The impact of digital capabilities of construction enterprises on project performance: the mediating role of inter-organizational cooperative behavior

With the diversification of owners' demands and the intensification of competition in the construction field, construction enterprises try to build a network of high-quality relationships among project organizations through multi-party cooperative behaviors. However, many construction enterprises have poor communication between the parties involved, frequent disputes, and a lack of emphasis on their interests, which hinders project implementation. Currently, the development of digitalization is providing a breakthrough for the transformation of construction enterprises, especially when the enterprise possesses specific digital capabilities that empower construction projects, significantly promoting project performance improvement. This study employed empirical analysis using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0 to validate the relationships between digital capability, inter-organizational cooperative behavior, and project performance. The findings show that the digital capabilities of construction enterprises provide a new source of power for enhancing project performance. Second, digital capability can achieve relational interoperability by promoting cooperative relationships among participants, which in turn enhances project performance. In this context, inter-organizational cooperative behaviors have a significant mediating effect on the relationship between all three dimensions of digital capability and project performance. The results enrich the digital transformation approach of existing construction enterprises and lay a theoretical foundation for promoting participant collaboration to improve project performance. In addition, this study develops a rational plan for practitioners to utilize digital capability in initiating project construction.