A proposed model for construction project management communication in the South African construction industry

Ineffective communication and the poor application of communication skills in construction project management lead to project outcomes that do not meet project objectives. The lack of a proper communication skills model for project management may contribute to ineffective project communication. This article reports the results of a study done to identify the most important project management communication skills and applications of communication that effective project managers should possess. A literature review on project management communication, project communication skills, applications of project communication and project management and leadership communication was done to develop a quantitative questionnaire for testing the importance of project management communication skills and applications of communication as perceived by a total of 97 construction-related professionals employed in construction project management, architecture, construction management, engineering and quantity surveying. Based on the findings, the communication skills and applications of communication expected from project managers were grouped into core (decision-making, problem-solving, listening, verbal competency, motivation, persuasion, meetings, writing competency, presentation, team-building and development, conflict management) and important skills (negotiation, trust, explaining, questioning, reinforcement, reflecting, public communication, humour and laughter, self-disclosure) which, together with managerial and leadership communication, form the main basis of the proposed model. The proposed model may assist construction project managers in developing their communication abilities, and through improved communication, improve their management and leadership abilities, ensuring the successful execution of projects in the South African construction industry. Oneffektiewe kommunikasie en die swak toepassing van kommunikasievaardighede in konstruksieprojekbestuur lei tot uitkomste wat nie aan die doelwitte van 'n projek voldoen nie. Die gebrek aan 'n behoorlike kommunikasie vaardigheidsmodel vir projekbestuur kan ook bydra tot oneffektiewe projekbestuurskommunikasie. Hierdie artikel doen verslag oor die resultate van 'n studiewat gedoen is om die belangrikste projekbestuurkommunikasie vaardighede entoepassings van kommunikasie waaroor effektiewe projekbestuurders moet beskik, te identifiseer. 'n Literatuuroorsig oor projekbestuurkommunikasie; projekkommunikasievaardighede; toepassings van projekkommunikasie en projekbestuursfunksiesen leierskap in projekbestuur is gedoen om 'n kwantitatiewe vraelys te kon opstel vir die meting van die belangrikheid van projekbestuurkommunikasievaardighedeen toepassing van kommunikasie soos waargeneem deur 97 konstruksie-verwante professionele persone. Hierdie professionele persone is werksaam in konstruksieprojekbestuur, argitektuur, konstruksiebestuur, ingenieurswese en bourekenkunde. Gebaseer op die bevindinge van die studie is die kommunikasievaardighedeen toepassings van kommunikasie wat verwag word van projekbestuurders ingedeel in die volgende groepe: kern (besluitneming, probleemoplossing, luister,mondelinge vaardighede, motivering, oorreding, vergaderings, geskrewe vaardighede, aanbiedings, spanbou en ontwikkeling, konflikbestuur); belangrike(onderhandeling, vertroue, verduideliking, vrae, versterking, reflektering, openbare kommunikasie, humor en lag, self-bekendmaking); bestuurs- en leierskap-kommunikasievaardighede wat dan ook die belangrikste basis van die voorgesteldemodel vorm. Die voorgestelde model kan bou-projekbestuurders helpom hul kommunikasievermoens te ontwikkel, en deur middel van verbeterde kommunikasie, word hul bestuur- en leierskapvermoens verbeter om te versekerdat suksesvolle projekte in die Suid-Afrikaanse konstruksiebedryf uitgevoer word.