Communication Aspects on Construction Performance: Investigating Contractors’ Perspective

Cheok, Jinny (2023) Communication Aspects on Construction Performance: Investigating Contractors’ Perspective. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

The construction sector is plagued by ineffective communication management resulting in time and cost overruns. It has been discovered that over 70% of contractors' time is spent on communication with other stakeholders. Contracting parties as one of the major construction practitioners are underexplored to enhance project performance. Therefore, it is imperative to look at contractors' perspectives on project communication. This research ascertains the needs of effective communication and factors of communication that contribute to poor performance in construction projects. First, research questions and objectives were identified based on a comprehensive review of existing literature. A total of 20 valid responses were received from contracting parties through quantitative research methodology conducted through online via email or WhatsApp’s, with a response rate of 40%. The data collected were further evaluated through reliability analysis and descriptive statistics. The three most critical needs of effective communication were revealed as "reduce conflict", "better collaboration between parties" and "good problem solving". Also, "lack of effective communication techniques", "frequent changes to contract", "lack of mutual respect and trust", "slow information flow", and "unethical behaviour" have been categorised as the top five negative factors of communication that impact project performance. The research's findings also revealed the significant discrepancies in respondents' perceptions regarding the reasons and potential measures for communication effectiveness. In short, this research's findings able to improve the construction industry's performance by allowing contracting parties to understand the importance of communication and address them with effective communication techniques.