Organizational Behavior in Megaprojects: Integrative Review and Directions for Future Research

Abstract

Megaprojects exert substantial influence on economics, society, and the environment on a global scale. Current theory-building research in the megaproject field mainly focuses on three perspectives—the socioeconomic system, systems engineering and project management, and complex organization and governance. Despite realizing the importance of megaprojects, we still lack a deep understanding of megaproject management and related organizational issues. Adopting organizational behavior (OB) theory as a point of departure, this study first reviewed the classic OB theory and current OB research status systematically. The classic OB theory was then introduced to the context of megaprojects in an attempt to build a theoretical framework of OB in megaprojects through bibliometric analysis and an integrative review approach. A multilevel framework across individual, group, project, and organizational fields was elaborated for OB research in the megaproject field, and based on the framework developed, future research directions in this research area were proposed and discussed. This research not only bridges the research gap in megaproject management from a new perspective, but also contributes to the enrichment and development of the classic OB theory in a new context.