Culture EPC oil and gas project in Vietnam: grounded theory

Purpose Engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) projects in the oil and gas industry are special projects involving diverse cultures, behaviours and complexity in global business. Among these elements, culture is a crucial factor contributing to project performance. Several studies have been conducted on culture and its impact on project performance, especially in construction. However, studies on the cultural factors affecting EPC projects have not yet been carried out, especially for projects in the oil and gas industry. Thus, this study aims to explore and identify the cultural factors that affect the performance of oil and gas EPC projects in Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach In all, 60 people with experience in EPC projects were interviewed for the study. Axial and selective coding were used to build the final grounded theory. Findings The research findings show that the main cultural factors affecting the performance of EPC projects are leadership, organisation, planning, communication, human resources, goal and orientation. Originality/value This study provides empirical evidence for the importance of cultural factors that affect the success of EPC projects. It can serve as a guide on how to manage EPC projects and how to overcome the cultural difficulties in oil and gas EPC projects in Vietnam.