Abstract:
Construction dispute must be properly managed or else it will mar projects
success by its negative impacts. The challenge in managing construction dis pute aggravates by virtue of the diversity in the background of people who
come together to deliver projects during procurement process. People could
have distinct personality traits which come to bare in the course of interac tions. While some traits in individuals enhance dispute management, others
complicate and prolong the dispute management process. Of recent, it has
been found that dispute increasingly takes longer time to resolve. One area
that can bring improvement is a proactive approach in dispute management.
The knowledge of the dominant traits among construction disputants will
enhance proactive management. The purpose of this research therefore is to
enhance proactive dispute management by determining the dominant perso nality traits in construction teams that could explain difficulty in dispute
management. Seven personality traits were identified and a questionnaire
administered through stratified random sampling process among clients,
consultants and contractors teams. The research computed the mean values
and used t distribution to test the level of significance of identified traits
among—the client, consultants and contraction teams. The results of the
analyses found that there are distinct traits among the teams. Clients are do minating during dispute, the consultants are obliging and integrating, while
contractors avoid dispute situations. The clients and contractors’ traits are
unhealthy to dispute management. However, all parties are found to have a
common tendency to compromise during dispute situation. Knowledge of
this will enable better planning as well as strategies developed for enhanced
dispute management. In dispute management, strategy should focus on aspects that can cause a compromising stance among disputants while putting
into cognizance the unique traits, characteristics or behavior of each team
during dispute. Research should avail those aspects that add value to quick compromise among stakeholders during construction dispute.
