Synthesizing organizational culture and leadership to strengthen resilience in the construction industry: a bibliometric review

Purpose Organizational culture (OC) and leadership are regarded as central to organizational resilience (OR), which construction firms need to withstand disruptions and sustain growth in highly volatile and uncertain environments. However, syntheses examining the linkages between OC and leadership within the construction industry remain limited. This study aims to map the literature on OC and leadership and develop a conceptual framework to explain their joint effects on OR in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods review design was adopted. The study comprised three stages: a bibliometric analysis of 208 Scopus-indexed publications covering publication trends, keyword co-occurrence and thematic mapping; a thematic synthesis of 28 focused studies; and the development of a conceptual framework. Findings The bibliometric analysis reveals three phases of publication growth, the leading journals and countries and six thematic clusters, with learning-based OR as an emerging but underdeveloped theme. The synthesis identifies six mechanisms linking OC and leadership, distinguished by the direction of influence and the functional role of each construct. Following the bibliometric analysis and drawing on capability-based resilience theory, the study proposes a framework that positions an aligned and mutually reinforcing OC-leadership configuration as the foundation for developing resilience capabilities. It also advances three propositions to guide future research. Originality/value This study consolidates a fragmented body of work and proposes a dynamic management cycle that enables construction firms to strengthen OR by diagnosing and sustaining OC-leadership alignment rather than adopting any single “best” OC or leadership style.