Emotional intelligence and relational energy in cooperative arrangements in construction projects: complements or substitutes?

This paper investigates the impact of cooperation and emotional facilitators on project performance. By anchoring the study in service-dominant logic literature, the paper seeks to understand the relationship aspects of cooperative arrangements between co-providers of solutions in construction projects. Drawing upon social interdependence and emotional contagion theories, the research is empirically based on a sample of 209 project engineers. Findings reveal that cooperation fosters project performance. Moreover, emotional intelligence boosts the effects of cooperation on project performance. At the same time, relational energy suppresses the moderating impact of emotional intelligence and generally lowers the project performance. Understanding these interconnections provides valuable insights for project managers and stakeholders aiming to optimize team performance and outcomes in general professional services and construction projects. The implications of this research extend several streams of literature, emphasizing the significance of fostering cooperative environments and cautiously monitoring emotional facilitators emerging within construction project teams.