Integrating PLS-SEM and ANN to explore major resilience factors of construction Projects: The Case of Ethiopia

Abstract

The aim of this research is to identify and analyse the key resilience factors contributing towards construction project success in Ethiopia using an integrated approach of Artificial Neural Networks(ANN) and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling(PLS-SEM).As with elsewhere in the world, the Ethiopian construction industry has faced socio-political instability, resource scarcity and institutional challenges related to the success of construction projects within the country, and resilience is essential to being able to absorb disturbances, adapt to changing conditions, or to facilitate quick recovery from adverse events. Resilience is required to assess the unknown and be able to respond to uncertainty. In this research the integrated methods of PLS-SEM and ANN applied. This integration provides a valuable understanding of this issue, as PLS-SEM inherently supports modelling linear relationships, while ANN's representation can model the non-linear repercussions of relationships under multiple factors of societal construction projects. The outlook from the analysis was that the resilience factors ultimately impact project resilience, and then project success was realised. The two primary resilient factors identified as contributions to project resilience from the integrated research were project team culture and external environment, and the ANN analysis also realised the non-linear relative effects of the external environment and team culture on project resilience and consequently project success. The study proposes developing a resilient organisational culture and external environment that are consistently monitored. This integrated methodological approach has provided new perspectives upon the construction industry for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers aiming toward enhancing resilience and sustainability within the construction industry in Ethiopia and can lead to important policy improvements and theoretical evolvement of resilient project management in the context of Ethiopia.