Impact of Project Manager Competency on Owner’s Trust Level: Data from Infrastructure Megaprojects

Trust plays a crucial role in the implementation of infrastructure megaprojects. Project manager competency is an essential factor in the formation of the owner’s initial trust in the contractor. Research based on the influence mechanism between the two may be a breakthrough for the effective use of relevant tools in infrastructure megaprojects in which the use of relational governance mechanisms is limited. However, there is a lack of relevant research. Existing studies neglect the dynamic changes after the initial trust formation. Based on the context of infrastructure megaprojects in the current era, this study analyzed project manager competency and integrated multiple trust dimensions to classify trust levels. Based on this, the study explored the continuous impact of project manager competency on owners’ trust in the contractor. The results show that the management skills dimension of project manager competency is fundamental to the establishment and development of owner’s trust; the cognitive dimension, as a higher-order competency, is the driver of owner’s trust; and the emotional intelligence dimension plays a role as a lubricant in the relationship. This study provides a special path for the development of project manager competency and the implementation of relational governance mechanisms in infrastructure megaprojects.