Examining the Impact of Social Media Use on Project Management Performance: Evidence from Construction Projects in China
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147, Issue 3
Abstract
Team members in construction projects often fail to communicate effectively, share knowledge, and coordinate as a whole. Although many construction organizations have adopted social media technologies to improve project team processes, little is known about how social media use at work affects project team processes and project management performance. Against this background, employing the enabler-process-intermediate outcome-performance framework, this paper aims to explore the mechanism by which social media use at work affects project management performance with a specific focus on project team processes and project team efficacy. Based on literature research and theoretical analysis, the theoretical model with several research hypotheses is formulated. The empirical data are collected from 156 construction project managers, and the structural equation modeling technique is applied to test the theoretical model. The results show that social media use at work positively influences three team processes, specifically, effective communication, knowledge sharing, and coordination. The three project team processes then indicate different effects on project team efficacy. Furthermore, the project team processes enhance project management performance through project team efficacy. These empirical results reveal the benefits of social media use at work in construction project teams and provide valuable implications for practice.
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Data Availability Statement
Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This material is prepared based on work supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under Grant No. 71671128. The authors thank the NSFC for its support. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSFC.
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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147 • Issue 3 • March 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Mar 14, 2020
Accepted: Oct 16, 2020
Published online: Jan 5, 2021
Published in print: Mar 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Jun 5, 2021
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