Impact of project participants' competition on project performance

Abstract

The use of competition as a conflict-handling style aimed at win-lose end results has been highlighted by some researchers to be common during project execution. However, the impact of such competition on project performance remains largely under-researched. This article seeks to address this gap in the existing literature. A system dynamics simulation model of competition between two key project participants (client and engineering consultant) was formulated through a mixed methods research methodology incorporating the system dynamics approach. Data gathered for two sets of unique projects were used separately to conduct model calibrations, simulation experiments, and impact analyses. The results suggested that the competition negatively influenced project performance.

Translated abstract

Sommige navorsers het die gebruik van mededinging, as 'n styl van hantering van konflik wat gemik is op wen-verloor as eindresultaat, uitgewys as redelik algemeen tydens die uitvoering van 'n projek. Die impak van sodanige kompetisie op projekprestasie is egter min nagevors. Hierdie artikel poog om die gaping in die bestaande literatuur aan te spreek. 'n Stelseldinamika-simulasiemodel van mededinging tussen twee belangrike projekdeelnemers (kliënt en ingenieur-konsultant) is geformuleer deur middel van navorsingsmetodologie wat gemengde metodes en die stelseldinamiekbenadering insluit. Data wat vir twee stelle unieke projekte ingesamel is, is gebruik om modelkalibrasies, simulasie-eksperimente en impakanalises afsonderlik uit te voer. Die resultate hiervan impliseer dat die kompetisie die projekprestasie negatief beïnvloed het.