From diversity to social value: insights from infrastructure project professionals

Purpose This research investigates how project professionals perceive the role of team diversity in enabling social value creation within infrastructure projects. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory qualitative study draws on 27 semi-structured interviews with infrastructure project professionals experienced in project delivery. Findings The findings indicate that social value in infrastructure projects extends beyond physical infrastructure itself to include upskilling, training and local job creation. Leveraging project team diversity is linked to strengthening social value through innovation, creativity and better decision-making. Furthermore, diverse teams that include local community members enrich social value by ensuring cultural sensitivity and alignment with local needs, making community-connected project teams crucial for creating sustainable and meaningful social value. Research limitations/implications The findings are based on Australian infrastructure projects, which limits generalizability. Practical implications Project-based organizations can embrace diversity in project teams to deliver social value by including members from diverse cultural, professional and socioeconomic backgrounds. This approach ensures better alignment with local needs through cultural sensitivity and community representation, enhancing stakeholder engagement and promoting innovation. Social implications The findings support for inclusive project teams to contribute to broader societal goals. By practicing team diversity, project-based organizations can deliver infrastructure projects that are socially impactful, fostering trust, collaboration and stronger community ties. Originality/value Drawing on social capital theory, this research explores project professionals’ interpretation of social value and examines how social value is delivered to communities by embracing project team diversity, thus extending limited research in this area.