Ranking and Weighting Effective Project-Based Communication Indicators for Primary and Secondary Stakeholders in Construction Projects
Publication: Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction
Volume 15, Issue 1
Abstract
Effective communication is essential to the successful completion of construction projects, but achieving it can be difficult when there are several stakeholders. Various studies have identified and analyzed effective project-based communication indicators (EPCIs), but most have not addressed their impact. This paper strives to fill that knowledge gap by investigating the impacts of EPCIs on primary (owners, designers, and contractors) and secondary (subcontractors and suppliers) stakeholders in construction projects. To this end, a comprehensive study of the previous literature was performed to identify and classify the EPCIs. Data from 40 case studies of regional and global construction projects were collected, and a survey questionnaire was designed and disseminated to collect additional data. Cohen’s method was employed to weight each of the EPCIs for all five stakeholders’ groups, and the findings revealed that a lack of financial resources, high turnover of craft labor, the owner’s lack of understanding of the project’s goals and objectives, a large number of approvals needed by primary stakeholders, and the number and depth of quality requirements significantly impact the quality of communication. The findings of this research will help management teams understand how project parameters impact the quality of communication among stakeholders and will enable them to develop strategies to prevent unintended consequences caused by miscommunications.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
References
Works Cited
Affare, M. A. W. 2012. “An assessment of project communication management on construction projects in Ghana.” Ph.D. thesis, Dept. of Commonwealth Executive Master of Business Administration, Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Technology.
Armstrong, M. 2003. A handbook of human resource management practice. London: Kogan Page.
Carrillo, P., and P. Chinowsky. 2006. “Exploiting knowledge management: The engineering and construction perspective.” J. Manage. Eng. 22 (1): 2–10. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0742-597X(2006)22:1(2).
Chen, Y., and J. Kamara. 2008. “The mechanisms of information communication on construction sites.” Forum Ejournal 8 (1): 1–32.
Cheng, E. W. L., H. Li, P. Love, and Z. Irani. 2001. “Network communication in the construction industry.” Corporate Commun. Int. J. 6 (2): 61–70. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563280110390314.
Cho, K. M., T. H. Hong, and C. T. Hyun. 2009. “Effect of project characteristics on project performance in construction projects based on structural equation model.” Expert Syst. Appl. 36 (7): 10461–10470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2009.01.032.
Dainty, A. R., and H. Lingard. 2006. “Indirect discrimination in construction organizations and the impact on women’s careers.” J. Eng. Manage. 22 (3): 108–118. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0742-597X(2006)22:3(108).
Deng, Z. M., B. Li, C. Tam, Q. P. Shen, and P. E. D. Love. 2001. “An application of the internet-based project management system.” Autom. Constr. 10 (2): 239–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0926-5805(99)00037-0.
Forcada, N., C. Serrat, S. Rodriguez, and R. Bortolini. 2017. “Communication key performance indicators for selecting construction project bidders.” J. Manage. Eng. 33 (6): 04017033. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000552.
Gamil, Y., and I. A. Rahman. 2017. “Identification of causes and effects of poor communication in construction industry: A theoretical review.” Emerging Sci. J. 1 (4): 239–247. https://doi.org/10.28991/ijse-01121.
Greenburg, J., and R. A. Baron. 2011. Behavior in organizations. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Hargadon, A., and R. I. Sutton. 2000. “Building an innovation factory.” Harv. Bus. Rev. 78 (3): 157–166.
Heyecan, G., and K. Y. Sima. 2010. “Behavioural aspects of communication in construction.” In Proc., The Construction, Building and Real Estate Research Conf. of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Held at Dauphine University. Paris: Dauphine Univ. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijdrbe.2010.43501aab.001.
Jacobs, M. A., W. Yu, and R. Chavez. 2016. “The effect of internal communication and employee satisfaction on supply chain integration.” Int. J. Prod. Econ. 171 (Part 1): 60–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2015.10.015.
Kamalirad, S., S. Kermanshachi, J. Shane, and S. Anderson. 2017. “Assessment of construction projects impact on internal communication of primary stakeholders in complex projects.” In Proc., 6th Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) Int. Construction Specialty Conf. Montreal: Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. Vancouver, BC, Canada: Canadian Scoiety for Civil Engineers. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784482438.065.
Kapogiannis, G., and F. Sherratt. 2018. “Impact of integrated collaborative technologies to formal collaborative culture in construction projects.” Built Environ. Project Asset Manage. 8 (1): 24–38. https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-07-2017-0043.
Kwofie, E. T. 2015. “Contribution of unique features of mass housing projects to project team communication performance.” Ph.D. thesis, Dept. of Construction Management, Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Technology.
Larner, A. J. 2014. “Effect size (Cohen’s d) of cognitive screening instruments examined in pragmatic diagnostic accuracy studies.” Dement Geriatr. Cogn. Disord. Extra 4 (2): 236–241. https://doi.org/10.1159/000363735.
Laufer, A., A. Shapira, and D. Telem. 2008. “Communicating in dynamic conditions: How do on-site construction project managers do it?” J. Manage. Eng. 24 (2): 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0742-597X(2008)24:2(75).
Lee, N., and Y. Kim. 2018. “A conceptual framework for effective communication in construction management: Information processing and visual communication.” In Proc., Construction Research Congress 2018, 531–540. Reston, VA: ASCE. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784481264.052.
Love, P. E., J. Matthews, S. Lockley, I. Motawa, and A. Almarshad. 2015. “Case-based reasoning and BIM systems for asset management.” Built Environ. Project Asset Manage. 5 (3): 233–247. https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-02-2014-0006.
Lunenburg, F. C. 2010. “Formal communication channels: Upward, downward, horizontal, and external.” Focus Colleges Univ. Sch. 4 (1): 1–7.
Mazzei, A. 2014. “Internal communications for employee enablement: Strategies in American and Italian companies.” Corporate Commun. Int. J. 19 (1): 82–95. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-08-2012-0060.
Men, L. R., and D. Stacks. 2014. “The effects of authentic leadership on strategic internal Communication and employee-organization relationships.” J. Public Rel. Res. 26 (4): 301–324. https://doi.org/10.1080/1062726X.2014.908720.
Mortaheb, M. M., and M. Rahimi. 2010. “Interface management in mega oil refinery projects.” In Proc., 6th Int. Project Management Conf., 1–19. Tehran, Iran: Univ. of Tehran.
Nam, C. S., J. B. Lyons, and H. S. Hwang. 2009. “The process of team communication in multi-cultural contexts: An empirical study using Bales’ interaction process analysis (IPA).” Int. J. Ind. Ergon. 39 (5): 771–782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2009.03.004.
Neill, M. S., and H. Jiang. 2017. “Functional silos, integration and encroachment in internal Communication.” Public Rel. Rev. 43 (4): 850–862. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2017.06.009.
Nguyen, H. T., and B. Hadikusumo. 2017. “Impacts of human resource development on engineering, procurement, and construction project success.” Built Environ. Project Asset Manage. 7 (1): 73–85. https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-04-2016-0010.
Nipa, T. J., S. Kermanshachi, and S. Kamalirad. 2019. “Development of effective communication framework using confirmatory factor analysis technique.” In Proc., ASCE Int. Conf. on Computing in Civil Engineering. Reston, VA: ASCE. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784482438.073.
Ochieng, E. G., and A. D. F. Price. 2010. “Managing cross cultural communication in multi-cultural construction project teams: The case of Kenya and UK.” Int. J. Project Manage. 28 (5): 449–460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2009.08.001.
Odu, G. O. 2019. “Weighting methods for multi-criteria decision-making technique.” J. Appl. Sci. Environ. Manage. 23 (8): 1449–1457. https://doi.org/10.4314/jasem.v23i8.7.
Palomares, M. I., C. Navarro, and J. A. S. Lara. 2012. “Determining factors of success in internal communication management in Spanish companies.” Corporate Commun. Int. J. 23 (3): 405–422. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-03-2017-0021.
Pishdad-Bozorgi, P., R. B. Austin, and J. M. de la Garza. 2017. “Network analysis of flash-track practices.” J. Manage. Eng. 33 (1): 04016024. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000466.
Safapour, E., S. Kermanshachi, S. Kamalirad, and D. Tran. 2019. “Identifying effective project-based communication indicators between primary and secondary stakeholders in construction projects.” J. Leg. Aff. Dispute Resolut. Eng. Constr. 11 (4): 04519028. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)LA.1943-4170.0000332.
Senescu, R. R., G. Aranda-Mena, and J. R. Haymaker. 2013. “Relationships between project complexity and communication.” J. Manage. Eng. 29 (2): 183–197. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000121.
Suh, T., and J. Lee. 2016. “Internal audience segmentation and diversity in internal communication.” Corporate Commun. Int. J. 21 (4): 450–464. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-05-2015-0024.
Tone, K., M. Skitmore, and J. K. W. Wong. 2009. “An investigation of the impact of cross-cultural Communication on the management of construction projects in Samoa.” Construct. Manage. Econ. 27 (4): 343–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190902748713.
Tummalapudi, M., C. M. Harper, T. R. Taylor, S. Waddle, and R. Catchings. 2022. “Causes, implications, and strategies for project closeout delays in highway construction.” Transp. Res. Rec. 2676 (9): 479–490. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981221087229.
Tummalapudi, M., J. Killingsworth, C. Harper, and M. Mehaney. 2021. “US construction industry managerial strategies for economic recession and recovery: A Delphi study.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 147 (11): 04021146. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0002175.
Wilcox, R. 2019. “A robust nonparametric measure of effect size based on an analog of Cohen’s d, plus inferences about the median of the typical difference.” J. Mod. Appl. Stat. Methods 17 (2): eP2726. https://doi.org/10.22237/jmasm/1551905677.
Wong, F. W. H., and P. T. I. Lam. 2011. “Difficulties and hindrances facing end users of electronic information exchange systems in design and construction.” J. Manage. Eng. 27 (1): 28–39. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000028.
Xie, C., D. Wu, J. Luo, and X. Hu. 2010. “A case study of multi-team communications in construction design under supply chain partnering.” Supply Chain Manage. 15 (5): 363–370. https://doi.org/10.1108/13598541011068279.
Yap, J. B. H., H. Abdul-Rahman, and C. Wang. 2018. “Preventive mitigation of overruns with project communication management and continuous learning: PLS-SEM approach.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 44 (5): 04018025. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001456.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction
Volume 15 • Issue 1 • February 2023
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 1, 2022
Accepted: Aug 4, 2022
Published online: Nov 7, 2022
Published in print: Feb 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Apr 7, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Business management
- Case studies
- Construction engineering
- Construction management
- Contracts and subcontracts
- Data collection
- Engineering fundamentals
- Freight transportation
- Infrastructure
- Logistics
- Management methods
- Methodology (by type)
- Owners
- Personnel (type)
- Personnel management
- Practice and Profession
- Project management
- Ratings
- Research methods (by type)
- Supply chain management
- Transportation engineering
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.