Title:
Communication in construction : theory and practice
Personal Author:
Publication Information:
Abingdon, Oxon : Taylor & Francis, 2006
ISBN:
9780415327220
Available:*
Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000010121000 | TH215 D34 2005 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
Searching... | 30000003481292 | TH215 D34 2005 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
Searching... | 30000010159452 | TH215 D34 2005 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
Communication within project-based environments presents special challenges. This is especially true within the construction industry, where interaction tends to be characterised by unfamiliar groups of people coming together for short periods before disbanding to work on other endeavours.
This book examines communication at a number of levels ranging from interpersonal interactions between project participants to corporate communication between organizations. Several non-typical perspectives on the process of communication are introduced to encourage the reader to think about communication in a more innovative manner. The combination of differing perspectives illustrates the diversity of communication problems facing those working within project-based environments. Practical guidance is provided on possible solutions to communication problems, and a number of examples and case studies are presented.
Author Notes
Michael Murray is a Lecturer in Construction Management within the Department of Architecture at the University of Strathclyde.
Table of Contents
| List of figures | p. ix |
| List of tables | p. xi |
| About the authors | p. xiii |
| Preface | p. xv |
| Acknowledgements | p. xvii |
| Part I Communication concepts and contexts | p. 1 |
| 1 Introduction | p. 3 |
| Defining communication | p. 3 |
| The importance of effective communication | p. 6 |
| The principles of effective communication | p. 10 |
| The role and importance of effective communication to the project manager | p. 12 |
| The aims, focus and structure of this book | p. 14 |
| Part I communication concepts and contexts | p. 15 |
| Part II from individuals to corporations: communication types and techniques | p. 16 |
| Part III future directions for construction communication | p. 16 |
| Summary | p. 17 |
| Critical discussion questions | p. 18 |
| 2 The challenges of communicating in the construction project environment | p. 19 |
| The nature of project-based working | p. 20 |
| The communication imperative for construction organisations | p. 25 |
| New communication challenges for the contemporary construction industry | p. 35 |
| Communication challenges for the construction project manager | p. 40 |
| Summary | p. 42 |
| Critical discussion questions | p. 42 |
| Case study: the importance of effective communication: the design and construction of the New Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh 1997-2004 | p. 43 |
| 3 Theoretical perspectives on construction communication | p. 53 |
| The development and value of communication theory | p. 53 |
| Theoretical models of communication | p. 55 |
| Applying communication models to construction | p. 59 |
| Communication media | p. 64 |
| Barriers to effective communication | p. 69 |
| Summary | p. 71 |
| Critical discussion questions | p. 72 |
| Part II From individuals to corporations: communication types and techniques | p. 73 |
| 4 Interpersonal communication | p. 75 |
| Defining interpersonal communication | p. 75 |
| The nature of effective interpersonal communication within construction | p. 76 |
| The importance of effective interpersonal communication for construction project performance | p. 77 |
| Verbal interpersonal communication in construction | p. 79 |
| Non-verbal interpersonal communication in construction | p. 84 |
| The interplay of verbal and non-verbal forms of interpersonal communication | p. 86 |
| Summary | p. 89 |
| Critical discussion question | p. 89 |
| Case study: inter-professional communication | p. 90 |
| 5 Group and team communication | p. 96 |
| Group development and team roles | p. 96 |
| Factors shaping the success of communication within construction project teams | p. 101 |
| Inter-group communication | p. 110 |
| Summary | p. 121 |
| Critical discussion questions | p. 122 |
| Case study: developing high performance teams: soft and hard communications initiatives at the Simons Group | p. 122 |
| 6 Organisational communication | p. 128 |
| Introduction | p. 128 |
| The organisation as an arena for communication | p. 128 |
| Communication as a determinant of organisational structure | p. 131 |
| Understanding communication within organisations | p. 132 |
| The nature of communication within construction organisations | p. 137 |
| Managing communication within construction organisations | p. 142 |
| Developing an organisational communication strategy | p. 146 |
| Some caveats to improving communication within the temporary involvement climate of the construction project | p. 149 |
| Summary | p. 150 |
| Critical discussion questions | p. 151 |
| Case study: community relations at HBG Construction Ltd: internal and external communications | p. 151 |
| 7 Corporate communication | p. 160 |
| Introduction | p. 160 |
| Defining corporate communication | p. 160 |
| Stakeholder theory | p. 161 |
| Principles of mass communication | p. 162 |
| Managing the corporate image of a construction organisation | p. 167 |
| Managing the corporate image of the construction industry | p. 174 |
| Communicating corporate and social responsibility | p. 177 |
| Summary | p. 179 |
| Critical discussion questions | p. 179 |
| Case study: corporate communication in relation to sensitive projects: the Yangtze Three Gorges Project | p. 180 |
| Part III Future directions for construction communication | p. 189 |
| 8 Information and communications technology | p. 191 |
| Introduction | p. 191 |
| The utilisation of ICT in the construction industry | p. 192 |
| Virtual working as a driver for ICT innovation | p. 193 |
| The evolution of ICT in construction | p. 194 |
| Some examples of ICT innovations in construction | p. 196 |
| Potential barriers to the uptake of ICT in construction | p. 201 |
| Explaining the industry's reluctance to embrace ICT: differential adoption | p. 205 |
| Realising the potential of ICT in the future | p. 206 |
| The limitations of ICT | p. 212 |
| Summary | p. 213 |
| Critical discussion questions | p. 214 |
| Case study: an innovative application of ICT in the construction process: the Stent Handheld Electronic Piling Assistant (SHERPA) | p. 214 |
| 9 Conclusions and future directions in construction communication | p. 220 |
| Introduction | p. 220 |
| The construction communication context | p. 220 |
| Deconstructing the construction communication challenge for the project manager | p. 222 |
| Future construction communication challenges | p. 223 |
| The role of communication in enabling change | p. 227 |
| The construction project manager as an enabler of communication | p. 228 |
| Some future research directions | p. 229 |
| Summary | p. 230 |
| Critical discussion questions | p. 230 |
| References | p. 232 |
| Index | p. 251 |
