Navigating Landowner Resistance: A Sequential Process of Social Value Cocreation in Construction Projects

Although construction projects often encounter conflicts with local communities, particularly landowners, limited research explains how such conflicts lead to value creation. This article examines how project organizations respond to collective opposition from landowners in contentious construction projects in Vietnam. Based on a grounded theory study comprising 25 interviews and four case studies, the findings reveal that organizations can follow a sequential resolution process, beginning with understanding landowner contexts and ending with enforcing legal compliance. This process results in unexpected social value, as conflicts become a mechanism through which unplanned benefits and community value emerge. The study conceptualizes conflict as a dynamic process of value cocreation.