Formal and informal communication in a project organisation: The case of a large construction project

Paper in proceeding, 2006

In larger projects, where large numbers of project participants are involved, it is important to have a well functioning project organisation. The more complex a project is the more planning and control is needed. The study presented in this paper investigates an installation company’s formal and informal communication when constructing a new power plant for district heating, in Göteborg, Sweden. This is done in order to understand the informal communication and its effect on the project organisation. Literature reviews and interviews with managers involved in the project have been done. The results of the study indicate that the actual organisational structure differs from the planned structure in terms of communication paths. Actors involved, tend to contact each other beside the formal chain of order. A well functioning project team with established informal communication paths might be a possibility to achieve success in projects.