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

Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2006

In big and complex projects, where large numbers of project participants are involved, it is important to have a well functioning organisational structure. 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. Interviews with managers involved in the project have been done as well a review of literature in the field of communication within an organisation. The results of the study indicate that the actual communication pattern differs from the planned structure. Actors involved, tend to contact each other outside the formal chain of order. The issue addressed in this paper concern how project teams with established informal communication paths might be a possibility to achieve success in projects.