The survival of construction companies in Nigeria is increasingly shaped by the ability of firms to respond deliberately to cost pressures, competitive rivalry, changing customer requirements and an uncertain operating environment. This study examined the relationship between survival strategies and organizational success among construction companies in Nigeria, with particular attention to cost leadership, differentiation and focus strategy. Organizational success was assessed through market share, innovativeness and competitiveness, while organizational culture was examined as a moderating condition. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was adopted. The population comprised 1,851 management and subordinate staff in nine selected construction firms operating in Port Harcourt, Uyo and Yenagoa. Using the Krejcie and Morgan sample-size table, 331 respondents were selected through purposive sampling, with proportional allocation across the firms. A total of 326 questionnaires were retrieved and 291 usable responses were retained for analysis. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire measured largely on a five-point Likert scale. Construct and convergent validity procedures were applied, while internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Pearson product-moment correlation was used for the bivariate hypotheses, and partial correlation was employed to assess the moderating role of organizational culture. The findings show strong, positive and statistically significant relationships between cost leadership and market share (r = .976), innovativeness (r = .963) and competitiveness (r = .981); between differentiation and market share (r = .982), innovativeness (r = .968) and competitiveness (r = .984); and between focus strategy and market share (r = .985), innovativeness (r = .982) and competitiveness (r = .974), with p = .000 in each case. Organizational culture also significantly strengthened the relationship between survival strategies and organizational success. The article concludes that survival strategies are not merely defensive responses to environmental pressure; they constitute important strategic mechanisms through which construction firms can protect market position, strengthen innovation and sustain competitiveness. The findings further suggest that the effectiveness of these strategies depends on a supportive organizational culture that encourages coordination, adaptability, innovation and customer orientation.

Keywords: survival strategies; cost leadership; differentiation; focus strategy; organizational success; market share; innovativeness; competitiveness; organizational culture; construction companies.