Combining formal controls and trust to improve dwelling fit-out project performance: A configurational analysis

Despite an increasing emphasis on combining formal control and trust to improve project performance, it is still empirically not known that how formal control and trust combined could contribute to project success. To bridge this gap in knowledge, this study aims to investigate how combination of formal control and trust would give rise to high project performance through a configurational analysis. A questionnaire-survey of 265 dwelling fit-out projects was undertaken in China. Data were analyzed through fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. The configurational analysis in the end identified four equifinal combinations of formal control and trust that could result in project success. This study contributes to the control-trust nexus literature by empirically presenting a configurational solution.