An integrated conflict management model for the South African construction industry

Conflict management in the South African construction industry is confronted with numerous challenges such as limited resources, inadequate communication, task interdependency, goal dissimilarities, tension, and individual diversities. For the conflict management challenges to be minimised, it is essential to recognise how conflict can be managed and what factors will bring about conflict management that will ensure and improve performance in the construction industry. Hence, since no study has modelled conflict management for the South African construction industry, with the suggestions of a work culture, communication, leadership qualities, organisational structure, decision making, strategic thinking, and team building as a latent construct, this current study is vital in filling the knowledge gap. The aim of this study was to investigate and model the extent to which work culture, communication, leadership qualities, organisational structure, decision making, strategic thinking and team building predict conflict management in the South African construction industry (SACI). Regarding this study, a mixed-method approach was utilised which consists of qualitative and quantitative methods. A conceptual seven-factor integrated conflict management (ICM) model was therefore developed from the reviewed of literature and a Delphi study. A questionnaire survey was utilised in this study. The questionnaire survey was sent to construction professionals in Gauteng Province of South Africa to ensure validation of the conceptual integrated conflict management model. The construction professionals that participated in this study consist of quantity surveyors, architects, builders, civil engineers/structural engineers, estate managers, project managers, construction managers, mechanical engineers, and electrical engineers. Therefore, descriptive and exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were utilised to assess the seven constructs for the enhanced conceptual model applying the retained constructs. Also, a further reliability as well as validity test was carried out before the use of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) utilising the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software program. The results from the study applied to three extensive categories. Firstly, results from the study addressed a lack of theoretical data regarding the most significant factors that predict conflict management (CM). The results further revealed that conflict management implementation is multifaceted, and the latent variables could be utilised to measure conflict management outcome variables. Secondly, the results from the Delphi study indicated that conflict management could be a seven-factor model defined by the influence of work culture, communication, leadership qualities, organisational structure, decision making, strategic thinking and team building. Thirdly, the results regarding the vii questionnaire survey informed that the hypothesis could not be rejected. It was revealed that work culture, communication, leadership qualities, organisational structure, decision making, strategic thinking and team building predicted conflict management in the construction industry. Additionally, the structural equation modelling (SEM) results of the model’s goodness-of-fit as well as the statistical significance parameter estimate achieved the cut-off standard for the hypothesised model’s fit to sample data. This current study’s contribution to the body of knowledge is substantial since it addresses the lack of theoretical data regarding which factors are highly significant in predicting conflict management in the South Africa. Moreover, the current integrated model showed that conflict management is a seven-factor construct, with the inclusion of two new variables such as strategic thinking and team building. However previous studies have modelled conflict management applying other variables without the involvement of these two variables. Therefore, this study has revealed that there is more than one factor that influences conflict management in th construction industry. This study recommends that that construction stakeholders, governments, non-governmental organisations, and policy makers should consider the empirically validated constructs as they are intended for, and practise conflict management in the construction industry. In addition, training programmes intended to advance the conflict management in the South African construction industry should also be considered. Likewise, the validated conceptual model of conflict management will serve as a basis of information for future study.