A construction sector crisis management plan (CSCMP) framework for enhancing crisis preparedness and resilience in Malaysian construction organisations

The construction sector is a key driver of national economic growth but remains highly vulnerable to external shocks such as financial crises, geopolitical disruptions, and public health emergencies, notably the COVID-19 pandemic. These crises exposed significant weaknesses in the preparedness, response capability, and business continuity of Malaysian construction organisations, resulting in widespread project delays, operational disruptions, and financial instability. Despite repeated exposure to crises, many organisations continue to rely on reactive approaches and lack a structured Crisis Management Plan (CMP) to guide systematic preparedness, coordinated response, and resilient recovery. This study aims to strengthen organisational resilience by developing and validating a Construction Sector Crisis Management Plan (CSCMP) tailored to the Malaysian construction industry. To achieve this aim, the study seeks to identify crisis-induced vulnerabilities, examine existing crisis management practices, develop and validate a structured CSCMP framework, and evaluate its contribution to business continuity. A mixed-methods sequential exploratory design was adopted, integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches. The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews and document analysis with key experts from construction authorities and resilient non-construction organisations to explore crisis experiences, vulnerabilities, and best practices. The quantitative phase comprised a questionnaire survey administered to CIDB G7 contractors and construction consultants in the Klang Valley, yielding 133 valid responses. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and statistical techniques, including descriptive and inferential analysis. Findings from the qualitative phase identified a structured five-phase crisis management process namely Prepare, Prevent, Respond, Recover, and Redesign, as critical for enhancing organisational resilience. Quantitative results further validated these findings, demonstrating significant relationships between crisis management practices and business continuity outcomes. The study also reveals that while vulnerabilities are sector-wide, existing strategies remain largely reactive and insufficiently integrated with long-term resilience planning. The research culminates in a validated CSCMP framework that integrates vulnerable areas, structured crisis management strategies, and business continuity outcomes into a comprehensive and practical model. This framework provides construction organisations with a systematic approach to enhance crisis preparedness, improve response coordination, and strengthen long-term resilience. This study contributes theoretically by extending crisis management and organisational resilience concepts into the construction domain through a validated, sector-specific framework. Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of mixed-methods triangulation for framework development and validation. Practically, the CSCMP offers an actionable tool for industry stakeholders to transition from reactive crisis responses to proactive and structured resilience strategies.