An exploration of telephone and e-mail communications for design-related construction problems

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is a fragmented one that relies on the collaboration of diverse stakeholders for the success of a project. Many times, stakeholders involved in the process are scattered in physical locations distant from the jobsite, making communication through media such as telephone and e-mail necessary, instead of face-to-face communication. Specific features of these communication media often affect how accurately information is conveyed from one party to another. This paper seeks to understand the benefits and challenges of telephone and e-mail communication and how they influence communications between site supervision and design personnel to help construction students and recent graduates to improve their communication and collaboration skills. Interviews with professionals were held and a quasi-experiment with students and professionals was performed as a two-phased, sequential study. Results indicate an alignment with Media Synchronicity Theory while also showing how the influence of the AEC industry-specific context, such as project-related record-keeping, influences the choice of media. From these results, a summary table and a set of guidelines for effective communication are presented to help students and young professionals become aware of media limitations so that they can effectively communicate in the AEC industry.