The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Communication in Project Management in Nigeria
Chapter One
Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of the study is to examine the impact of communication on project t management. The specific objectives are:
- To evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on employees advocacy in project management in Nigeria.
- To examine the interaction between the COVID-19 pandemic and track engagement in project management in Nigeria
- To investigate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on response and feedback in project management in Nigeria
- To establish the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the combined dimensions of communication in project management in Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Project management is a fast expanding focus field of study in several businesses, firms, operations, supply chain and logistics ventures; notwithstanding, one of the big hurdles is finding an efficient method of operations and maintenance and sustained project management (Koivula, 2009). Projects have always been the main consideration in any entity, whether publicly owned or private, one of the indicators that everybody in their field of work comes into contact with various projects, either explicitly or implicitly (Alatalo, 2021). Projects are transient organisations, and that the project team is tasked with meeting the objectives of the projects until it is expired or when the project actually ends. Zulch (2014) presents the notion that each specific project proposes establishing an end result and that the objectives must be achieved by individuals, at various costs, within some strict deadlines, and under certain conditions. As a result, projects can be regarded as the organisation of various resources, such as human beings, to achieve a particular result with a specified start and end date; conversely, projects remain in the organisation indefinitely. According to Project Management Institute (2004), project management is defined as a venture with a particular goal and time constraints.
Communication is so critical to project management that studies have described it as the project’s cornerstone (Konstantinidou, 2020). To ensure a successful outcome, project stakeholders interact, collaborate, connect, analyse, and consolidate knowledge and information. As a result, it is essential to recognise the communication process in project management. Communication is composed of three parts: a transmitter, an interaction medium, and a receiver (Stanton, 2004). The communicated message streams from the sender and is encoded by a conversational transmission medium/channel. The recipient processes the information using a communicative process. To guarantee the ability to communicate effectively, all elements must work together to avoid misunderstandings. The sender initiates the reflective cycle and has a reason for communicating (Cornelissen, 2011). Communication in project management could occur due to a request for clarification, the transmission of knowledge, the asking of answers, the delivery of instructions, the creation of teamwork, or individuals’ social networks. Communication effectiveness is primarily determined by the sender’s ability to communicate, begin writing, rationale, and communicate proficiently. Interventions are suggested to create information exchange when responses are nonexistent, postponed, or not imminent (Henderson, 2008). Project managers must continuously review and evaluate the progress of their information exchange tools and procedures during execution in order to form a foundation for future analyses. As a result, the information receiver should affirm that he or she understands the information because interaction cannot be potent without comprehending. This is also true for project management (Katalin et al., 2011.
Poor communication can thus lead to misunderstandings in project management. Inadequately defined responsibilities and key activities, as well as vagueness about duties, extent, or priorities of project execution, can all lead to project failure (Santos, 2015). Project management necessitates continuous exchange and modification of notions, clarifying the possibilities and strategies of the project to multiple stakeholders (the populace, managerial staff, different departments, and other participants), affecting or negotiating with suppliers and distributors, or bargaining to resolve conflicts or social conflicts among project participants or other interested parties.
While the role of communication cannot be overemphasised, the impact of environmental factors (political, economic, social, economic, cultural, technological, and natural phenomenon) has engendered a lot of discussions in the existing literature. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every industry, sparing no one and altering society’s interactions, participating in social activities, and operating (Williams, 2020). Several entities have transitioned to teleworking or remote working, while other individuals have been laid off for extended periods. The effect of COVID-19 on operational processes has been disastrous for the management team. The dependence on working remotely has hampered the sustainability initiatives that are commonly seen in a conventional competitive atmosphere (Walker, 2020). Supply chain operations have been severely disrupted due to shutdowns and boundary shutdowns, and the vulnerability of running an enterprise and managing projects has increased dramatically. Nevertheless, project management is the key to increasing the capacity for several industries in a global economy beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The kernel of this study is to examine the effect of communication on project management during the COVI9 pandemic period
CHAPTER THREE
Research Design
The descriptive survey research design would be employed in this study. The descriptive survey research attempts to characterise a community, condition, or phenomenon comprehensively and reliably. It will aid in providing the answers to the questions of what and how of corporate social responsibility and community development (Gall, Gall, & Borg, 2007). The descriptive survey research design would also facilitate and enhance the evaluation of one or more variables using various research methods (Myers 2008). It will also aid the use of observation and survey instruments in collecting data (Collins, 2010) to reveal the extent to which corporate social responsibility influences community development. Researchers with similar objectives (Mitra, 2020; Gomez, 2020; Ervit, 2021) adopted the descriptive survey research design, which influences this research design in this study.
Research Philosophy
The study adopts the ontology philosophical approach. Ontology is premised on the belief that fact can only be fully comprehended by subjective interpretation and intrusion into the issue investigated (Sauders et al., 2012). This research paradigm will aid in the comprehension of the phenomenon at hand (how COVID-19 affects communication in project management). Crotty (1998) emphasises that the Ontology philosophical approach offers true explanations that show why phenomena occur and how such phenomena can be better interpreted and that these explanations are part of the empirical knowledge provided.
Research Paradigm
The positivism philosophy would be adopted in this study. The observations and procedures used to gather quantitative information are most closely connected with the positivism paradigm (Littlejohn & Foss, 2009). Various scholars have employed this method in arriving at deductions, testing causality and the effect on one phenomenon on the other(Myers, 2008). This paradigm will also guide the researcher to consider existing beliefs in explaining the research issue at hand. It also assists in distinguishing between speculative and objective philosophical problems while providing the premise to reject or accept a philosophy (Collins, 2010). Similar studies have also used this philosophy to concentrate on the facts and figures related to the research issue. This philosophical approach allows for a better understanding of complex management or business circumstances
Population And Sample Of The Study
The Lagos State public service used as the theatre of study. According to Egbejule (2020), Lagos state is the seventh-largest economy in Africa and that the public service in Lagos state is one of the most efficient in Nigeria. The total population of workers in the lagos state public service as at 2020 is 100 433 (Ugbodaga, 2020). Utilising the raosoft sample size estimator at 95% confidence level and 2.5 % margin of error, the estimated sample size is 1495. Based on the opinion of Hair, Anderson, Tatham & Black (2010), a sample size of 300 would be purposely selected from the 1495 and considered sufficient enough for this study. According to them, a sample size ≥ of 300 is adequate to reduce sampling error components so that small differences are regarded as statistically significant. The primary source of data employed by distributing questionnaires to the Lagos State Public Service employees.
References
- Alatalo, (2012). Communication Strategy in Projects – High Technology Sector ViewpointMaster’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Competence. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/38066338.pdf
- Cornelissen, J.. (2011) Corporate Communication: A Guide to Theory and Practice. 3rd Edition. London, SAGE Publications Ltd
- George, D., and Mallery, P., 2003. SPSS for windows step by step a simple guide and reference. 11.0 Update (4th ed.).
- Henderson, L. (2008). The impact of project manager “s communication competencies: Validation and extension of a research model for vertuality, satisfaction and productivity on project teams. Journal of Project Management, 39 (2), 48-59.
- Katalin, P., Bela, P, & Zoltan, S. (2011). A comparative analysis of stakeholders and role theories in project management and change management. International Journal of Management, 13(4), 252-260.
- Koivula, J. (2020). Succeeding in Project Communication – Effective Tools for the Purposes of Change Management. Case Company: VR Ltd. – Passenger Services. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/37995566.pdf
- Konstantinidou, L. (2020). Effects of emotions in journalism due to the Coronavirus Era. Master’s Thesis in Media and Communication Studies. Malmo University.
- Mugena, O. M and Mugena, A. G.. (2020). Research Methods: Qualitative and quantitative approach. Act Press. Nairobi.
- Muller, R & Klein, G. (2020). The COVID-19 Pandemic and Project Management Research. Project Management Journal 51(6):1-3. DOI: 10.1177/8756972820963316
- Nyathi, M., Taylor, S. & Porches, C. G. (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 on Project Managers in the Construction Industry.COVID-19: Leadership and Organisational BehaviourImpact of COVID-19 on the World of Work, Education, and Women. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.30407.11686
- Ozguler, I. S. (2020). Project Management After Covid-19. PM World Journal, 9(5), 1-20
- Russell, C., Gregory, D., Ploeg, J., DiCenso, A. & Guyatt, G. (2005). Qualitative research. In DiCenso, A. Guyatt, G. & Ciliska, D. (Eds.). Evidence-based nursing: A guide to clinical practice. St. Louis: Elsevier Mosby. 120–135.
- Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A., 2015. Understanding research philosophy and approaches to theory development. Pearson Education. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309102603_Understanding_research_philosophies_and_approaches
- Sonta, E. (2015). Project Management as Communications Management. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313108860_Project_Management_as_Communications_Management
