System Engineering and Productivity

System Engineering and Productivity

Developing a Social Competency Model for Sustainable Management in the Construction Industry Using Grounded Theory and Fuzzy SWARA

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Parham Nademi 1
Farhad Saeedi 2
Mahyar Zandpourasl 1
1 M.Sc. Student, Department of Construction Engineering and Management, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 Corresponding author: Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/sep.2025.2068654.1377
Abstract
Given the crucial role of project managers in advancing sustainability goals, identifying and developing their social competencies is a key step toward achieving sustainable project management. This study aims to develop a model of social competencies aligned with sustainable project management in the construction industry. A mixed-methods approach was adopted. In the qualitative phase, using grounded theory methodology and conducting 10 semi-structured interviews with experts, the initial set of social competencies was identified and categorized into five groups. Among them, the "strategic competencies" group was selected as the core category representing the key social competencies for sustainable management. In the quantitative phase, the fuzzy SWARA multi-criteria decision-making method was used to prioritize these competencies. The questionnaire was administered in two stages: first with 50 specialists for ranking, and then with 15 experts for determining relative importance. The results revealed that “effective stakeholder engagement,” “strategic and long-term thinking,” and “negotiation and persuasion skills” were the top priorities among key social competencies. Furthermore, the conceptual alignment between these competencies and international frameworks—such as the IPMA Individual Competence Baseline Version 4.0 and Boyatzis's competency model—indicates that the study’s findings are in line with established global standards. The findings also highlight that a major barrier to achieving social sustainability in projects is the short-term economic mindset of managers and their lack of awareness of sustainability concepts. Accordingly, the identified competencies can serve as effective tools for assessing and enhancing the social competencies of project managers toward sustainable project management.

Highlights

  • Achieving sustainable development in construction requires project managers with social competencies, not just technical approaches.
  • The integration of competence and sustainability redefines the criteria for evaluating project managers’ performance.
  • A social competence framework for managers is a key tool for sustainable project management and addressing the social challenges of construction

Keywords
Sustainable Project Management
Social Competency
Construction Industry
Sustainable Development
Subjects

Copyright © Parham Nademi, Farhad Saeedi, Mahyar Zandpourasl

 

License

This article is released under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone is free to copy, share, translate, and adapt this article for any purpose, whether commercial or non-commercial, as long as proper citation is given to the authors and original publication.

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System Engineering and Productivity

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 24 September 2025

  • Receive Date 16 August 2025
  • Revise Date 01 September 2025
  • Accept Date 24 September 2025
  • First Publish Date 24 September 2025
  • Publish Date 24 September 2025