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Construction Management and

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Construction management on one

large project in London: A case study
a b
J. Dodd & D.A. Langford
a
Formerly Researcher, Construction Study Unit , Brunei
University
b
Director of Postgraduate Studies, School of Architecture and
Building Engineering , Bath University , Bath , UK
Published online: 28 Jul 2006.

To cite this article: J. Dodd & D.A. Langford (1990) Construction management on one large
project in London: A case study, Construction Management and Economics, 8:4, 385-398, DOI:
10.1080/01446199000000031

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 Construction Management and Economics, 1990,8, 385-398

Construction management on one large project

in London: A case study
J . DODD1 and D.A. LANGFORD2
'Forrnerl)~Researcher, Construction Study Unit, Brtrnel University and 'Director of Postgraduare Studies, School
of Architecture and Building Engineering, Bath University, Bath, UK
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This paper explores the organizational and personnel issues emerging from the relationships between the
management contractor and trade contractors on one construction project in London. The aim is to provide
feedback about the effectiveness of the relationship between management contractors and the trade
contractors and t o explore some of thefactors that inhibit 'good'relationships and those that promote 'bad'
relationships.
The data was collected by using two research instruments. Thejrst was a short psychological test - the
FIRO-B - which unearthed the compatibility between individual managers of trade contractors and the
construction managers' staff. In short, the FIRO-B evaluated the quality of the relationships between
members of the construction team and indicated areas for potential interpersonal conflict. The second
instrument was the semi-structured interview. Here the construction manager's staffand a small sample of
trade contractors were interviewed. The interviews were designed to enrich the data about sources of
interpersonal conflict.
The results illustrate the importance of creating compatible teams to generate effective teamwork.
Conflicts between trade contractors and the construction managers were noted in the following areas:

I . Concerns over the clarity of the requirements of trade corrtractors within a work package and between
work packages.
2. The level of 'unlearning' of traditional subcontractor behaviour to uccommodate a new outonornous
status by trade contractors.
3. The uncertainty about the role to be played by trade contractors' site managers in respect of the
construction managers.
4. The uncertainty of the trade contractors about their injluence over project decisions.
5. The uncertainty about the level of input from the client.

The research found that there was a dichotomy between trade contractors who may be described as
'traditional'and those who were 'specialist'. The latter showed a more positive approach to the new role and
status.
These differences influenced the outcome of the project and the research determines some forces that
'drive' or 'restrain' changes in the behaviour of trade contractors on construction management projects.
Keywords: Procurement methods, construction management, management of trade contractors

Introduction

This paper documents the organizational and personnel issues arising out of the
implementation of an innovative approach to managing one building project. The project
0144-6193190 $03.00+.12 0 1990 E. & F.N. Spon Ltd.
 386 Dodd and Lanylbrd

was managed using the construction management method where the client held all of the
construction contracts, with the construction manager advising the client on project strategy
and implementation. The construction manager identified which packages were to be
tendered for by the trade contractors. Key documents for trade contractors to be on were
prepared by the designers and the construction managers. Meetings were a crucial co-
ordinating mechanism to ensure that the work of different trade contractors was integrated
and conflicts of interest in terms of working space, common equipment, technical problems,
etc., were minimized. Innovative construction methods combined with a novel procurement
path demanded a high level of management information systems to be provided by the
construction manager. The MID focused upon the control of progress and the integration of
the technical aspects of integrating a wide range of trade contractors. This, of course,
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represents a fairly conventional construction management project but, to sum up, the project
organization had three main characteristics:

1. The involvement of the client. All parties involved in the design management, costing and
construction were organizationally and financially responsible to the client. The client's
representative on site fulfilled the role of overall project manager.
2. The arrangement of the trades. Figures 1 and 2 give a schematic illustration of the
organization. As stated above, all trades were directly responsible to the client. In addition,
each firm involved had its own internal hierarchy.

Fig. 1. The hierarchy within an organization.

However, the relationship between each firm on site is a matrix organization. No one firm
had any authority over any other firm. There was no main contractor or architect acting as
the client's representative. Each profession or trade had been hired to complete a task that
involved co-ordinating with all the other firms involved. The emphasis was therefore on
teamwork rather than hierarchical authority. The function of the construction managers was
not to replace the main contractor of the traditional approach, but to provide specialist
construction project management and co-ordination services.
3. Responsibility and liability. As any hierarchy between contractors had been removed
from the organization, a necessary parallel development was an increase in responsibility for
 Construction management: A case study
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Fig. 2. A matrix profile between trades. +, direction of responsibility.

the work produced by each firm in terms of project cost, time, and scheduling and quality.
One additional point that has implications for the findings of this research is that the work
was 'fast track' with extreme pressure placed on each firm for rapid completion of the work.

This paper is concerned with the consequences of this arrangement on the construction
managers and trade contractors. The aims of the research were three-fold:

1. To explore the organizational features of this project and determine what consequences
they have had for the effectiveness of the project.
2. To assess those forces encouraging the development of an appropriate style of
management for the project and to identify the forces that inhibit such development.
3. To provide feedback to those involved in the project and to highlight potential areas of
additional research and their applications.

Methodology

Limitations on time and money constrained this study to be only exploratory and the
research design could not therefore be piloted. To use the construction industry's own
terminology, the research process was 'fast track'. The objectives were identified but the
methodology was schematic and detail was refined as the research progressed. Any
conclusions are therefore tentative, phrased in terms of trends, tendencies and areas
 388 Dodd and Langford

requiring additional research. Two techniques were used, aimed at two levels of
organizational dynamics: the personnel involved with the project and the project
organization as a corporate entity.

Personnel
A short personality test, the FIRO-B, was used as a primary research instrument. This test
was considered appropriate for evaluating the quality of relationships between personnel. It
has the advantage of being short, and therefore requires a minimal time input from highly
pressurized members of the construction team. It works by breaking personality down into
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three relevant elements, namely inclusion, the need to be with people, control and affection.
Each of these is further divided into expressed and wanted behaviour. These elements are
useful because they give a clear indication of interpersonal conflict and compatibility. The
naive appearance of the question minimizes anxiety and defensive responses. Finally, the
design of the responses minimizes the possibility of faking. I t therefore provides quick, valid
and meaningful measures of behaviour, allowing considerable insight into interpersonal
dynamics (Ryan, 1977).

Organization
This is the context, or environment, individuals find themselves in. This is a potent force in
shaping actual responses. A semi-structured interview was used to extract the major
constraints and influences on these individuals. It was only loosely structured to allow a
degree of input to come from the respondents and allow the implementation of any
modifications that this input suggested could be appropriate. The framework was structured
enough to allow a comparison of results but also had a degree of flexibility to prevent useful
insights from being overlooked.

Interviews
These were only conducted with the construction managers' staffand a small sample of trade
contractors. The members were biased towards the construction management staff for two
reasons:

I . The interviews with the staff of the construction managers were necessary to provide an
overview of the project and give contextual information against the more specialized input
from trade contractors.
2. The programming of the fieldwork coincided with the push for practical completion and
therefore some interviews had to be omitted.

Both project and site managers were interviewed from the construction management
team. This balance was not possible with the trade contractors. However, those interviewed
from the latter category did cover all levels from director to operative, but not within the
same companies. A total of 27 people were interviewed.
Despite the limitations on this report, the information gained from all those interviewed is
illuminating and consistent.
 Construction management: A case study 389
Results

The results are divided into two main sections. The first is an account of the information
gained from the personality tests. The second covers those contextual issues emerging from
the interviews. The issues from both these sections will be drawn together in the Discussion.

Personnel issues
1 . Construction management team. As mentioned in the section on methodology, the
personnel were exposed to a short personality profile to ascertain the depth and quality of
relationships that were formed in the project. This was seen to reflect the existence of
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teamwork and compatibility of the personnel involved. The most notable feature of the
construction management (CM) was the similarity of the personality profiles of the majority
of the staff interviewed. There are individual differences and some of the exceptions are dealt
with later but, in the interests of confidentiality, essential for the successful completion of this
study, no individual will be named or their actual profile used. Instead, this group will be
represented by a stylized profile. This is as follows. Typically, the members of the CM team
had a profile as shown below:

-- --
Inclusion (I) Control (C) Affection (A)
-

Expressed behaviour (Ex) M H M

Wanted from others (Wa) L L M
M, moderate score; L, low score; H, high score.

As might be expected, a high score indicates either a high level of expressed or wanted
behaviour, a low score a low level of behaviour and a moderate score a moderate level of
behaviour. Briefly, the profile outlined above suggests a socially skilled individual who
actually prefers his own company: someone who needs a lot of responsibility, enjoys making
decisions and with a high need to achieve. It also indicates a warm person, capable of giving
and receiving affection without going to extremes, thus being able to tolerate affection and
hostility if necessary.
There are variations apparent in the inclusion dimension such as those outlined below:

The first suggests a loner who prefers to move away from others, and the second a socially
flexible individual content to be either in a group or alone. The one major variation in the
affection dimension was as follows:
 390 Dodd and Landord

This tends to suggest an extremely optimistic approach to affection, giving and wanting
initmacy from many people.
However, the most important dimension for consideration in this study is that of control.
The only major variation from that above within the construction manager's staff is as
follows:
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This indicates a 'democratic' individual who expects equal input from all those involved in
decision making, but also one capable of leadership if it proves necessary. One interesting
observation is that many of the trade contractors found this group most demanding.
This control dimension is useful in this context as it gives the most useful indication of
areas of conflict and compatibility (Schutz, 1966). The work of Hill (1977) is useful here,
particularly his discussion of compatibility. There are two kinds relevant here: the first is
'originator compatibility', which is concerned with the relationship between two individuals
and their attempts to, or need of, control; the second is 'interchange compatibility', which is
concerned with the general level of control felt necessary by individuals within any area.
Two people with a high expressed control score are extremely incompatible on the
originator compatibility scale, whereas they are compatible on the interchange compatibility
scale. This means they agree on the general level of control but would be personally involved
in a power struggle if working closely together. Environmental effects are important here.
The division of the project into separate areas of responsibility each given to different
individuals provides a subtle restraint on what would otherwise develop into overt conflict.
The one notable exception here was the cramped condition of the office staff. Additionally,
the existence of some individuals throughout this organization with a more 'democratic'
interpersonal style helps mediate potential conflict. This is because two such individuals are
extremely compatible on both scales, and one democrat with one high expressed control
retain compatibility on the interchange scale and are less incompatible on the originator
scale.
This suggests a subtle balance of individuals with excessive drive and those with a more
democratic approach. Combined, these indicate that conflict will be directed towards
productive ends, especially as all of those interviewed were in agreement about the necessary
level of overall site control.

2. Trade contractors. There is a greater variety of profiles within this group and it is
therefore necessary to concentrate on the central scores. There are three general profiles in
this dimension:

There are potential areas of interpersonal interaction with each of these profiles, which are
obviously mediated by environmental issues. The first profile would indicate a potential
 Construction management: A case study 39 1

power struggle with the majority of the construction managers. The second profile makes
this much less probable as the general style of the contractor will be 'if I can do it, I
will - meanwhile, stay off my back and let me show you what I can do' (Ryan, 1977).As they
are capable of and enjoy taking on responsibility, they will tend to operate much more on
their own. The third profile, that known as 'the rebel' profile (ibid.), is even less likely to
respond in a conflicting way, unless they are forced to d o something they disagree with
completely. In general, they will prefer to work in isolation and avoid excessive contact with
others.
All three profiles have their adaptive features for this type of project. What seems to be
important is a balance of approaches, but a more detailed exploration of personality can be
found in the discussion.
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Organizational issues
1 . 'Unlearning'. This concept is linked with the difficulty of innovation in an industry with
an extensive history. Two quotations from the CM staff give an indication of the day-to-day
implications of this concept:

The performance varies. Some act like normal subcontractors and look to us to act as the main
contractor . . . and we have sometimes.
Some of it is our fault, in letting them. Our site management is entrenched in the old ways.

Given the time pressure on this project and the number of trade packages within it, the
potential for conflict is high and, in tense, stressful times, old familiar patterns of behaviour
are likely to emerge.

2 . Ambiguity. This is closely connected with the last concept, for this is a direct
consequence of the construction management staff sometimes falling into traditional types of
behaviour, but at other times operating within the constraints of construction management.
This is related to the necessity for compromise. As well as using an innovative approach to
management, the aims of the project are also to produce a building on time, within budget
and of good quality. This is summed up by one of the CM's staff:'We have too many men on
site but it needs it at the moment. It's a question ofjudgement. We have ideals but we've still
got a job to do.' This compromise, however, has consequences for the trade contractors
because it means that intervention from the CM is unpredictable. This makes it difficult for
the trade contractors to stand on their own. In the words of one CM site manager:

The construction lot [the trade contractors] have been using us more than they should have and
it's difficult not to get involved, old habits die hard. . . . Eventually we'll let them stand on their
own.

Given the pressure on this project, any uncertainty is potentially damaging and must be
carefully monitored.

3. Traditional and specialist contractors: The d~fferences.This was a recurrent theme

throughout the interviews with the construction management staff and was also obvious
 392 Dodd and Lanyford

from the trade contractors' responses. The two following quotations highlight the
distinction:

Environmental services contractor

Our one fault, if you can call it that, was we were so determined we weren't hard enough on the
other trades, we gave a lot of input into solving problems.
Traditional trade contractor
1 have never been in great favour of managment contracting, it lets them off the hook. There are
instances where the management contractors do not manage.

These differences are related to the historical development of the trades. Consequently, not
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only are the specialist trades better equipped to respond to the construction management
approach, but the division and sequencing of the packages means they are getting more
education in managing the new approach. As all trades are necessary to the industry, it is
important that this gap is not allowed to grow too wide.

4. Client involvement and importance of individuals. Everyone interviewed mentioned how

instrumental the client had been in maintaining commitment to the project. The ways in
which he was important will be outlined later, but one quotation is useful here:

The CM's project manager, he's a one-off and the clients' project manager too. Without them it
would fall apart or at least slow down. . . . They keep the fire alive, it's from the top down.

However, it is not only the client and construction project manager who were considered
crucial. This centrality of individuals continued throughout the job: 'The chemistry of people
has been important. It's a selected situation with a lot of pressure and an attitude of mind that
enjoys the pressure.' (A 'selected situation' refers to the peculiarities of the project. It was
under a microscope to assay its political, commercial and organizational success.) And, from
one trade contractor: 'If we have one really good guy who leaves to go on holiday, you really
feel it.'
Connected with this is the response to pressure that can on occasion lead to collapse:
'Everyone cares, but some run out of caring. The pressure has caused some problems. The
CM takes the pressure off and nurses them back to health.' This suggests that the level of
stress on the project is excessive, and possibly some of the points discussed earlier, coupled,
for example, with an uncertainty about ability, put unreasonable pressures on some of the
trade contractors.

5. Site communication. This issue is central to all building contracts and has long been a
cause for concern. Given the speed of the work, effective communication is even more crucial.
One area notably free from criticism is the quality of the office-based administration. A major
feature in the success of this side of the operation is reflected in one comment from the CM:
'We set all the systems up before starting. It works out better than if you just deal with a
problem when it happens. We set them up in April before the rest of the team arrived in May.'
The question of construction organization will be returned to in the Discussion.
The client convened weekly meetings, which were called to discuss progress and the
integration of the trade contractors' work. These meetings provided an opportunity for new
directors of trade contractors to share problems that they were experiencing on the project.
 Construction management: A case study 393
These meetings, as a source of communication and understanding, were appreciated. In the
words of one trade contractor: 'We speak on the same level and can talk in confidence - there
are no minutes. It shows a level of trust.' And another: 'Some contractors were even worse off
than you, and the meetings helped you understand why. It was very interesting.' It was more
cynically phrased by yet another contractor:

They insist on directors' meetings every week with the managing director of every company on
site. It's clever. It's for you to put your problems on the table, not small ones, but the big ones
with long-term effects. So you want to have it cracked before you get there.

In addition to the formal arrangements, the informal gatherings were also considered
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important:

There's a drink and snacks do which gives you a chance to get to know people. You can ask
questions like "Can I borrow your forklift?"and they'll let you without charging. It's more co-
operative.

There were minor irritations, as is only to be expected on a job of this nature, but client ,and
construction management communication was one of the most positive features of this
project.
The level of co-ordination between trade contractor was not seen by the CM's staff to be of
the same standard, as comments in previous sections show, but the general response from
trade contractors indicates a responsiveness to the ideals of this side of construction
management. One last comment shows the degree of this response: 'We've learned a
lot - especially the meetings. That's how to manage meetings.'

6 . Documentation. The quality of the documentation provided to trade contractors also

gave cause for concern. Each trade contractor invited to tender for work was provided with
work package drawings and specifications. Beyond this, bidders were given information
concerning the linkages between their own work and other subcontractors, and this would
obviously indicate the extent and depth of communication that would have to be enjoined.
Finally, programmes that defined hand-over to the client of the trade contractors work
package were provided. This documentation, which included tender, pre-sits and
definitional information, was not as well received and gave considerable cause for concern for
all those interviewed. The site communication systems were well planned before work
commenced but the same level of structure and thought does not seem to be apparent at this
level. This is indicated in three comments from different trade contractors:

There were grey areas over the liaison with the electric people. . . . Initially, we got off to a bad
start. . . . We did a certain amount of sitting on the fence. When we realized it meant we had a
problem on site, we did something and started communicating.
You always find . . . that, however closely you look at things, at the areas between two
subcontractors, there is always a void - some areas aren't catered for.
I'd like a better identification of hand-over to the client. A joint commitment to a phased hand-
over and a clearer definition of when the work's complete.

These show that the major concern for the trade contractors is where their responsibilities
 394 Dodd und Lundord

begin and end. However, the concern of the CM's staff was over issues more central to each
package, namely quality control, cleaning up after completion of the package, detail design
time, etc. To enable this style of management to progress, this definition of responsibility is
vital.

7. Trade contractors'Jirms. This style of management is asking for a completely revised

outlook from those contracted to do the work. Therefore, working on this site is likely to
have consequences for the expectations and internal organization of the firms that have had
this experience. We have already mentioned the importance of the client to the success of the
project. The direct financial link between him and each firm has two associated effects. First,
it has made each firm feel more involved: 'Everybody was on the same level - we weren't
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treated as the lowly subcontractor like we usually are; they wanted changes and we put
forward suggestions.' Secondly, and fundamentally, the money arrived quickly - in direct
contrast to the experience of acting as a subcontractor on a traditionally run project. One
comment illustrates the importance of this: 'The financial side has been very good, which has
obviously helped and highlighted what we need to do. The predictable cash flow means we
can plan ahead.'
Several also made comments indicating some internal reorganization as a direct
consequence of working on this project: 'We have responded to the best of our ability but the
experience we have got here is leading to a restructuring of our company.' Not all of the firms
responded so positively. Many, especially the larger, more well-established firms, had no
doubts and reservations about change. However, this paper is not able to cover this in more
than cursory fashion.

Discussion

Before trying to draw the results into a theoretical framework, a brief discussion of their
implications in the context of the outline given in the Introduction is useful.

Organizational features
1 . Involvement of the client. The direct commitment of the client is one of the crucial
determinants of success. The regular meetings meant all trade contracting firms felt involved
and as though their work was equal to any other. It provided an overview of the project to
otherwise blinkered trades, giving an insight into others' problems. The regular and prompt
cash flow enhanced this general positive attitude. On the basis of this case study, it is difficult
to imagine this type of contact succeeding without the equivalent input of the client
concerned, particularly if the work is fast track.

2. Arrangements of the trades. This caused a levelling of responsibility that appeared as a

reduction of influence from the point of view of traditional trades and an increase in
involvement from the point of view of the specialist trades. The latter responded more
positively to the set-up, probably because of the direct benefits attributed to their
involvement. This dichotomy between the two types of trades needs further exploration to
ensure that, if this style of contact takes off, there are all types of firms able to meet the
demands.
 Construction management: A case study 395

3. Responsibility and liability. This is probably the least successful aspect within this case
study. The initial documentation, because of time pressures, and the CM's site management,
because of the need for high quality, have made this problematic. The increasing awareness of
the implication of the arrangement of contract will enable documentation improvements to
be made. However, it is this area of definition and structure that needs attention.

4. Theoreticalframework. This is a tentative attempt to draw all the issues discussed into a
coherent framework. However, the brief nature of this study means that for anything more
conclusive to be postulated more research is necessary. The areas missing will be outlined at
the end of this section. The concept that is most useful is the idea of 'management of conflict'.
This can be analysed at two separate but interrelated levels:
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1. interface between individuals, and

2. interfaces between contracts.

Conflict is an inherent feature of all organizations: 'Conflict is frequently an inevitable by-

product of organisational aspects, those same organisational aspects contributing signifi-
cantly to the accomplishment of project requirements' (Griffiths, 1984). The interfaces where
conflict appear are often the most creative and productive areas of an organization. It is with
this realization that the concept of 'management' of conflict rather than 'resolution' of
conflict is used.
The issues outlined in the Results indicate that there are two alternative approaches to this
management: either a totally reactive or 'panic' style can be used, which involves responding
to things as they occur and is most frequently found in innovative organizations, or structures
can be built into the original organization which, without robbing an organization of its
Jlexibility, show an understanding of the potential problems and a distribution of resources
designed to alleviate them before they have a chance to appear. Both styles appear to be
operating within this project. An example will illustrate this clearly.
The communication system has both elements. The administrative systems and client
meetings show an inherent level of structure that allows all the necessary changes to occur
within a controlled environment. The resources are there to meet things as they arise.
However, the definitions and documentation of responsibilities did not have this same level
of control and, therefore, misunderstandings have to have special arrangements brought in
to deal with them. One particular example of this is the cleaning up after each package.
This approach has obviously worked but is not efficient in practical or in human terms.
Constant reaction causes unpredictability and stress.

The concept of interface

If Fig. 1 is referred to, it can be seen that one of the most notable features of this organization
is the number of boundaries or interfaces between individuals and firms. When a large
number of organizations and individuals are co-ordinated into one large project, there is
potential conflict within the hierarchies in each firm, between each separate firm and between
the contractor and the overall project. As long as things are going well, the contractors will all
aim in the same direction, as a successful completion of the job means a success for the
company. However, if there are problems, which there inevitably will be, it is at these
interfaces that the problems will be expressed. If it is accepted that a degree of structure in an
 396 Dodd and Landord

organization such as this increases efficiency, then the ability to predict the areas and types of
potential conflict will allow a more structured deployment of manpower and resources. To
illustrate this more clearly, some examples of conflict between individuals and between
companies will be used.

Conflict between individuals

People are the main resources on this project and an understanding of interpersonal
dynamics is therefore essential. The two main influences on this are personality and
environment. It is possible to 'engineer out' a lot of potential conflict between individuals by
manipulative selection procedures. This will also remove a lot of the essential creative tension
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between individuals, and is therefore not a viable option. Alternatively, an understanding of

the potential sources of conflict and the environmental constraints on this will allow some
pre-emptive action.
For example, the majority of the CM's staff have an extremely high expressed control
score. Ifa trade contractor's representative has an equivalent score, there is a potential power
struggle. However, as has already been indicated, there is a difference between traditional
and specialist services. This power struggle is likely to escalate with a traditional contractor
who is used to overall management, because they will be experiencing a reduction in
authority. However, the specialist contractor's representative has more responsibility than
he has ever had on any other contract and is not likely to be antagonistic. Instead, as he will
be 'interchange compatible' with the CM's staff, there is likely to be a great deal of mutual
understanding and respect.
It has been stated previously that the balance of dominant and democratic individuals
within the CM team, coupled with a clear definition of responsibility, has directed conflict in
a productive manner. This same balance is important for the differing trade contractors. If,
for example, members of a group all have a 'rebel' profile, there will be a tendency for each to
operate in isolation. Alternatively, 'democrats' will all want a great deal of discussion. A
balance of all these traits will encourage effective teamwork.
One additional point that must be made in this context is the effects of unpredictability. As
it has been stated before, the CM's staff have clear areas of responsibility and this helps deflect
a lot of confrontation. The trade contractors have experienced some unpredictability both in
the documentation provided and the level of the CM's intervention. This is likely to cause a
variety of avoidance techniques that could be used to signal problems if recognized promptly.

Conflict between contract interfaces

The personal conflicts outlined above are important and their successful management can
greatly enhance the running of the job. However, the organizational issues and their
interactions with individuals are equally important. The issue of boundaries between trades
was the most pressing concern of all those interviewed. This was expressed in terms of
communication, contractual definitions, oversights between packages, level of site
management, pre-selection interviews, and so on. All of these have been seen as a source of
problems and as a solution. It is here that the distinction between reaction and structure is
most salient. In some instances, the features listed above have been employed as a response to
problems as they have occurred, the level of site management being a good example. In other
instances, they have been an inherent feature that has helped ease the project, such as the
 Construction management: A case study 397

communication system on site. Some have been used in both ways. For example, grey areas
between contracts have produced a change in definitions that has later fed into the
management structure.
This study indicates that the majority of work, time and energy goes into organizing these
boundaries. With the insight gained from completing a project of this nature, a more
structured approach to managing tension is feasible. On this project, structure could have
been improved by:

tightening up the contractual definitions,

clarifying areas of responsibility, and
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developing teams geared to resolving any problems that still occur with a fixed price for
conflict resolution chargeable to the trade contractor.

As feedback from this project and the benefits of practice percolate through the industry,
the current level of ambiguity and unpredictability can be minimized. This will lead to an
increase in efficiency and a reduction in stress.

Conclusions

The main conclusion is the importance of feedback to the extension of the viability of this
type of construction management. However, a division of issues into those which drive and
those which restrain changes in the management of large construction projects would be
useful. The research suggests the following catalogue.

Restraining forces
1. The long history behind current practices.
2. An uncontrolled dichotomy of involvement in construction management between
traditional and specialist firms, leaving the former without practice or education in this
approach.
3. The continued high level of stress if totally reactive styles ofmanagement are not mediated
by a greater degree of structure. This is particularly important at the level of
documentation and contract in interface.
4. Lack of financial incentive to trade contractors' staff.

Driving forces
1. The increased commitment from the client in communication and financial terms.
2. The positive response from trade contractors, because of (I), is reorganizing their internal
structure to meet the demands of construction management.
3. The extension of systems, equivalent to the site communication system already in use, to
other areas of contract communication.
4. The investment, in terms of understanding interpersonal dynamics, of the main resources
of this industry, i.e. people.
 398 Dodd und Lunyford

Areas of additional research

One of the major implications of this research was to provide feedback into the project
organization. A study of all levels of personnel o n site, and the inclusion of the design team,
would considerably extend its applications as a monitoring and feedback exercise.
Another feature, touched upon in this report, which could have future implications on the
use of construction management, is the internal organization of the trade contractors' firms.
Information about trade contractors' responses to the construction management approach
and any consequent changes would give a more complete picture of the potential
developments of this style of management.
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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution made by M r I. McPherson, the
Project Manager for the Construction Managers, in the preparation of this paper.

References

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Managing Construction CIB W-65, 4th Int. Symposium on Organization and Management of
Construction, Canada.
Hill, R.E. (1977) Managing interpersonal conflict in project teams. Sloan Managemerlt Review 18,
45-62.
Ryan, L.R. (1977) Clinical Interpretation of the FIRO-B. Consulting Psychologists Press.
Schutz, W.C. (1966) The Interpersonal Underworld. Science and Behaviour Books.