Attia, T M (2002) The impact of communication technologies on group problem-solving performance in construction. PhD thesis, North Carolina State University, USA.
Abstract
The continuous interaction among construction project participants is key to resolve conflicts and speed up problem solving in construction. New communication technologies as computer-mediated communication and video conferencing allow geographically separated group members conduct real-time meetings. The adoption of these technologies by the construction industry could speed up problem solving, improve collaboration, and reduce productivity losses due to lack of information. However, there is a lack of understanding of how these technologies compare to the traditional face-to-face and audio communications. Also, there is no common agreement on which features of communication technologies are most appropriate for use in construction. The goal of this research is to assess the impacts of the emerging communication technologies on group performance in construction. In this study, seven real-time communication channels representing traditional and emerging communication methods in construction. These channels are: (1) Face-to-face, (2) Audio, (3) Fax, (4) Computer-mediated text communication, (5) Computer mediated text, voice, and sketching utility, (6) Computer-mediated text, voice and software-sharing, and (7) Video-conferencing. Four group tasks were created to emulate typical problem solving tasks in construction. A total of 84 experiments by two-participant groups were conducted to assess the impact of communication channels and task types on group performance. The evaluation of the experimental data using two-way analysis of variance supports the proposed model and provides evidence regarding the effectiveness of computer-mediated and video conferencing communication for problem solving in construction. In addition, the analysis shows that groups using media-rich computer-mediated communications perform at levels equal or better than face-to-face groups. In addition, performance differences between video-conferencing and face-to-face groups on tasks that have low visualization requirements were insignificant. The findings of the study provide quantitative evidence on the relative effectiveness of computer-mediated and video conferencing communications compared to face-to-face and audio communications. Implications of the research findings on technology adoption in construction companies and on the development of future communication systems are discussed.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Bernold, L E |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction project; collaboration; conflicts; problem solving; visualization; productivity; communication; computer-mediated communication; experiment |
| Index terms: | variance, communication method, productivity, group task, computer-mediated communication, effectiveness, media, technology adoption, interaction, construction industry, construction company, experiment, face, evidence, problem solving, construction project, collaboration, visualization |
| Subjects: | psychology, innovation and technology management, data collection methods, evaluation and assessment methods, organization, sociology, measurement and scaling, industry analysis, behavioral psychology, design practice, communication studies, management, performance management, decision-making and reasoning, production management, professional development |
| Topics: | Design Practice, Organizational Design, Business Strategy, Information Management, Research Practice, Quality Management, Engineering Principles, Project Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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