Assessment of performance of teamwork in construction projects delivery in South-Southern Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose Effort towards improving project performance has necessitated the need for effective teamwork among the stakeholders in the construction industry. The purpose of this paper is to identify the major attributes of effective teamwork and the challenges encountered by the team during construction with a view to improving performance of projects. Design/methodology/approach Data for the study were obtained through 420 structured questionnaires, which were administered to a sample of project participants including clients’, contractors’ and consultants’ organizations’ representatives in South-Southern region of Nigeria. Data collected were analyzed using percentage, mean item score and Kruskal–Wallis rank test. Findings The findings revealed leadership skills, top management support and interpersonal dynamics of the team among the critical attributes for effective teamwork. The prevailing challenges of effective teamwork were identified as essentially; poor leadership, poor rapport among team members and lack of effective communication. Practical implications The study ultimately provides implication for effective team building among clients’, consultants’ and contractors’ organizations towards efficient delivery of construction projects. Moreover, the stakeholders in the industry would find the results of this research useful in managing human and non-human components of construction projects through the understanding of the attributes and challenges of teamwork with ultimate aim of achieving effective project performance. Originality/value The findings reveal that all the key stakeholders’ organizations; clients, consultants and contractors’ organizations exhibit similar perceptions of the attributes and challenges confronting teamwork in construction project delivery. The empirical evidence provided on the attributes and challenges would therefore offer robust information in building effective project team by stakeholders during the planning and implementation stages, which is a right step towards enhancing construction project performance.

Assessing the expected current and future competencies of quantity surveyors in the Malaysian built environment

“…In investigating the skills for procurement management, Oke et al (2018) categorise interpersonal skills as analytical operational skills. Understanding the interpersonal dynamics of the team is a critical attribute for enhancing open communication (Yap et al , 2020a, b) and engendering effective teamwork (Adu and Opawole, 2019). Townsend et al (2020, pp.…”

“…In investigating the skills for procurement management, Oke et al (2018) categorise interpersonal skills as analytical operational skills. Undrrstanding the interpersonal dynamics of the team is a critical attribute for enhancing open communication (Yap, Leong, et al, 2020) and engendering effective teamwork (Adu and Opawole, 2019). Townsend et al (2020, p. 04020101-6) note that "high-cooperation teams spend more time performing activities such as brainstorming, reviewing project progress, and receiving feedback, with less time spent resolving personality conflicts."…”

Capitalising teamwork for enhancing project delivery and management in construction: empirical study in Malaysia

“…Efficiency management, less conflicts and reducing wastages and rework are critical factors for enhancing team performance in construction-based organisations (Shafie and Samari, 2014). In this connection, the prevailing challenges of effective teamwork encompass bad leadership, poor group dynamics and frequent breakdowns in communication (Adu and Opawole, 2019). Well-functioning teams can outperform individuals through the combined efforts of their members (Baiden and Price, 2011; Mcewan et al , 2017).…”

“…To motivate higher performance, teams need effective management (Shafie and Samari, 2014). In a recent study of the influence of teamwork on project delivery in the Nigerian construction industry, the 5 most significant attributes (of 16) comprise team leadership, top management support, interpersonal dynamics of team, clarity of expectation and objectives, and open communication (Adu and Opawole, 2019). Preparation of a list of comprehensive attributes was a critical step for the success of this study.…”

The Influence of Construction Project Team Effectiveness in Higher Institutions’ Building Projects: A Case from Nigeria

“…Despite the importance of project team effectiveness on project performance, it is still shrouded with many obstacles, particularly in the educational sectors of the developing nations. In the Nigerian construction industry, there is poor leadership, professional rivalry, poor rapport, disrespect, distrust as well as severe lack of collaboration and commitment among teams participants which worsens the culture of effective teamwork leading to ineffective and poor team management (Adu & Opawole, 2020;Mukhtar et al, 2021;Ogundipe et al, 2018;Zailani et al, 2019). Another issue is poor communication among team members (Oni, 2020).…”