Abstract
The construction industry in South Africa plays a significant role in the country's economy. Numerous studies have found that the construction industry has a substantial impact on the country’s GDP, employment, the revenue of the government and private investments. Because of the industry's evident importance to other sectors of the economy, various stakeholders take part both in the start and the completion of construction projects. However, the interests of these stakeholders vary, and as a result, they must be managed accordingly. Managing these disparate interests can often lead to relational conflicts, subsequently affecting the construction project delivery. Progress on a typical construction project is influenced by the effectiveness of the relationships among key stakeholders. However, if this relationship is damaged, it may result in conflicts, which typically result in litigation or even cause the project to be delivered late. Managing conflicts should become a part of the "normal" project management during project operation because disputes are common in construction projects and must be resolved immediately on site. The number of claims and conflicts continues to rise in the construction industry, the construction sector struggles to find equitable and cost-effective solutions. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to overview the types of relational conflicts and the factors that cause relational conflicts in construction projects. Furthermore, this study examines the effect of relational conflicts on construction project delivery and lastly, this study identifies ways in which the relational conflicts can be mitigated. The data for this study was sourced from both primary and secondary research. Secondary data was gathered through an in-depth review of relevant literature. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire distributed to construction professionals in Johannesburg. Out of 387 questionnaires sent out, 150 were returned. Research data was analysed using descriptive statistics, mean item score, a non-parametric test and exploratory factor analysis. To ensure the reliability of the survey, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated. The findings revealed communication conflicts, power/authority conflicts, conflict of interest, fact conflicts, pseudo conflicts, ego conflicts, value conflicts, policy conflicts and meta conflicts as the types of relational conflicts among the construction stakeholders in construction projects. The findings also revealed conflicting aims and objectives, attitude/personality traits, slow response, delay in interim payments, unrealistic client expectations, budget overrun, unpaid invoices, inadequate communication among stakeholders, competing stakeholder priorities and priorities and changes to project scope as the top 10 factors that cause relational conflicts in construction projects. Furthermore,
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the findings of this study revealed increased schedule, communication problems, cost overruns, trust issues among stakeholders, staff turnover, decreased team morale, low productivity, reduced cooperation among project stakeholders, lowered decisions, reduced commitment to tasks and project sponsorship problems as the effect of relational conflicts on project delivery. Lastly, the findings of this study revealed trust building, negotiation, effective communication, mediation, stakeholder collaboration, arbitration, litigation, avoiding, smoothing and confronting as the top 10 ways in which relational conflicts can be mitigated. . The study concluded that there are 7 types of relational conflicts in construction project delivery, namely; communication conflicts, power/authority conflicts, conflict of interest, fact conflicts, pseudo conflicts, ego conflicts, value conflicts, policy conflicts and meta conflicts. Furthermore, the study concluded that the top factors that cause relational conflicts construction project delivery are adverse weather conditions, inappropriate project schedules, budget overrun, inadequate communication among project stakeholders and slow response. The study further concluded that the top effects of relational conflicts in construction project delivery are staff turnover, lowered decision quality and project sponsorship problems. And lasty, this study concluded that ways to manage relational conflicts in construction project delivery are negotiation, forcing and confronting. The study recommends clear communication channels and a collaborative environment to combat relational conflicts in construction project delivery. Furthermore, it also recommends that conflict resolution mechanisms should be developed to address relational conflicts.