Project communication, trust, collaboration and success : a structural equation model and the influence of computer mediated communication

Abstract

Project success is the goal of every project that is undertaken. Literature supports the fact that project communication in addition to several other ‘human-related’ factors has an influence on the ultimate success of the project as it is well-known that it is people who deliver projects: not processes or systems. This thesis theoretically and empirically establishes that the quality of communication, level of trust and degree of collaboration are the main human-related factors that determine project success. Structural equation modelling techniques are used to determine that project success is positively influenced by the degree of collaboration and indirectly by the level of trust between project team members based on a foundation of quality of communication. Moreover, that the quality of communication factor is determined by frequency of interaction, communication content, type, technology, number of channels, audience and communications plan. Similarly, the level of trust in a project is determined by the degree of knowledge exchange, imported trust and meeting team members' expectations while the degree of collaboration is determined by team relationships, coordination, proximity, commitment, conflict and incentives. In order to better understand the foundational role that project communication plays in the model, the study determines that project and programme performance can be achieved by communication-mediated communication (CMC) that is facilitated by a programme call centre. A call centre can provide the correct combination of informal and formal communication to increase the communication, collaboration and trust between principals and agents in a project. The programme benefits of a call centre include improved team communication, project deliverables, service delivery and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, it was found that the CMC mediums of instant messaging and video conferencing impact positively on the variables that determine the quality of communication in a project, as they lead to more appropriate communication and improve the quality of communication of virtual teams. The thesis provides project managers with many practical ways in which project success can be achieved by promoting communication, trust and collaboration in their projects through the use of a call centre and other CMC’s. The results and findings of the two related studies that were undertaken have been published in ISI-rated international and national journals. The findings of this thesis contribute to better communication management in projects and enhance existing knowledge of project communication, trust, collaboration and project success.