Unraveling Sustainable Competitive Advantage and Resilience of Construction Enterprises: Resource–Environment–Strategy Framework

Developing sustainable competitive advantage is essential for construction enterprises to navigate the high-velocity environment driven by digitalization and sustainability mandates. Yet existing construction engineering and management literature has largely focused on static advantages or the net effects of isolated variables, without systematically examining sustainable competitive advantage. This study investigates configurations shaping sustainable competitive advantage using a Resource–Environment–Strategy framework. We analyze 1,061 observations from 115 listed Chinese construction enterprises (2014–2023) through necessary condition analysis, time-series qualitative comparative analysis, and typical case tracing. We also examine which configurations lead to high sustainable competitive advantage and enable organizational resilience. The results show that no single condition is necessary for sustainable competitive advantage. Eight equifinal configurations emerge, forming a dual market structure: most configurations rely on efficiency-driven pathways (scale and diversification), while a minority pursue differentiation and specialization. A distinct efficiency-resilience trade-off emerges: mainstream configurations exhibit fragility during crises, whereas a minority achieve superior resilience through legitimacy and resource slack. This study clarifies the configurational nature of sustainable competitive advantage and offers practical guidance for orchestrating resources toward long-term viability.