Complexity and Construction Management: An Integrated Analysis of Logistics, Organizational Processes, and Productivity

Prior studies have commonly examined organizational structure, managerial processes, construction logistics, productivity, and project complexity through separate research streams, leaving limited empirical evidence on how these domains are positioned within a single multilevel construction management framework. This study develops an integrated analysis of their relationships using data from construction firms operating in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba, Brazil. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was adopted, and 108 valid survey responses were analyzed through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, reliability assessment, regional comparison, and Relative Importance Index ranking. The results showed that formal organizational characteristics displayed comparatively limited direct associations with performance-related variables, whereas stronger relationships were concentrated among managerial, strategic–logistical, and operational processes. The project complexity analysis retained three dimensions—technical, process-stage, and planning-related complexity—which jointly explained 61.271% of the rotated variance. At the operational level, equipment and tool maintenance, schedule adherence, and material storage received the highest Relative Importance Index values, with RII = 0.776 for each item. The findings indicate that construction performance is more closely associated with the dynamic processes through which information, decisions, responsibilities, and resources are coordinated than with formal structure considered independently. The study contributes a multilevel conceptual framework in which project complexity is interpreted as increasing the coordination requirements linking organizational arrangements, managerial processes, logistics, and operational reliability.