Examining the influence of organisational culture on stakeholder critical success factors in public construction projects using structural equation modelling

Organisational culture and stakeholder management are widely recognised as determinants of project success in construction, yet empirical evidence on how specific cultural orientations shape stakeholder critical success factors remains limited, particularly in public-sector settings. This study examines the relationship between organisational culture orientations and stakeholder critical success factors in public construction projects using structural equation modelling (SEM). Drawing on the Competing Values Framework, four cultural orientations – Control, Collaborate, Create and Compete – are analysed against five stakeholder critical success dimensions, using survey data from 144 professionals involved in public construction projects in Bahrain. Results reveal clear differentiation among cultural types. Compete-oriented culture emerges as the strongest positive predictor across stakeholder dimensions (p < 0.001), while Create-oriented shows significant negative relationships with stakeholder dynamics (β = −0.296), stakeholder satisfaction (β = −0.449), and project success measures (β = −0.424). Collaborate culture positively influences stakeholder satisfaction (β = 0.189, p < 0.001), whereas Control exhibits limited influence. The structural model explains substantial variance in stakeholder constructs (R2 = 0.67–0.97). These findings suggest organisational culture is associated with stakeholder management effectiveness in public construction environments. Given the cross-sectional, single-source design, these associations should be read as indicative rather than confirmed causal drivers.