Purpose
This paper aims to extend the extant knowledge on virtual teams by examining the challenges of virtual project teams in organisations in Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Totally, 20 interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed. Validity and reliability were achieved by first assessing the plausibility in terms of already existing knowledge on some of the virtual project team issues identified by participants.
Findings
The findings from this study confirmed the growing relevance of virtual project teams in highly competitive global business environments. It emerged that some of the challenges identified in the study had some level of congruence with those previously identified from similar studies from other geographical locations. The findings also suggested that challenges in virtual project teams can be linked to the organisation, the project team and the virtual environment or even a combination of all.
Practical implications
The present study corroborates the position that managing virtual project teams requires additional efforts to attain their objectives through effective communications and the adoption of appropriate technology.
Originality/value
The originality of this study lies in its exploration of virtual project team challenges in a sub-Saharan Africa country (Nigeria). By identifying the challenges associated with virtual project teams, stakeholders will be better able to successfully establish and manage virtual project teams better.
There is an unambiguous relationship between development and the successful execution of projects as well as societal wellbeing. This paper examined the concept of project failure. The rationale was to identify the main factors responsible for project failure and suggest strategies aimed at curbing project failure and facilitating development in the future. Data was obtained from a focus group comprising of eight project management practitioners in Nigeria. The results were recorded, transcribed and entered into the qualitative research software NVivo. Validity and reliability were achieved by first assessing the plausibility in terms of already existing knowledge on some of the issues raised by the focus group participants. The emerging key issues suggested that project failure may be contingent on several factors but established based on consensus that corruption and lack of professionalism were among the main causes of project failure in Nigeria. The main results were further synthesised into action points which included: the need for an introduction of governance mechanism to incorporate processes standard guidelines that supports projects to achieve their objectives, enshrining punitive actions against erring project stakeholders who engage in corrupt and unethical practices.
Accomplishing sustainability-related targets in construction projects is progressively becoming popular. While some stakeholders generally recognize it as important, there are others with differing opinions. This article reports the results of an exploratory study involving interviews with 25 senior project managers from the construction industry who are involved in sustainability in some way. The main findings suggest that holistic sustainability practices and initiatives during the life cycles of projects in the construction industry have not been fully embraced. Although all interviews were carried out in Nigeria, the results may be applicable or interesting to other countries as well.
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