Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of virtual team in Nigerian construction industry

Abstract

The rationale behind any construction project varies; it might be to achieve value, time, quality, cost or just satisfaction for the client. Irrespective of any or all of these reasons, the team members involved in conception, inception, construction and delivery of a project are aware that a good teamwork is of essence. This is in the context of growing needs of client and the ever-growing improvement in methods of project delivery as influenced by technology. This article looks into the team type in the Nigerian construction industry from the angle of a virtual team (VT) using the mixed-method research design. VT is simply a type of team wherein the members operate from different geographical regions and function majorly with the aid of information and communications technology media. Data for the study were collected from relevant literature, interviews were conducted with 20 selected professionals in the construction industry and, thereafter, a questionnaire was drafted from the results of the interviews and administered to selected relevant professionals. The study revealed that communication among team members, flexibility of operation and decision making are usually the most influencing strengths of the VT, while some of its weaknesses are a need for special training, conflict among team members and client’s acceptance of team type. Reduction in time-to-market, collaboration ability of team members and delivery time of project were seen as opportunities, while recognized threats were members’ performance level and complexity of technical application. The study concludes that the success of the VT depends highly on exploiting the opportunities opened to it.

Working separately but together: appraising virtual project team challenges

“…Finally, at a simplistic level, virtual teams are basically teams wherein the members operate from different geographical regions and function majorly with the aid of information and communications technology media. Odubiyi and Oke (2016) observed that Nigeria mainly uses the traditional team type (face-to-face team).…”

Bridging the Gap between Academic and Practice Quantity Surveying in Nigerian Construction Industry

“…For instance, technology has effect on clients need and project delivery method (Odubiyi and Oke, 2016;Usman, 2012). Hence, construction professionals should be more flexible and open to new innovation by technology (Odubiyi and Oke, 2016). This is to meet up with the present age of globalization.…”

Leadership in Virtual Organizations: Influence on Workplace Engagement

“…Nigeria, as in other countries, primarily uses the traditional team type (face-to-face team) in construction works and that research about virtual teams is still in its nascent stages. Odubiyi and Oke (2016) found that communication among team members leading to flexibility of operation and decisionmaking was a key strength of virtual teams. The authors also found weaknesses among virtual teams.…”