Reactive management: Communication and behavioural issues in dealing with the occurrence of client risks

This paper describes a research project which is investigating the process by which construction project organizations deal with unexpected problems. It is against this background of increasing uncertainty and complexity in the building production process that this research is taking place. The research strategy employs the technique of communication network analysis (CNA) as its main analytical tool to investigate the communication and behavioural issues associated with this process. CNA is a technique which has been used widely in many fields such as anthropology, psychology, communications, social sciences, electronics, behavioural sciences and biology, but its potential in construction management research has yet to be explored. A case study is used to demonstrate the application of CNA to the investigation of problem-solving processes in construction projects. Some suggestions are made which could improve a project’s ability to deal with unexpected problems.