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Figure 7.2 E-site project - elaborated and tested information exchange with and at
the
construction site
should be able to contact not only the site engineer, but also the other partners,
including designers, planning engineers, R&D specialists, the supplies department,
and so on, according to the nature of the problem.
Based on our interpersonal communication research findings, an interactive
personal communication network is proposed, as described in Section 7.3, to
effectively combine information, experience, and competence for the purpose of
solving specific problems caused by unanticipated events.
7.2.2 Impact on organization
As identified in the E-site project, informal communication plays an important role
in the construction process, especially when handling unanticipated events and
solving critical problems. Communication occurs spontaneously, almost every-
where and has a large impact on work processes and task outcomes. Sometimes this
impact can be even greater than that of formal communication (Johansson
and Torlind, 2004). Even collaboration itself is less likely to start and becomes
less productive if informal (direct and open) communication does not occur
(Kraut et al., 1990).
In the existing project, organizational structures and the chain of command or
information gathering are inherently hierarchical. The hierarchical
status
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