Construction Organization Resilience: An Integrative Framework of Capabilities, Practices, and Measurement
Abstract
This review paper synthesizes empirical and theoretical research on organizational resilience in the construction sector across individual, team, project, firm, supply chain, and institutional levels, focusing on the historical and contemporary literature published between 2012 and 2026. Systematic shocks such as economic recessions, supply network disruptions, safety vulnerabilities, and the global COVID-19 pandemic have motivated a massive expansion of resilience-oriented research in construction. Through a rigorous systematic analysis, this paper organizes the fragmented literature into four integrated domains: (1) capability domains (including organizational learning, unlearning, data governance, and human resources), (2) structural and institutional elements, (3) operational mechanisms (procurement, backup sourcing, and digitalization), and (4) measurement and indices (validated psychometric scales, RAG-based systems, and computational models). Using a dynamic capability framing of sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring, this study trace how micro-level individual cognitive and psychological resources and team climates aggregate to shape meso-level project outcomes and macro-level institutional arrangements. The review demonstrates that while institutional factors and formal governance design anchor proactive preparedness (pre-crisis), resource endowments, material/financial buffers, and operational redundancy are decisive for reactive recovery (post-crisis). Furthermore, data governance and supply chain digitalization emerge as crucial cross-cutting enablers that accelerate information velocity and partially mediate performance gains under shock. Mechanistically and methodologically, the field is pluralistic, spanning qualitative case studies, psychometric scale validation, social network analysis (SNA), fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM), and robust optimization, yet it suffers from heterogeneous measures and a lack of cross-context replication. This paper further presents a layered, multi-level integrative framework and establish a prioritized research agenda focused on measurement harmonization, longitudinal multi-phase mixed methods, the integration of qualitative institutional analyses with quantitative models, and open tool development to transition construction practice toward a robust, adaptive, and resilient future