders' intention to participate in socially responsible collective action. An online questionnaire survey was conducted and data was collected from 365 respondents who were involved in mega water transfer projects in China. The partial least squares structural equation modeling technique was employed to analyze the data.
Findings
The results from partial least squares analyses indicate that the presence of subjective norms, group norms and social identity (collectively known as social influence process) could increase stakeholders' intention to take socially responsible collective action. In addition, the desire to be socially responsible also boosts stakeholders' intention to take collective action. Desire partially mediates the relationship between social influence process and intention to take socially responsible collective action.
Originality/value
This study adds to existing knowledge by discovering social influence process as an antecedent to taking socially responsible collective action in megaprojects. Strong group norms and subjective norms could propel stakeholders to be more socially responsible. The study also adds to knowledge by discovering that stakeholders' desire to fulfill social responsibility also leads them to take concrete actions. Implications and recommendations are provided on how to manipulate different types of social influence processes to facilitate stakeholders to adopt socially responsible collective action in the process of managing megaprojects.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX21_0440), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. B210203063) and the National Social Science Foundation of China (No. 19FJYB004). The authors also appreciate the financial support from the China Scholarship Council (No. 202006710037).
Declaration of Competing Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data Availability Statement: Some or all data generated and analyzed in the current study are also available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Citation
Zhai, W., Ling, F.Y.Y., Ding, J. and Wang, Z. (2024), "Boosting stakeholders' intention to participate in socially responsible collective action in megaprojects: perspectives of mega water transfer projects in China", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 31 No. 9, pp. 3727-3747. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-09-2022-0903
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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