Gorse, C A; Emmitt, S and Lowis, M (1999) Problem solving and appropriate communication medium. In: Hughes, W (ed.) Proceedings of 15th Annual ARCOM Conference, 15-17 September 1999, Liverpool, UK.
Abstract
Many of the problems that occur during the construction phase require the involvement of design and management professionals. As problems develop, construction professionals need to use effective communication to enable a timely problem resolution. An essential aspect of effective communication is the selection of the communication medium that is best suited to resolving the problem. Communication medium in this study represents textual, verbal and graphical transmissions and is linked to information that is presented by the social and physical environment in which communication manifests. This paper discusses the findings of an extensive questionnaire, interviews and case studies that sought to investigate this little-researched area. The findings indicate that construction and design problems are taking longer to resolve because the communication medium is often selected to defend ones own organization at the expense of the mutual project goals. The paper concludes with suggestions for improving communication between designer and construction manager.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | communication; problem solving; construction management |
| Index terms: | case study, interview, designer, construction manager, problem solving, questionnaire, construction professional, resolution, construction phase |
| Subjects: | conflict resolution, decision-making and reasoning, professional development, project delivery, data collection methods, profession |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Information Management, Research Practice, Project Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here