Relationship Conflict in Construction Management: Performance and Productivity Problem
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 144, Issue 6
Abstract
Performance and productivity in construction management are essential for schedule and profit considerations, but are often diminished by conflict. Task conflict provides incentive for decisions and innovative solutions, whereas interpersonal conflict, also referred to as relationship conflict, is detrimental to performance and productivity because it affects schedules, cognition and collaboration efforts, and the morale of the team. This qualitative study investigates how relationship conflict affects performance and productivity among construction management professionals. Interviews were conducted in 18 construction firms with 25 construction management professionals, including project executives, senior project managers, project managers, and superintendents. The goal is to understand the antecedents and consequences of relationship conflict within construction management, and discover methods used to mitigate these effects. Key antecedents producing relationship conflict are lack of communication, old-school attitude, and lump-sum contracts. The key individuals generating relationship conflict are the owner or owner’s representative, subcontractors, and superintendents. Consequences of relationship conflict include schedule delays, lowered morale and motivation, and reduced profit, whereas mitigating factors are good communication and trust building.
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Data Availability Statement
Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author by request. Information about the Journal’s data sharing policy can be found here: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%29CO.1943-7862.0001263
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 144 • Issue 6 • June 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 21, 2017
Accepted: Nov 15, 2017
Published online: Mar 21, 2018
Published in print: Jun 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Aug 21, 2018
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