Exploring the Influence of Construction Companies Characteristics on Their Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Chilean Context

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic was a significant disruption to the construction industry around the globe with multiple impacts, such as workforce limitations and contractual conflicts. Multiple studies have explored the impacts of the pandemic in the construction sector so far. However, little is known about how construction companies responded to the pandemic and what companies’ characteristics may have influenced their responses. The objective of this study is to explore the impacts of COVID-19 and how construction companies responded to the pandemic. To do so, semi-structured interviews with experienced professional working in Chile are qualitatively analyzed to leverage their experience. Furthermore, characteristics of construction companies that influenced how companies responded to the pandemic, namely, size, experience, and financial standing, are explored. The results obtained suggest that the focus in responding to the pandemic was taking care of workers’ safety, improving the planning of projects under highly uncertain conditions, and dealing with the financial stress of developing construction projects. When looking at the influence of companies’ experience, size, and economic capacity, experienced and large companies’ responses were related to implementing teleworking and dealing with a limited workforce. Regarding the economic capacity of construction companies, the focus was placed on responding to the pandemic using multiple sources of financing. Differences identified in how construction companies responded to the pandemic emphasizes the importance of understanding attributes that led companies to having better responses to the pandemic and being prepared for the post-pandemic context.