Examining the mediating role of personal integrity in reducing corruption in construction projects

Purpose Executing construction projects in developing nations is often reported to involve both grand and petty corruption due to unethical ties during all construction phases, contributing to cost overruns. Although construction organisations seek contract awards via unethical alliances with public officials and influential citizens, they may be conscious of executing the projects to maximize profit and maintain their organisational image simultaneously. Hence, construction organisations may ensure that professionals with ethical stances execute the projects to maximize the limited construction resources and enhance project performance finally. Therefore, this study investigated the mediating effect of personal integrity on project performance in situations of unethical ties, which is yet to be uncovered. Design/methodology/approach A total of 124 valid quantitative data received from Nigerian construction professionals were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to unravel the relationships in the formulated conceptual model. Findings The results of the analysis revealed that both organisational ties with government officials and ties with influential citizens harm the personal integrity of construction professionals (ß = −0.558; −0.229) and project performance (ß = −0.211; 0-0.227). Interestingly, the personal integrity of construction professionals had a significant positive effect (ß = 0.500) on project performance. Based on the results of the analysis, several recommendations, including encouraging transparency and ethical leadership, were suggested to enhance ethical conduct in the construction industry. Originality/value This paper investigated the mediating role of personal integrity of construction professionals in minimizing corruption. While previous studies explored the impact of a single metric of unethical alliances on project outcome, this study used multiple metrics and incorporates the dimension of personal integrity, offering deeper and nuanced insights. This illustrates the real scenario of how construction projects are secured and executed in corruption-prone developing nations, providing implications for ethics management in the industry. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by revealing the importance of ethical conduct within construction organisations to enhance the judicious use of limited construction resources.