Building trust in project‐stakeholder relationships

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate how trust can be built in a relationship between a project and its stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data are based on a qualitative case study with in-depth interviews following a semi-structured approach. A Norwegian project, the new opera house, is studied. This is a large public construction project, with a great deal of media and public attention by Norwegian society. Findings – The study results show that trust is built in a project-stakeholder relationship by improving communication skills, behaving reliably, showing commitment, being sincere, benevolent and competent, obtaining and acting with integrity, working towards reaching project milestones and establishing common goals. Research limitations/implications – Future research should investigate other scenarios, types of projects, cultures and countries, so that these findings may be generalized. Practical implications – This research concludes that trust is important for building a well-functioning business relationship. Trust can be seen as a result of good project-stakeholder relations, and trust is reciprocal. Trust is something that must be earned, and it can be easily lost. Originality/value – How to build trust in project-stakeholder relationships is studied in this research paper.