The Impact of Supervisors’ Interpersonal Skills on Construction Work Teams Performance in Nigeria

Abstract

The need to develop effective work team in construction organization necessitated this research. The study aims at highlighting the influence construction supervisors’ inter personal skills have on the development of effective work teams in construction organizations. The method of study was by exploratory cross-sectional survey of medium to large scale construction firms located in the five South-eastern states of Nigeria. The population of study involved 101 supervisors, from which a sample size of 80 was selected using Proportionate Stratified Random Sampling (PSRS) technique. Primary data were obtained using personal interview and structured questionnaire. Data obtained were presented, analyzed, and interpreted using the z-test hypothesis testing technique. The study revealed among others, a strong positive relationship between construction supervisors’ interpersonal skills and team members performance, increased participation in group tasks, achievement of better industrial relations among team members, and identification/solution of group task related problems. From the study, it was revealed that the apparent low morale and dysfunctional working conditions of team members in most construction organization result from a lack of interpersonal skills among their supervisors. It is recommended that the team leaders possess interpersonal skills aside from technical, analytical, and conceptual skills in order to build cohesive work teams for improved performance in the construction industry.