Project Management Communication Strategies To Engage
Stakeholders And Improve Project Performance
Section 1: Foundation of the Study
Communication management in project delivery is a proactive
endeavor by project managers to manage the expectations and requirements
of all stakeholders (Rajhans, 2018). Most projects have stakeholders who
might vary in their communication requirements, which significantly
influences project performance. Effective communication with stakeholders
is essential for successfully delivering any project (Badewi, 2016; Rajhans,
2018). Researchers have demonstrated that cultural differences, trust,
geographic distance, and stakeholder expectations significantly affect
communication management (Muszyńska, 2018). Effective communication
management creates a culture that promotes trust between the project
manager and the stakeholders, encourages stakeholder participation in
project decision making, and improves project performance (Amiri et al.,
2022; Shakeri & Khalilzadek, 2020).
Project managers could improve project performance by using
effective communication strategies to engage stakeholders (Lauren, 2018;
Singh & Jankovitz, 2018). Conversely, if project managers fail to adopt
effective communication strategies or apply incomplete or ineffective
communication with the stakeholders, it could lead to project failures
(Storey et al., 2017). Effective communication management is a strategic
tool for managing stakeholders and their varied requirements (Rajhans,
2018; Williams, 2017). The current study addressed communication
strategies project managers use to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance.
Background of the Problem
Inadequate communication with stakeholders in a project can lead to
the failure of the project (Biganeh & Young, 2021). Therefore, project
managers’ identification of the respective causes of project failures is
essential for improving project performance (Kiselev et al., 2020). Some
completed projects do not meet stakeholder expectations because of
inadequate communication to establish their requirements (Eyiah-Botwe et
al., 2016). A project classified as successful by a project manager may be
seen as a failed project by the stakeholders because the completed projects
may not have met their expectations. The disparity between the project
managers' and project stakeholders’ definitions of a successful project could
be due to inadequate communication and inappropriate communication
strategies, leading to project failures (Badewi, 2016). Project managers must
communicate with stakeholders to understand their expectations, address
issues that may arise, manage conflicting interests, and promote
stakeholders’ commitment to improving project performance (Riahi, 2017).
Knowledge of stakeholder expectations for a project is vital for improving
project performance. Project managers could establish stakeholder
expectations by applying appropriate communication strategies (Rajhans,
2018). Therefore, researchers should identify communication strategies
project managers could use to engage stakeholders and facilitate successful
project performance (Rosato, 2018; Shahzad et al., 2017).
Problem Statement
In many organizations, project managers’ ineffective stakeholder
communication strategies have led to unsuccessful project performance
(Gupta et al., 2019; Majeed et al., 2021). Despite several decades of a
consistent reduction in project failure rates, research showed that 5% to 42%
of projects still fail (Rosato, 2018). The general business problem was that
some projects failed in the Nigerian oil and gas industry due to project
managers’ lack of communication skills to engage stakeholders and improve
project delivery and performance. The specific business problem was that
some project managers in Nigerian oil and gas companies lack
communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the
communication strategies some project managers use to engage stakeholders
and improve project performance. The target population consisted of five
project managers selected from a Nigerian oil and gas company who had
used effective communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve
project performance. The implications for social change include the potential
to improve provisions of social amenities, educational empowerment
through university scholarship awards, and small-scale enterprises funding
by organizations in the Nigerian oil and gas industry that may become more
profitable through improved project performance.
Nature of the Study
Research methods available to researchers include qualitative,
quantitative, and mixed methods (Akimowicz et al., 2018; Zoellner &
Harris, 2017). The selected approach for the current study was the
qualitative method. Researchers use the qualitative method to explore the
how, what, and why rather than explain a phenomenon or outcome
(Rymaszewska et al., 2017; Yin, 2018). Qualitative researchers use open-
ended questions to explore the research problem (Saunders et al., 2016).
Researchers also apply qualitative methods to explore, capture, and
communicate underlying trends, patterns, and relationships of untapped
areas of a topic (Albers, 2017). The qualitative method was appropriate for
the current study because it provided in-depth information for probing the
untapped areas of the research topic.
Quantitative researchers use closed-ended questions to empirically test
stated hypotheses about variables and relationships (Makrakis & Kostoulas-
Makrakis, 2016). I did not select the quantitative method because it entails
using closed-ended questions, preconstructed standardized instruments, and
precise measurements that were not the objectives of the current study. The
mixed-methods approach combines qualitative and quantitative methods in a
single study (Almeida, 2018). A researcher uses a combination of qualitative
and quantitative data collection and analysis to enrich the study findings
(Bester et al., 2017). I did not select a mixed-methods approach because the
focus of my study was not to test stated hypotheses about variables and
relationships.
Qualitative designs include phenomenological, ethnographic, and case
study (Castleberry & Nolen, 2018). I selected the single case study design
over the ethnographic and phenomenological designs for the current study.
The case study approach is the best design for conducting an in-depth and
detailed investigation of a single incident, circumstance, or individual over a
period (Yin, 2018). Furthermore, the single case study research design is
optimal for contemporary studies, exploratory studies, and obtaining a
holistic and real-world perspective by collecting data from multiple sources
(Yin, 2018). The single case study design was appropriate for establishing a
robust understanding of communication strategies project managers in the
Nigerian oil and gas industry use to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance.
In contrast, researchers apply the ethnographic design to study a
group’s culture (Atkinson & Morriss, 2017; Saunders et al., 2016; Taylor-
Hyde, 2017). I did not select the ethnographic design because the research
focus was not on shared patterns of behavior, beliefs, and languages but on
the communication strategies project managers use to engage stakeholders
and improve project performance. Researchers also use the
phenomenological design to explore participants’ lived experiences
(Koskiniemi et al., 2019; Taylor-Hyde, 2017). I did not select the
phenomenological design because the current study’s focus was not on the
meaning of participants’ lived experiences.
Research Question
What communication strategies do project managers use to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance?
Interview Questions
1. What communication strategies are you using to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance?
2. How effective are the communication strategies you use to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance?
3. What are the challenges you face in using the communication
strategies to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance?
4. What steps did you take to overcome the challenges you faced in
using the communication strategies to engage stakeholders and
improve project performance?
5. What additional information can you provide regarding
communication strategies project managers can use to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance?
Conceptual Framework
The stakeholder theory proposed by Freeman (1984) was the
conceptual framework for the current study. Freeman originated the
stakeholder concept and established the need to change business
beneficiaries from stockholders to stakeholders. Freeman et al. (2007)
developed Freeman’s stakeholder theory to address the relationship between
organizational performance and communications with stakeholders. Stieb
(2009) reviewed Freeman’s approach to create an appeal to legal, economic,
and ethical constraints on stakeholder management. Through these
constructs, Freeman et al. and Stieb highlighted the need for project
managers to secure stakeholders’ commitment to project delivery success
through effective communication. Project managers’ effective stakeholder
communication may improve project delivery and facilitate business
performance (Thompson, 2016). The findings from exploring Freeman’s
stakeholder theory in the current study might help readers understand the
stakeholder communication strategies that project managers use to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance.
Operational Definitions
Communication strategy: Communication strategy is a framework
developed by the project managers as part of a communication plan showing
how the information will be shared and received to achieve the
organization’s strategic objective between the project stakeholders and the
project team (Dmitriy & Ekaterina, 2018; Project
Management Institute [PMI], 2017a).
Effective communication: Effective communication is the act of
information sharing by project managers to meet the varied communication
needs of diverse stakeholders by applying different communication styles,
languages, and approaches
(Slunge et al., 2017).
Project communication management: Project communications
management is the process of ensuring timely and appropriate planning,
collection, creation, distribution, command, control, monitoring, storage,
retrieval, and disposition of project information
(PMI, 2017b).
Project performance: Project performance measures the extent to
which an implemented project meets or does not meet the requirements of
the project’s key stakeholders (Rosato, 2018).
Project success: Project success is achieving the critical success
factors and realizing the strategic objective according to stakeholders’
requirements, such as completing the project in a timely, high-quality, and
cost-effective manner (Rosato, 2018).
Stakeholder communication: Stakeholder communication refers to
exchanging information and instructions to overcome barriers between
groups and individuals in a project environment (PMI, 2017a).
Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations
Researchers improve their study’s credibility by clearly articulating
their assumptions, limitations, and delimitations, which are critical
components of any study (Kivunja & Kuyini, 2017). Assumptions are
unproven statements considered true by the researcher (Beato, 2017).
Limitations are constraints that restrain researchers from generalizing their
findings (Forrest, 2017). Delimitations are boundaries set by the researcher
to limit the scope of their study (Yin, 2018).
Assumptions
Assumptions are claims the researcher considers relevant to the
research and are plausible but lack proof (Okoye, 2017; PMI, 2017a;
Williams, 2017). In the current study, the first assumption was that the
participants were project managers who had used communication strategies
to engage stakeholders and improve project performance. Second, I assumed
that the selected project managers would be available when required and
would be willing to participate in the interviews. A third assumption was
that the chosen project managers would respond honestly to the interview
questions. Finally, I assumed that participants understood the purpose and
scope of the study and that their participation and responses could inform the
results.
Limitations
Limitations are potential weaknesses or challenges the researcher
cannot control that could impact the study’s scope, outcome, and reliability
(Richardson, 2018; Theofanidis & Fountouki, 2018). The first limitation of
the current study was the bias in participants’ responses to interview
questions to protect their organizations’ interests. The second limitation was
the reluctance of project managers to share sensitive information about their
projects due to fear of competition. The final limitation was that the
communication strategies that participating project managers shared might
reflect data from their limited experiences acquired from the single
organization selected for the study.
Delimitations
Delimitations are the researcher’s scope or boundaries set before the
commencement of the research to ensure readers understand the extent of the
study (Forrest, 2017; Grandison, 2017; Marshall & Rossman, 2016; Yin,
2018). According to Theofanidis and Fountouki (2018), delimitations are
limitations deliberately imposed by the researcher to control the research
environment. The first delimitation for the current study was the target
population, which comprised only project managers who had used
communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance. The second delimitation was the purposeful selection of the
research question to raise awareness of stakeholder communication
strategies project managers could use to engage stakeholders and improve
project performance. The final delimitation was the geographic region of the
Niger Delta, Nigeria, where the selected oil and gas company was
operating. The researcher did not select project managers outside the
designated oil and gas company for the study. I selected the Niger Delta
geographical region because existing literature suggested limited research on
stakeholder communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve
project performance.
Significance of the Study
The project management field is an area of study that needs further
research (Case, 2017). Despite research findings on standards and best
project management practices, projects still fail (Rosato, 2018). Project
stakeholders also present the challenge of varied interests and
communication expectations (Storey et al., 2017). The different stakeholders
offer diverse knowledge, experiences, aspirations, and benefits to a project.
Project managers may need practical communication skills and strategies to
benefit from stakeholders’ experiences and project delivery successes. Case
(2017) stated that investigating the diverse stakeholder communication
perspectives may expand the project management knowledge base and
introduce communication strategies that project managers may require to
engage stakeholders and improve project performance.
Contribution to Business Practice
How well the project managers understand and effectively
communicate with stakeholders can significantly influence successful
project outcomes (PMI, 2017a). Researchers have established that successful
projects contribute to organizational performance (Case, 2017), and
stakeholders can influence project delivery success by defining the success
criteria for the project (Slunge et al., 2017). The stakeholders’ understanding
of the project delivery plan and strategy through effective communication by
the project managers becomes essential for successful project delivery. The
current study’s findings, conclusions, and recommendations might provide
leaders, executives, and project management practitioners with a more
effective communication strategy to engage stakeholders and improve
project performance. The research findings might also contribute to project
management communication practices.
Implications for Social Change
Applying the current study’s findings might contribute to positive
social change because effective stakeholder communication could lead to
project delivery success, and project delivery success might contribute to
organizational profitability. When organizations are profitable, corporate
social responsibility activities might increase, leading to infrastructural and
economic development in the rural communities playing host to the oil and
gas companies. Profitable organizations might expand into more rural
communities, leading to more employment opportunities, infrastructural and
economic development, human capital development, and improvement of
the country’s gross domestic product.
A Review of the Professional and Academic Literature
A literature review is a source of relevant articles that provide insight
into the study to support its argument and establish its importance (Marshall
& Rossman, 2016). The purpose of the current qualitative single case study
was to explore the communication strategies project managers use to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance. In this section, I categorize
the literature review on communication strategies and project performance
into four parts. The first part of the academic literature review focuses on
stakeholder theory, which guided the study. This subsection includes
relevant theories for the conceptual framework and reasons for selecting the
stakeholder theory. The second part includes other related and contrasting
theories to the stakeholder theory and discusses communication strategies.
The third and fourth parts of the literature review focus on project
performance indicators and communication strategies to engage stakeholders
and improve project performance.
The literature review consisted of peer-reviewed articles, journals,
books, and dissertations from sources such as Google Scholar, books, and
Walden University Library databases, including ProQuest, Emerald,
EBSCOhost, IEEE, and Sage. Most of my sources were from Walden
University Library resources. The search keywords and phrases included
stakeholder management, stakeholder communication, project success,
effective communication, communication strategy, project communication
management, and stakeholder communication theory. I selected 264
resources that were relevant and applicable to the research question. These
resources included peer-reviewed and nonpeer-reviewed journals,
dissertations, and books. Eighty-eight percent of these sources were peer-
reviewed journals published between 2018 and 2022. Twenty-two percent of
the resources were non-peer-reviewed journals and books. I organized the
literature review as follows: (a) stakeholder theory, (b) related and
contrasting theories to stakeholder theory, (c) communication strategies, (d)
project performance indicators, and
(e) communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance.
Table 1 provides a breakdown and classification of the sources used for the
study.
Table 1
Summary of Reviewed Literature Sources
Literature review content Total
No. of peer-
reviewed
resources
published
between 2018 and
2022
Percentage of
peerreviewed
resources
published
between
2018 and 2022
Peer-reviewed articles
Non-peer-reviewed
articles
Dissertations
Books
Total
206
21
17
20
264
183
18
14
16
231
89%
86%
82%
80%
88%
Stakeholder Theory
Stakeholder theory dated to 1963. Researchers introduced the notion
that stakeholders, being anyone who can impact or be impacted by the
activities of a corporation, were as crucial to the corporations as the
traditionally recognized shareholders who were the owners of the
corporations (Freeman, 1984; PMI, 2017a). The stakeholder theory was a
departure from the traditional business understanding. The stockholder
theory creates profit for the capital investors (Freeman et al., 2010), while
the stakeholder theory challenges the share and bond owner perspective. The
stakeholder theory states that because businesses exist in society and not as
separate entities, business managers are responsible for both share and bond
owners and the intricate societal network of parties who may be in an
involuntary relationship with the company (Wood et al., 2021). Stakeholder
theory also posits that managers should fulfill their moral obligations to their
stakeholders. When leaders make business decisions, they must consider the
interests of all stakeholders, including stockholders, employees, customers,
suppliers, and the local community in which it operates, and must fulfill their
moral obligations to these stakeholders (Hunsaker, 2021).
The stakeholder theory postulates that organizational success is a
function of how well project teams engage with key stakeholders. The
relationship between internal and external stakeholders of a project
influences the project performance (Teo & Loosemore, 2017; Vrushank &
Pramod, 2019; Williams, 2017). The stakeholder theory provides a
framework for project managers to identify, classify, and categorize
stakeholders for more effective communication to improve project
performance. Stakeholders play essential roles in ensuring improved project
performance. Therefore, project managers must focus on the strategies to
communicate effectively with all stakeholders and not assume that some
stakeholders are more important than others (Crane, 2018). Stakeholder
theory assumes that project stakeholders are motivated to contribute to
improved project performance when adequately engaged and expect to
benefit from the project outcomes (Eskerod & Jepsen, 2016).
Stakeholder theory focuses on solving value creation problems, the
ethics of capitalism, and the managerial mindset, including how
organizations work ethically to create value (Freeman et al., 2010).
Stakeholder theory also assumes that project stakeholders will only
contribute to a project as required when motivated. The motivation of
stakeholders depends on the essential elements of their expectations around
project costs, deliverables, and scope (Eskerod & Jepsen, 2016).
Understanding the stakeholders’ interests, motivations, and expectations
could enable the project managers to establish the best strategy for
communicating with them and draw on their positive influence to facilitate
project performance.
In the early period of stakeholder theory, organizations had little
interaction with their environment and limited recognition of the full
potential of stakeholders who can impact project performance (Freeman,
1984). As the theory evolved, it became apparent that organizations must
integrate stakeholders in the decision making process (Mir & Pinnington,
2014). Stakeholders could have varied requirements yet interdependent
relationships (Aaltonen & Kujala, 2016). Organizational leaders and project
managers should recognize and involve all project stakeholders in their
communication to influence project performance.
Although project management practitioners accept stakeholder theory,
different project managers interpret the concept differently, making the
theory difficult to achieve global acceptance by project management
practitioners (Scherer & Patzer, 2011). Despite these different interpretations
of the stakeholder theory, it is a vehicle for connecting ethics and strategy
(R. A. Phillips, 2003). The stakeholder theory also indicates that firms focus
on economic values and stakeholder-based performance measures instead of
only on economic factors and making money for the shareholders (Wood et
al., 2021). Organizations that serve stakeholders’ interests will create more
value over time (Campbell, 1997). The stakeholder theory has evolved to
ensure organizations’ full consideration of stakeholder interests in their
decision, thereby making the theory applicable to many industries (Freeman
et al., 2010).
Stakeholder theory has a widespread application that could vary along
the project life cycle, from project to project and from one industry to
another (Badewi, 2016). Stakeholders’ interests may change at different
stages of the project delivery life cycle (Aaltonen & Kujala, 2016). To
satisfy stakeholders, project managers should pay attention to the different
types of projects and the technical, environmental, commercial, operational,
and political factors that could influence the interests of the various
stakeholder groups. Project managers should also view the stakeholder
theory as a crossfertilization of the theory’s descriptive, instrumental, and
normative aspects (Valentinov et al., 2019; Williams, 2017).
The descriptive stakeholder theory describes the legal obligation of
stakeholder fairness. The theory shows an organization’s characteristics and
how it interacts with its identified stakeholders (Miles, 2017). The
descriptive stakeholder theory highlights the various stakeholders at different
times in the life cycle of an organization. Some of the stakeholders may be
more important than others at these different organizational life cycle stages
depending on the needs of the organization and the possible contribution or
influence of these stakeholders toward achieving the organization’s purpose
(Williams, 2017). Most organizations apply different strategies at different
times to communicate with the various stakeholders depending on the
importance of the stakeholders relative to achieving the organization’s
objectives.
The instrumental stakeholder theory focuses on applying
organizational ethics to business management to address the concerns of
selected stakeholders for improved financial performance (Jones et al.,
2018). Instrumental stakeholder theory assumes that stakeholder
relationships governed by contractual norms and ethically grounded
stakeholder management strategies lead to improved financial performance
(Jones et al., 2018; Miles, 2017). Understanding the instrumental stakeholder
theory could help project managers adopt the best communication strategies
to engage their stakeholders and improve project performance.
The normative stakeholder theory integrates corporate social
responsibility into the instrumental aspect of the theory. Normative
stakeholder theory, also known as the ethics of care, is based on eternal
values derived from ethical theory rather than observed norms and explores
why project managers consider stakeholders’ interest in project decisions
(Miles, 2017). Normative stakeholder theory is the core of stakeholder
theory and is rooted in the moral intuition that a firm’s responsibilities to its
stakeholders should go beyond contemporary shareholder/stockholder
approaches. Project managers should adopt the normative stakeholder theory
in setting organizational objectives and see stakeholders as an integral part
of the organization to foster better collaboration and improved delivery
(Boesso & Kumar, 2016). By applying the normative stakeholder theory,
project managers could use the most appropriate communication strategies
to engage their stakeholders and improve project performance.
In applying the stakeholder theory, business leaders are encouraged to
develop business models that integrate stakeholders in the business decision
making process to enhance value creation and organizational sustainability
(Freudenreich et al., 2019). Stakeholders could play significant roles in the
performance of an organization (Sancho et al., 2018). Adequately engaging
stakeholders in the organization’s processes could enhance stakeholders’
confidence, loyalty, and support to improve the organization’s performance
(Seay, 2015). The tenets of stakeholder theory include the jointness of
interests, cooperative strategic posture, and the broad economic view of the
firm (Shah & Guild, 2022). Jointness of interest is a tenet of stakeholder
theory that advocates that firms should seek to maximize value for their
stakeholders by exerting efforts to align their interests with those of the
stakeholders. Cooperative strategic posture is a tenet of stakeholder theory
that views businesses and their stakeholders as strategic partners. The tenet
advocates that there should be interconnectivity between businesses and
those with a stake in them, such as the customers, suppliers, employees,
investors, and the community in which they operate. The broad economic
view is a stakeholder theory tenet that advocates a downplay of an
organization’s financial goals balancing it against other factors such as
environmental considerations and corporate social responsibility (Shah &
Guild, 2022). The stakeholder theory was the appropriate conceptual
framework for exploring the communication strategies that project managers
use to engage their stakeholders and improve project performance.
Related and Contrasting Theories to Stakeholder Theory
Related and contrasting theories considered in the current study were
stockholder theory, balanced scorecard theory, mass communication theory,
communication theory, socio-technical systems (STS) theory, and
information theory. These theories provide comprehensive information on
the procedures necessary for successfully developing and deploying
communication strategies. Although these related and contrasting theories
had similarities and differences to the stakeholder theory, their applications
were quite different.
Stockholder Theory
The stockholder theory, also known as shareholder theory, states that
the primary duty of management is to maximize shareholder returns on
investment. The theory pushes the idea that the only responsibility of
managers is to serve in the best possible way the interests of shareholders,
using the corporation’s resources to increase the shareholders’ wealth by
seeking profits (O’Connell & Ward, 2020). Milton Friedman introduced the
stockholder theory in the 1960s and stated that a corporation is primarily
responsible to its stockholders. These stockholders approve the salary of the
business managers, who in turn oversee the corporation’s spending
according to the wishes of the stockholders (Hunsaker, 2021). The
stockholder theory portrays organizations as vehicles to generate wealth for
the stockholders within legal boundaries but excludes consideration for other
stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, customers, and society
(O’Connell & Ward, 2020).
Stockholder theory argues that managers' priority is to protect and
grow the corporation’s assets for the benefit of shareholders. However, the
theory fails to consider that shareholders and corporations may have other
objectives besides financial performance, including encouraging
entrepreneurship and innovation and building communities. This broader
view suggests that shareholders are interested in corporate social
responsibility in addition to financial gains establishing the relationship
between corporate social responsibility and return on capital employed
(Kyriakou, 2018; Mochales & Blanch, 2022). The stockholder theory was
not appropriate for the current study, which focused beyond the stockholders
to identify the communication strategies project managers use to engage all
stakeholders to improve project performance.
Balanced Scorecard Theory
The balanced scorecard theory is a performance management
framework that enables organizations to translate their vision and strategy
into action and improve performance (Eisenberg, 2016). Kaplan and Norton
(1992) created the balanced scorecard theory as a performance measurement
system that enables organizations to manage the demands of their
stakeholders, translate strategies into action, and answer to criticism
concerning the unilateral measurement of a company’s performance. The
main objective of a balanced scorecard is to eliminate the shortfalls of the
traditional performance indicators that rely only on financial indices
(Rababah & Bataineh, 2016). The balanced scorecard model combines
financial and nonfinancial measures to include strategic and business
performance measures across four interconnected viewpoints (Singh &
Arora, 2018). The four interconnected viewpoints enabled by the balanced
scorecard theory include finance, customer, internal business process,
learning, and innovation perspectives (Dincer et al., 2019).
Managers employ the balanced scorecard theory to link performance
improvement strategies with other strategies and manage organizational
assets to curtail cost overruns based on increased knowledge of the project or
business environment (Chiarini, 2016; Llach et al., 2017). Because I
explored the communication strategies project managers use to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance, the balanced scorecard
theory, a performance measurement matrix for financial and nonfinancial
indices of an organization, was not appropriate for the current study.
Mass Communication Theory
McQuail (2010) advanced the concept that mass communication
theory requires addressing the integration of multiple factors to ensure its
application in a business context. The mass communication theory provides
a helpful lens for developing and implementing successful strategies that
project managers can embrace to strengthen communication within project
teams (Valkenburg et al., 2016). The mass communication theory focuses on
strengthening communication within the project team. Additionally, the
mass communication theory focuses on a one-way flow of public content on
a large scale, making it unsuitable for my study. The current study aimed to
establish communication strategies that foster two-way communication with
stakeholders to create trust and build a strong relationship that facilitates
successful project delivery between the project manager, project team, and
internal and external stakeholders.
Communication Theory
Craig’s (1999) communication theory utilized the principle of the
communication model to distinguish communication through an approach
that defines communication and the attendant challenges (Sanderson, 2017).
Craig drew from seven communication theory traditions to explain the
concept of effective communications. These seven traditions of
communication are the semiotic, the phenomenological, the cybernetic, the
socio-psychological, the socio-cultural, the critical, and the rhetorical
traditions. Each of these traditions captures a different aspect of
communication (Crane & Glozer, 2016; Oberiri, 2018). Craig’s
communication theory depicts how specific communication elements relate
to specific subject fields, making it inappropriate for my study.
Socio-Technical Systems Theory
In the early sixties, the Tavistock Institute in London developed the
sociotechnical systems (STS) (Trist, 1981). The STS model explains the
communication strategies that enable collaborations in an organization. The
model recognizes the interaction between people and technology in an
organization leading to active collaborations and efficient systems (Kim et
al., 2016). The STS model envisions communication strategies necessary to
promote team collaboration and foster knowledge sharing within
organizational settings (Kim et al., 2016). The STS model is not appropriate
for my study because it focuses on communication strategies that foster team
collaboration and knowledge sharing but does not focus on the
communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance which is the focus of my study.
Information Theory
Shannon and Weaver’s (1949) information theory focuses on
communication accuracy and effectiveness from the efficiency of
transmitted information between a sender and receiver (Li & Wang, 2017).
Based on information theory, the communication process between project
managers and stakeholders is successful when the stakeholder receives the
information sent by the project manager through an agreed medium, and the
receiver understands the message in the information (van Ruler, 2018). The
information theory is the one-directional flow of information from the
project managers to stakeholders. The theory does not consider any feedback
from the stakeholders to the project managers; hence is inappropriate for my
study, which focuses on building trust and relationships to facilitate project
performance.
Project Performance and the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry
The Nigeria oil and gas industry is laden with epic projects. The
successful delivery of these epic projects is fundamental to the success,
profitability, and sustainability of the companies in the industry. Therefore,
project managers must implement successful projects that determine their
companies’ profitability and continued existence (Alhajri & Alshibani,
2018). A primary function of projects is to provide firms with the
opportunity to create and retain business value, therefore making the
performance of the projects critical to the success of the organizations
(Horning, 2018). Organizations known for excellent project performance are
more likely to attract more business patronage than others (Chou et al.,
2016). The current study on the communication strategies to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance could benefit project
management practitioners in the Nigerian oil and gas industry by ensuring
successful project delivery and attracting more business patronage leading to
higher profitability.
Knowledge of project performance improvement factors is valuable to
project managers, primarily as many organizations nowadays rely on project
successes for organizational growth sustainability (Sarja, 2018; Scheepers et
al., 2022). The traditional measure of project performance includes cost,
time, and quality, sometimes referred to as the iron triangle or the triple
constraint, and offers a clear definition of project success or failure by
measuring the project’s economic and technical dimensions (Scheuchner,
2017). Some stakeholders may consider project performance from both
environmental and business perspectives in addition to the triple constraints
(Abbaspour et al., 2018; Albert et al., 2017). Project success is critical in
determining the extent of project performance (Mainga, 2017). Project
managers should achieve the project objectives agreed with the stakeholders
at the commencement of the project.
A project is said to be successful when the team has achieved the
critical success factors and realized the strategic objective according to
stakeholders’ requirements, like completing the projects in a timely, high
quality, and cost-effective manner (Rosato, 2018). Completing a project does
not necessarily mean the project was successful. Instead, a project is tagged
completed when the expected business value, which justifies the need for
carrying out the project, has been achieved and the stakeholders’
requirements have been met (Radujkovic & Sjekavica, 2017). To achieve
project success, the project manager must adequately conceptualize, design,
and implement the project, considering all the factors that may influence the
success of a project (Nzekwe et al., 2015).
A helpful approach to determine the success of a project is by
measuring the project’s performance, but most importantly, determining the
measurement criteria for project success considering the stakeholders’
requirements. Traditionally, meeting the project’s triple constraint of time,
cost, and scope, implies successful project performance (Blaskovics, 2016).
Still, considering the stakeholders, the project is only successful when the
outcomes have met the organization’s stakeholders’ social and
environmental requirements and the requirements of the triple constraint
(Sudhakar, 2016). Regardless of the selected project success criteria, project
success depends on the perception of the persons involved in the project.
Project managers must agree on their projects’ critical success factors to
achieve improved project performance (Dziekonski, 2017). In the Nigerian
oil and gas industry, social and environmental objectives are critical success
factors to consider by project managers. Therefore, knowledge of the factors
contributing to improved project performance is vital to twenty-first-century
project managers (Hughes et al., 2017). Factors contributing to project
success include correctly identifying and categorizing internal and external
stakeholders shared understanding through effective communication and
knowledge transfer, strategic alignment of stakeholder requirements, and
setting clear project success criteria (Roman, 2016).
Project failures have huge impacts on organizations, such as financial
losses, lost investment opportunities, political damage, and other losses that
may be difficult to quantify (Buettner, 2017; Hughes et al., 2017). One major
cause of project performance is the lack of communication strategy to
engage project stakeholders leading to poor decision making (Buettner,
2017). Project managers, therefore, must engage in effective stakeholder
identification and categorization, pay adequate attention to the stakeholder
requirements, and embrace clear communication strategies to engage the
stakeholders and improve project performance (Acevedo, 2016).
Communication With Project Stakeholders
Project managers’ understanding of the factors that improve project
performance, like effective stakeholder management, communication, and
involvement in decision making, is vital to twenty-first-century project
management (Sarja, 2018). Researchers have identified some negative
impacts of project failures, including financial losses, lost investment
opportunities, and political and reputational damage to organizations
(Buettner, 2017; Hughes et al., 2017). Some causes of project failures
include lack of trust, digital literacy, internet penetration, resistance to
change, misunderstanding of stakeholders’ requirements, lack of
competence, incomplete mapping of stakeholders, and poor communication
(Ebad, 2018; Gupta et al., 2019; Rankinen et al., 2022). Generally, over 5%
of projects still fail despite several decades of improving the project delivery
process (Rosato, 2018). Most project failures are due to poor communication
with project stakeholders (Rosato, 2018; Shahzad et al., 2017; Suleiman,
2022). This subsection focuses on stakeholder communications, types of
stakeholder communications, and how stakeholder communication facilitates
successful project delivery.
Because communication is an essential process in project
management, organizations, communities, and social groups should build
trust between diverse stakeholders who may have diverse backgrounds,
interests, expertise levels, and perspectives which can impact the overall
interest of the group (PMI, 2017a). Communication plays a vital role
throughout the project life cycle and significantly contributes to its success.
Project managers use communication to exchange project information with
stakeholders through well-defined processes to improve project performance
(Shakeri & Khalilzadek, 2020). Communication with stakeholders is a
twoway process whereby information is shared and received (Nguyen et al.,
2018). It is necessary to plan, manage, and evaluate internal and external
information flows to share ideas, understand situations, and resolve issues
that may arise (Hernández et al., 2019). Effective communication with
stakeholders in a project contributes to the project’s visibility and drives
transparency with internal and external stakeholders (Ogrezeanu et al.,
2017).
Different stakeholders have unique and evolving requirements,
expectations, and communication needs, requiring project managers to apply
diverse communication strategies to meet all stakeholder needs.
Traditionally, communication is an integral component of human existence
that happens consciously or unconsciously through words, facial
expressions, gestures, and other actions (Ogrezeanu et al., 2017). This
traditional communications approach is not a fit for every situation. The
traditional communication strategy fails in many circumstances, especially
where the project managers neither understand the stakeholders’
communication needs nor apply the appropriate communication strategies.
Project managers must consider the various stakeholders’ information needs,
including the project team, and integrate them into their project
communication strategy (PMI, 2017a).
The growing complexity of stakeholders’ requirements in project
management calls for unique strategies to achieve effective communication
(Bourne, 2016). Different stakeholder groups may have to change
communication needs at the various phases of the project life cycle
(Turkulainen et al., 2016). Likewise, one stakeholder group may have
different communication needs at the various phases of the project delivery
cycle than the other groups (Lohikoski et al., 2015). Project managers need a
proper and adequate communication plan to effectively manage and meet the
stakeholders’ communication needs during the different project life-cycle
phases and facilitate improved project performance. A strategic approach to
stakeholder communication is the key to successful project performance,
notwithstanding that the stakeholders might have complex communication
needs (Bourne, 2016). Generally, there are three classes of project
stakeholder communication: project reporting, project relations, and directed
communication. Deploying these three general classes of stakeholder
communication to the right stakeholders could help project managers to
achieve successful project delivery.
Project reporting is a one-way communication system that project
managers use to provide information about the project to the various
stakeholders. The information in a report is for purposeful communication
while the reporting creates a consistent set of data in a time series; however,
reports are not communication (Bourne, 2016). Although some stakeholders
may never read all the reports sent to them by the project managers, sending
the reports reassures them that the project manager is well-organized. The
stakeholders also trust that the project managers can successfully plan and
implement the project and deal with any unexpected developments in
delivering the project. Because project reports are legal requirements, most
organizations and leaders require periodic reporting on project status. It is
pertinent that project managers generate and share information on their
project progress as often as agreed with the stakeholders. Bourne argued that
reports are one-way communication and do not provide the project managers
with the stakeholders’ responses; hence, they are ineffective.
Project relations (PR), also called project marketing, includes all the
media forms of communications used to provide project information to the
broader stakeholder community (Bourne, 2016). Effective PR can reduce the
level of apathy or opposition experienced in a project while increasing
support for the project by the engaged stakeholders and eliminating
misinformation and rumor (Bourne, 2016). Project managers skilled in the
PR communications process apply their skills to secure broader stakeholder
buy-in and enthusiasm for their projects and expected deliverables. Project
managers with good communication skills could use PR as a viable
communication strategy to facilitate successful project delivery.
Directed communication is the stakeholder communication method
that follows a complicated process focused on the crucial stakeholders of
any project, which the project managers should impact in specific ways.
Direct communication involves developing a clear communication plan for
the project, highlighting the different parties’ roles and responsibilities in the
communication process throughout the project life cycle (Bourne, 2016).
Project managers must regularly review the stakeholder list for their
projects, reevaluate existing stakeholders’ interests and priorities, and
identify emerging stakeholders and their communication priorities.
Factors That Affect Communication With Project Stakeholders
Communication is the giving and receiving of messages, the transfer
of information from one person or group to one or more other people or
groups. Communication is an essential life skill and a vital part of our daily
routines, thus the key to effective project management (Samáková et al.,
2018). Since the communication process is not independent, project
managers must consider economic, legal, political, and ethical factors in
establishing their communication strategies (Chan et al., 2016). To succeed
in their project management careers, project managers must be skilled in
communication (Samáková et al., 2018).
Most of the communication activities of project managers involve
sharing information with project team members and other stakeholders,
spending 80% - 90% of their time communicating on projects (Samáková et
al., 2018). Communication is one of the main elements of project
management that improves project performance in any organization.
Therefore, project managers must apply effective communication strategies
to engage project stakeholders and improve the performance of their
projects. Communication management is an essential component of project
management that defines the required processes of proper planning,
collecting, distributing, and retrieving project information among the project
participants (Taleb et al., 2017). Project managers should apply
communication management skills to plan and manage project activities.
The output of the project communication planning process is the
project communication plan, which is a tool for implementing the
communication strategy to ensure improved project performance (Samáková
et al., 2018). Project managers should develop communication plans to
engage stakeholders and improve project performance. A project
communication plan is a tool project teams and project managers use to
provide relevant, accurate, and consistent information to project stakeholders
and share vital information within the project organization (Papke-Shields &
Boyer-Wright, 2017). The communication plan that project managers use to
engage stakeholders during various stages of project implementation can
create value and work as an efficient tool to manage stakeholder
relationships (Rajhans, 2018). Project managers create communication plans
to identify project stakeholders, prepare a strategy to manage their
expectations, and provide them with the correct information at the right time
through positive communication (Rajhans, 2018).
Project managers create a communications plan or strategy to foster
team collaboration and effective communication with project stakeholders.
In developing the project communication plan, project managers determine
what information to share, who delivers the communication, who receives
the communications, the communications medium, and the frequency of the
communications (Meng & Boyd, 2017). Project managers must consider the
communication preferences of stakeholders while developing the project
communication plan (Bourne, 2016). For communication to be effective, the
stakeholder perception of the message and the sender must be authentic
(Taylor, 2018). Project managers should know the appropriate
communication methods based on their understanding of the stakeholder
communication requirements (Varajão et al., 2017).
Project team members should have a better understanding of their
tasks and responsibilities and adopt a well-designed communication plan to
increase their chances of achieving their project goals (Kopmann et al.,
2017). Some communication tools that project managers could use to
establish effective communication with the project teams and stakeholders
include email, webcasts, collaboration websites, video conferences,
telephone calls, texts, face-to-face discussions, and web-based dashboards
(Mitchell, 2018). A clear and concise project communication plan could help
project managers and the project team effectively communicate with the
project stakeholders and improve their project performance.
While project managers need to develop a robust communication plan,
effectively managing the communication with the stakeholders is also vital
to improving project performance. Communications management entails
creating, collecting, and distributing project information to the appropriate
recipients following the established project plan (Taylor, 2018). Project
managers use communication management as a strategic tool to manage
stakeholder relations systematically at each project stage (Rajhans, 2018).
Communication management is the systematic initiative directed towards
monitoring and controlling all communication channels within an
organization based on the communication plan developed to cover corporate
communication strategies, internal and external communications designs,
directives, and managing the flow of information (Rajhans, 2018).
Communication management in projects is a proactive endeavor by
the project manager to manage the expectations and requirements of all
stakeholder groups (Rajhans, 2018). Effective communication management
signifies a process that maximally delivers communications to appropriate
stakeholders to achieve the communication objective (Rajhans, 2018).
Project managers and project team members must ensure that information
generated and provided to customers and business owners concerning
project progress and performance are appropriate and fit for purpose (Taylor,
2018). By developing an effective communication management plan, project
managers could use the communication strategies to engage stakeholders
and improve project performance.
Communication management entails effective information exchange
between the project manager, the project team, and the project stakeholders
in stakeholder relationship management. The information exchange ensures
effective management of stakeholder expectations. It provides critical
stakeholders with appropriate information to convince them that their
expectations are known and that the project team will address them while
improving project performance (Bourne, 2016; Rajhans, 2018). In project
communication, project managers should clarify the project scope and
targets and provide information that identifies the project’s purpose,
products, services to deliver, and expected stakeholder benefits (Butt et al.,
2016; Verghese, 2017). Effective stakeholder communication management
creates motivation within the project team and is necessary for all stages in
the project life cycle to improve project performance.
Effective Communication and Project Performance
Effective communication is fundamental to boosting organizational
trust and entrenching focused communication to foster healthy relationships
among team members and project stakeholders (Taylor, 2018). Through
effective communication, project managers keep project stakeholders on
track to achieve project objectives (Muszyńska, 2018). Effective
communication is a foundation function that supports and integrates all
project areas and is one of the main determinants of successful project
performance (Muszyńska, 2018). To achieve effective project
communication, project managers must define the criteria to determine the
effectiveness of their communication and establish performance indicators to
measure the effectiveness. Generally, communication is effective when it
reaches its goals and accomplishes the intended purpose (Muszyńska, 2018;
Rajhans, 2018).
To communicate effectively, project managers must establish a proper
communication management plan that defines involved parties, determine
what information to share, and the appropriate tools and methods to facilitate
the sharing (Taleb et al., 2017). Effective communication with stakeholders
enhances project visibility, drives transparency, and builds trust with internal
and external stakeholders (Ogrezeanu et al., 2017). Effective communication
occurs when project managers provide cost-effectively, correct, and relevant
information to the stakeholders (Taylor, 2018). The effectiveness of a
communication strategy is a function of the project sector and the
stakeholders’ expectations.
Effective communication enhances business operations and facilitates
improved project performance. Project managers that maintain open
communication channels with stakeholders tend to outperform their
competitors in crucial project segments, especially in growth, profitability,
and project feasibility, therefore buttressing the impact of communication in
improving performance (Parks, 2018). Project teams that have adequate
communication flow achieve outstanding project performances (Taylor,
2018). Some benefits of effective communication include improved project
performance, improved transparency and trust in project teams, and
improved collaboration with stakeholders, thereby securing the trust of the
stakeholders and improving project performance (Butt et al., 2016). Project
managers require practical communication management skills to sustain
consistent project performance.
Communication is an essential life skill and entails getting messages
from sender to recipient (Samáková et al., 2018). Getting messages to the
recipients without distortion is best achieved by applying the appropriate
communication strategy, style, or methodology endorsed by the intended
recipients (McBeth et al., 2016). Project managers’ ability to monitor and
measure the effectiveness of the communication with their project
stakeholders is vital for meeting the many needs of the stakeholders and
contributing to the successful delivery of projects in any organization
(Smith, 2017). Project managers could achieve successful project delivery
by applying communication strategies that best fit the numerous project
stakeholders. Effective stakeholder communication occurs when the
stakeholders receive the message sent to them by the project managers
without compromising the content or intent of the message (DeVito, 1994).
To achieve communication effectiveness, project managers must
communicate with clarity to the stakeholders and ensure they cover the
communication needs of all stakeholder groups in the communication
strategy.
Formulating a communication strategy is a critical step to successfully
delivering projects. To develop stakeholder communication strategies,
project managers must identify the target group (stakeholders), define the
context, formulate the communication objectives, and select the instruments
of communication best suited for the stakeholders. Communication
instruments include brochures, presentations, websites, pages on social
media, newsletters, emails, and webcasts (Hamilton & Pajari, 2018). Project
managers’ ability to create an effective communication strategy is critical for
building a bridge with the stakeholders and facilitating successful project
delivery.
Effective communication is a two-way process whereby information is
shared and received between the project manager and the stakeholders
(Nguyen et al., 2018).
Communication in a project is effective when it contributes to its visibility,
drives transparency with internal and external stakeholders, and improves
project performance (Ogrezeanu et al., 2017). Communication in a project is
effective when the recipient of the information confirms an understanding of
the message and the intent (van Ruler, 2018). Project managers apply
communication management as a proactive measure to manage the
expectations and requirements of project stakeholders to improve project
performance (Rajhans, 2018). Understanding the communication strategies
project managers can use to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance is essential to improving project management (Sarja, 2018).
Through effective communication, project managers establish project
success criteria and the project delivery expectations of the stakeholders
(Valiga, 2019).
Effective communication is an essential skill that project managers
need to improve performance. Project managers’ communication activities
mainly involve applying interpersonal skills to share information with
project team members and other stakeholders (Samáková et al., 2018).
Through effective communication, project managers speed up the
information sharing process, making it accessible for improved decision
making at all levels in the organization and within the project team (Al-
Mamary et al., 2015). Project managers communicate their vision,
expectations, and project deliverables to inspire team members to improve
project performance (Valiga, 2019). The communication strategy that the
project manager use in communicating with the project team members, who
are also stakeholders, may determine the choice of the project team members
to follow the instructions communicated to them (Oyebola, 2018).
Effective communication is one of the main elements of project
management and the basis for project performance in any organization
(Samáková et al., 2018). Project managers must embrace a certain level of
communication to achieve improved project performance. Samáková et al.
stated that underneath the communication level, project managers must
embrace five main areas of project communication: communication
environment, communication channel, communication cognitive,
communication system, and complementary part. The communication
environment involves the communication strategy, organizational structure,
and project culture, while the communication channel comprises
communication methods, tools, frequency, and communication support. The
communication cognitive focuses on communication differences and
communication skills, whereas the communication system incorporates the
feedback system, system of sharing, and distribution of information. Finally,
the complementary part involves the communication matrix and analysis of
stakeholders.
Project managers with excellent communication skills share
information that could improve project performance and pay attention to the
entire communication process, not just the content of the message (Shimizu,
2017). Communication skills include listening, written communication,
emotional awareness, verbal and nonverbal communication, observing,
speaking, and empathizing through face-to-face interactions, digital
communications like social media, email, and phone conversations (Finlay et
al., 2015). Communication skills constitute tools a manager could use to
ensure improved project performance. A vital element of a project
manager’s communication skill is considering the stakeholders’ attitude,
knowledge, emotions, and credibility, impacting how the stakeholders will
receive a message (van Kleef et al., 2015). To improve performance, project
managers must exhibit excellent communication skills (Sousa & Rocha,
2019).
A lack of practical communication skills could lead to poor project
performance and a decrease in a company’s growth (Atambo & Momanyi,
2016). Project managers without practical communication skills may slightly
improve their project performance. However, with proper communication
skills, project managers could assist project team members in understanding
each other and work better together to improve their project performance
(Thomas et al., 2018). One of the vital elements of effective communication
is active listening. Active listening generates mutual respect and trust
between project managers and their team members. A manager with active
listening skills can effectively assess a problem, diagnose a solution, and
help minimize mistakes in the project team and the larger organization
(Sfantou et al., 2017). Therefore, project managers should be strategic in
their communication to ensure they understand the needs of their
stakeholders and communicate with them using strategies suitable for each
stakeholder group.
Communication Strategies to Engage Stakeholders and Improve Project
Performance
The purpose of communication strategy in project delivery is to ensure
the effective sharing of project information. A well-developed
communication strategy allows the project manager to effectively control the
project, eliminate doubts, highlight a clear plan, and involve all project
stakeholders. In the project communication strategy, the project manager
must define the project environment, communication channel and goal,
internal and external stakeholders involved in the communication,
communication rules, sources of communication, and the type of
information to be shared (Samáková et al., 2018). In developing the
communication strategy, project managers must align project objectives with
organizational goals by communicating tasks and actions toward improving
project outcomes (Taylor, 2018). The ability to communicate is essential to
the success of any undertaking and a critical factor in achieving project
objectives. Therefore, project managers must focus on planning, work
delivery capacity, and precise goals when defining a communication strategy
for their projects (Samáková et al., 2018).
A good communication strategy removes doubt, emphasizes planning,
involves all the project participants, and gives the project manager better
control over project activities and tasks (Taylor, 2018). During the project
implementation, the project manager and project team members must
proactively identify, analyze, and communicate any issues that may concern
stakeholders and prioritize the most effective communication strategy to
outline the tasks and share the concerns (Marzagão & Carvalho, 2016).
While the project managers are accountable for effective communication,
team members are crucial in helping their project managers communicate
project requirements and manage internal and external expectations
(Blaskovics, 2016). Considering the importance of a good communication
strategy to the improved performance of projects, project managers should
develop the most appropriate communication strategies to meet the
communication needs of their project stakeholders.
A fundamental step toward positively affecting employee motivation,
attitude, and performance by the project manager is identifying the
communication strategies that fit an organization (Shannon, 2018). Effective
communication from the project managers promotes loyalty of their project
team members leading to superior competitive advantage because the team
members feel appreciated by their leader. Effective communication
strategies influence performance, engagement, and organizational
effectiveness (Taylor, 2018). A leader’s choice of communication strategy
may affect team members’ ability to function (Wade, 2019).
Transformational project managers communicate well to motivate, inspire,
and build trusting relationships with project team members based on a
shared understanding (Shannon, 2018). The project manager’s capability to
leverage communication strategies to satisfy team members by meeting their
psychological needs regarding purpose is essential for improved project
performance.
Developing a robust communication strategy is a four-stage process
that project managers must effectively address. The first step is for the
project manager to analyze project proposal documents to gain insight into
the project goals the project team will deliver (Kaiser et al., 2018). Secondly,
the project manager must identify concerns that the project has not
integrated into the proposal but are fundamental in facilitating project
implementation (Kaiser et al., 2018). The third step is for the project
manager and team to produce a draft strategy (Kaiser et al., 2018). The
fourth step is to review possible interventions critical to linking strategy to
the plan, finalize the communication strategy
(Kaiser et al., 2018), and resolve any communication dispute and uncertainty
(Tushman, 2017). The project manager’s lack of a robust communication
strategy may facilitate project underachievement because project teams may
not understand the problems. Lack of a communication strategy is a
significant issue that could lead to poor project performance (Taylor, 2018).
Project managers must possess the necessary practical communication
competencies to manage their team, considering that communication is
crucial to determining any project’s success or failure (Turkulainen et al.,
2016).
To improve project performance, project managers must understand
the various communication strategies to engage their stakeholders to
improve their project performance. A communication strategy is a
framework project managers develop as part of a communication plan
showing how the information will be shared and received to achieve the
organization’s strategic objective between the project stakeholders and the
project team (Dmitriy & Ekaterina, 2018). Project managers use different
communication strategies to engage stakeholders to improve their project
performance. Stakeholders may prefer communication methods like sharing
hard-copy documents, emails, audio and video conferencing, Webcasts, web
interfaces, and collaborative portals (PMI, 2017a). As a communications
strategy, project managers should communicate with the stakeholders
concerning the project progress and performance at agreed frequencies using
the appropriate methods that fit each stakeholder (Manojlovich et al., 2015).
Frequent and effective stakeholder communication is a strategy that project
managers use to ensure timely completion of projects and improved
productivity (Parks, 2018).
Another stakeholder communication strategy is project managers’
flexibility in their project communication. Stakeholders’ communication
needs can change at the different phases of the project delivery process. The
project managers and their team members’ ability to provide accurate
information regarding process execution and adjust to these changing
stakeholder communication needs are crucial to project success (Ruben &
Gigliotti, 2017). Project managers also use the communication strategy
regarding transparency and accuracy of information sharing to gain the
stakeholders’ trust. Project managers could gain the trust of their
stakeholders by timely and accurately sharing work execution, delivery, and
progress information with them (Ruben & Gigliotti, 2017). By establishing
clear communication strategies to engage their stakeholders, project
managers could improve their project performance (Oppong et al., 2017).
Project Performance Measurement
Project performance measures the extent to which an implemented
project meets the requirements of key stakeholders and the organization’s
strategic objectives (Rosato, 2018). Project managers should establish
project performance measures to evaluate their projects’ performance. The
performance of a project depends on the extent to which a project team
achieves the measurable indices agreed between the project manager and the
stakeholders (Baird, 2017). Project performance is assessed based on pre-
selected success factors, and project managers must be strategic in selecting
achievable performance measurement criteria (Musawir et al., 2017). Project
managers can apply industrystandard project performance measurement
criteria as a benchmark to determine the performance of their projects (Kim
et al., 2018). Project managers must develop performance measures to meet
project, organizational, and stakeholder objectives and ensure project
success (Habibi et al., 2018). Project managers should apply appropriate
communication strategies to engage their project stakeholders and agree on
performance measurement criteria for their projects.
Project performance measures the extent to which some pre-selected
project success criteria have been achieved (Nicholds & Mo, 2016). The
project managers’ choice of performance measurement criteria should be
project-dependent, based on the requirements of the organization and the
project stakeholders (Musawir et al., 2017). The performance of a project is
evaluated based on pre-selected success criteria, which guide the project
team to follow the appropriate project processes to achieve improved project
performance (Mesa et al., 2016). With proper project planning and strategic
communication with stakeholders, project managers could achieve the
desired improvement in project performance. Project performance
measurement must fit with organizational elements like business strategy,
organizational culture, and the external environment (Yun et al., 2016).
Project managers should select project performance criteria that align with
their organization’s strategic objectives and meet the stakeholders’
requirements.
A performance indicator is a measure of success bidding to all
relevant stakeholders in a project or activity, which project managers use to
identify opportunities for improving the project performance. Performance
indicators measure the extent of performance in a business or project to
provide project improvement opportunities (Zheng et al., 2017). To develop
credible project performance indicators, project managers must understand
factors that could influence project success, identify the criteria to evaluate
project performance, establish the critical success factors, and agree on the
performance measurement criteria with the stakeholders (Albert et al., 2017;
Wibowo et al., 2017). Project managers should develop project performance
criteria that stakeholders can understand easily.
Project success has different meanings to different assessors, and
project managers should specify the success criteria for their project during
the project’s planning phase (Davis, 2017). During the project planning
stage, project managers should establish the project performance indicators
to understand the critical success factors that will improve project
performance (Dziekonski, 2017). Critical success factors are a few selected
factors that cause overall project success (Kannan, 2018). Upfront
knowledge of the critical success factors and early involvement of the
stakeholders in defining the critical success factors for a project is a strategy
that could dramatically influence project performance (Eskerod & Larsen,
2018).
Transition and Summary
Section 1 contains discussions of the background of the problem,
problem and purpose statements, nature of the study, research and interview
questions, and conceptual framework. Also included in this section are
operational definitions, assumptions, limitations, delimitations, the
significance of the study, and a review of professional and academic
literature. The literature review contains an extensive analysis of relevant
research on the conceptual framework (stakeholder theory), alternative and
contrasting theories, and effective communication strategies to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance. In Section 2, I restated the
purpose statement. I discussed the details of the study plan to answer the
research question by addressing the role of the researcher, the research
method and design, the population and sampling approach, and ethical
research. Section 2 also includes a narrative on the data collection
instruments and technique, data organization technique and analysis, and the
research reliability and validity. Section 3 contains an overview of the stud,
the presentation of the research findings, application to professional practice,
implications for social change, recommendations for action and further
research, my reflections on the study, and summary and study conclusions.
Section 2: The Project
This section provides the methodology for the single qualitative case
study that addressed the communication strategies project managers use to
engage stakeholders and improve project performance. I restate the purpose
statement; discuss my role as the researcher; and describe the research
participants, research method and design, study population and sampling,
and ethical considerations of the study. Other subsections include data
collection instruments and techniques, data organization techniques, data
analysis, and the reliability and validity of the study.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the
communication strategies some project managers use to engage stakeholders
and improve project performance. The target population consisted of five
project managers selected from a Nigerian oil and gas company who had
used effective communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve
project performance. The implications for social change include the potential
to improve provisions of social amenities, educational empowerment
through university scholarship awards, and small-scale enterprises’ funding
by organizations in the Nigerian oil and gas industry that may become more
profitable through improved project performance.
Role of the Researcher
The researcher is the main instrument for conducting qualitative
research and has the role of assessing the thoughts and feelings of the study
participants professionally and ethically in collecting the research data
(Combs, 2017; Yin, 2018). The researcher is responsible for selecting the
research participants; collecting the research data through interviews,
document reviews, and observations; and analyzing the data collected
(Merriam & Grenier, 2019). The researcher is the primary data collection
instrument in a qualitative study and collaborates with the study participants
to compile findings (Moser & Korstjens, 2018). In the current study, I was
the primary data collection instrument.
As the researcher for the current study, my role was to identify and
select five project managers as participants from an oil and gas company in
Nigeria who had used stakeholder communication strategies to engage
stakeholders and improve their project performance. My additional roles as
the researcher included interviewing the selected participants; taking notes
during the interviews; audio-recording participants’ responses to interview
questions; and transcribing, coding, and organizing collected data into
themes. As the primary data collection instrument, I ensured the collection
and analysis of rich, informative, and unbiased data for the current study. I
used interview questions (see Appendix A) to answer the research question
and the interview protocol (see Appendix B) to collect data from
participants. I sent a letter of invitation (see Appendix C) to access the
participants and secured their consent with the informed consent form.
In qualitative research, researchers must explain any prior personal or
professional relationships between the researcher and participants before
commencing the data collection (Corlett & Mavin, 2018). I had no prior
personal or professional relationships with the participants in the current
study. As a project manager delivering information technology projects in
the oil and gas industry for over 15 years, I perceived that project managers
struggle with establishing the appropriate communication strategies to
engage stakeholders and improve project performance. Therefore, my
primary motivation for the current study was to establish a robust
understanding of communication strategies project managers in the Nigerian
oil and gas industry use to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance.
Personal perspectives and biases may influence data collection,
analysis, and results of qualitative study interviews (Karagiozis, 2018; Yin,
2018). Researchers must clearly state their experiences, biases, and personal
background so these considerations can add value to the research rather than
undermine the researcher’s interpretations and propositions (Kaiser et al.,
2018; Karagiozis, 2018). To mitigate bias and avoid using my personal
experience, assumptions, and beliefs, I stated my experiences, biases, and
personal background. I used recordings from participants’ interviews and
data collected from company documents for data analysis in the current
study. I interviewed the participants until no new themes emerged to ensure
data saturation. I also avoided including my opinions in the collected data.
Qualitative researchers should ensure the protection of the ethical and
moral rights of the participants by choosing a research methodology that is
protective of the participants from the beginning to the end of the research
process (Abdalla et al., 2018; Collins & Stockton, 2018). I informed the
participants about the risk and benefits of their participation in the study and
guided, respected, and protected them according to respect for persons,
beneficence, and justice in the Belmont Report (1979). I also conducted the
current study in full compliance with the Walden University research
protocols and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) regulations.
Participants
The participants for the current study were five project managers from
a Nigerian oil and gas company who had successfully used communication
strategies to engage stakeholders and improve project performance.
Researchers must select participants with the requisite knowledge and
experience on the research topic (Saunders & Townsend, 2018). Researchers
also need to ensure the participants fit the study to ensure the credibility and
acceptability of the findings (Yin, 2018). To ensure the selection of
participants aligns with the research question, the researcher needs to
establish criteria for participants’ selection (Moser & Korstjens, 2018).
Project managers were required to work in a Nigerian oil and gas company
and to have used communication strategies to engage stakeholders and
improve project performance to participate in the current study. I used a
purposeful sampling technique to select participants who had used
stakeholder communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve
project performance. Qualitative researchers use the purposeful sampling
technique to choose participants who can provide in-depth information about
the phenomenon under investigation (McInnes et al., 2017; Onwuegbuzie &
Hitchcock, 2017).
Researchers should respectfully contact and connect with the study
participants (Riese, 2018; Saldana, 2018). Contact with the potential
participants for the current study was through emails. Then, I made
introductory phone calls to confirm that prospective participants had
successfully used stakeholders’ communication strategies to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance. Following the phone
discussion, I introduced my research objective and confirmed the
participants’ ability to provide the required data. A researcher should create
an atmosphere of trust with the participants to get their best responses
(Madikizela-Madiya, 2017). I explained the purpose of the study and sought
their willingness to participate in the study to create an atmosphere of trust
with them. I did not impose my views on the participants but engaged them
in making decisions in the conduct of the current study.
Researchers must also establish a working relationship with the
participant to encourage openness in sharing information about the research
topic (Kraft et al., 2019). I established good working relationships with all of
the participants before the interviews, respecting their views and cultural
backgrounds and ensuring the protection of their confidentiality to stimulate
their confidence and build trust. Building trust with research participants is
necessary to ensure that the participants provide information to facilitate the
research outcomes (Devlin, 2018; Wall et al., 2018). Researchers use the
case study design to explore complex social practices or systems delimited
by time and place (Yin, 2018). For the current single case study, I focused
on a single oil and gas company with consistent project performance records
operating in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Single case studies provide
valuable information about the consistency of performance in a particular
domain (e.g., a company) and give the researcher an in-depth understanding
of the subject (Diop & Liu, 2020).
Research Method and Design
The three research methods that researchers use are qualitative,
quantitative, and mixed methods (Abutabenjeh, 2018). I used the qualitative
method for the current study. Qualitative designs include case study,
phenomenological, and ethnographic designs (Castleberry & Nolen, 2018). I
used the single case study design to explore the communication strategies
project managers in a Nigerian oil and gas company use to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance.
Method
Research methods and design are fundamental to attaining reliable and
credible research outcomes, which are vital components of the research
process (Abdalla et al., 2018). Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
are the three research methods that researchers use (Corlett & Mavin, 2018).
Researchers may select any of the methods for their study (Merriam &
Grenier, 2019). Factors that can guide the researchers’ choice of research
method include the research question, study phenomenon, and personal
experiences (Devlin, 2018). Researchers use the qualitative research method
to identify new views on a topic under study (Chih & Zwikael, 2015).
Researchers also use the qualitative method to understand problems in their
natural environments, focusing on the why and how of the study
phenomenon (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Qualitative methodology is appropriate for analyzing social issues that
are not quantifiable (Glaser & Strauss, 2017) and is based on research
questions focusing on applied and theoretical findings through a field study
in natural conditions (Park & Park, 2016). Additionally, the qualitative
method enables the researcher to take a holistic view of the topic (Park &
Park, 2016). The qualitative method was the most appropriate research
methodology for the current study. Using open-ended interview questions
and taking a holistic view of the topic, I sought to identify the
communication strategies project managers used to engage stakeholders and
improve project performance.
The quantitative method involves obtaining, analyzing, and
interpreting data to test hypotheses and generalize results to a broader
population (Yin, 2018). Researchers use the quantitative methodology to
generate proven and unproven results (Nan & Sansavini, 2017). Quantitative
research focuses on testing hypotheses and numerical data collection to
conduct statistical analysis (Sheppard, 2016; Yin, 2018). In the quantitative
method, open-ended questions are discouraged because the study’s purpose
is not to offer an in-depth understanding of a phenomenon (Yin, 2018).
Mixed-methods research involves combining quantitative and qualitative
methods in a study, concurrently or sequentially, to understand the
phenomenon of interest (Almeida, 2018). The mixedmethods approach
requires extra time and financial investment to be effective (Ferro, 2017). I
did not use quantitative or mixed methods because my intent was not to
collect and analyze numerical data or test hypotheses. I used the qualitative
approach appropriate for exploring social issues, obtaining in-depth
information from the study participants, and identifying communication
strategies project managers use to engage stakeholders to improve project
performance.
Research Design
In qualitative research, alignment of the research design with the
research method is essential to answer the study's research question (Yin,
2016). The research designs in a qualitative study include (a) case study, (b)
narrative, (c) ethnographic, and (d) phenomenological (Yin, 2016). I
considered three research designs (case study, ethnographic, and
phenomenological designs) and selected the case study design for the current
study. The case study is the best design for conducting an in-depth and
detailed investigation of a single incident, circumstance, or individual within
a defined period to discover experiences in unique contexts (Merriam &
Tisdell, 2016; Yin, 2018). The case study approach focuses on
understanding the characteristics and complexities of a particular case or
bounded system worth exploring (Park & Park, 2016). The case study is also
suitable for exploring the components, interrelationships, and contextual
conditions of the study phenomenon (Kegler et al., 2019).
The single case study design is optimal for contemporary and
exploratory studies to obtain a holistic, real-world perspective by collecting
data from multiple sources (Yin, 2018). The single case study design is also
justifiable when the case represents a revelatory study (Yin, 2018). I chose
the single case study over the ethnographic and phenomenological designs
because I explored the stakeholders’ communication strategies that project
managers from an oil and gas company in Nigeria use to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance.
In ethnographic research, researchers observe the participants’ lived
experiences and emphasize a group’s culture (Bevan, 2014; Taylor-Hyde,
2017). Ethnographic research involves interpreting a phenomenon through a
group’s shared beliefs, behaviors, and experiences (Devlin, 2018).
Ethnographic research requires long periods to gather empirical evidence
(Yin, 2018). The ethnographic design was inappropriate for the current study
because my intent was not to study a group’s culture. The phenomenological
design explores participants’ lived experiences (Saunders et al., 2016;
Taylor-Hyde, 2017; Yuksel & Yildirim, 2015). I did not select a
phenomenological design because my focus was not to explore the meaning
of participants’ lived experiences. I explored the communication strategies
project managers use to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance.
Data saturation occurs when no new themes emerge with additional
data collection (Moser & Korstjens, 2018). Data saturation is a technique
qualitative researchers use to ensure the adequacy of collected data to
achieve rigor and enhance the credibility of the study findings (Cypress,
2017; Florczak, 2017). To enhance data saturation, I continued collecting
and analyzing data from the participants until I could no longer uncover new
information and no new themes emerged. Considering sample size in
qualitative research is essential to ensure adequate collection of information
regarding the phenomenon of the study (Abdalla et al., 2018). The sample
size for the current study consisted of five project managers from an oil and
gas company in Nigeria. The study’s research strategy was semistructured
interviews to enhance credibility, reliability, and validity.
Population and Sampling
Qualitative researchers need to define the target population of their
study (Abdalla et al., 2018) and align the sampling techniques with the
research methodology and phenomenon of the study (Schreier, 2018).
Participants for the current study consisted of five project managers from an
oil and gas company who had successfully used communication strategies to
engage stakeholders and improve project performance. Using the selection
criteria in the current study facilitated selecting participants who could
provide the information required to achieve the research objective. Project
managers must possess the technical and soft skills to facilitate successful
project
delivery (PMI, 2017a). Being members of the chosen PMI chapter enabled
the selection of project managers who were current with the trends in project
management and could provide information to facilitate the study.
In a qualitative study, the sample selection process ensures that the
chosen participants have the requisite attributes to contribute to a qualitative
interview process (Boddy, 2016; Robinson, 2014; Yin, 2018). Qualitative
researchers use purposeful sampling to select participants who can provide
in-depth, detailed information about the phenomenon under investigation
(McInnes et al., 2017; Onwuegbuzie & Hitchcock, 2017). Researchers use
the purposeful sampling method to choose participants with diverse
experiences and knowledge of the topic under consideration (Benoot et al.,
2016; Riley et al., 2018). I used the purposeful sampling method to select
participants with personal experience in developing using stakeholder
communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance. One limitation of the purposeful sampling method is the lack
of clarity on the specific sample to include in a research project (Martínez-
Mesa et al., 2016). I selected project managers who worked in an oil and gas
company and used communication strategies to engage stakeholders and
improve project performance.
Qualitative researchers must select a sample size for their purposeful
sampling to provide relevant knowledge, practices, and experiences that
align with the phenomenon under study (Devlin, 2018). The sample size in a
qualitative study is a critical consideration because it can affect the research
outcomes, impact data saturation, and possibly waste time (Malterud et al.,
2016). The sample size used by a researcher in a qualitative study depends
on the degree of certainty the researcher aims to achieve in the study
(Schreier, 2018). The sample size suitable for a study depends on the
research purpose, the intended quality of the interviews, and the research
theory to enhance the research outcome (Malterud et al., 2016). The suitable
sample size depends on the context and scientific paradigm and can affect
the reliability of the results (Boddy, 2016; Tharenou, 2015). The sample size
for the current study depends on the research purpose and knowledge of the
participants.
Qualitative research focuses more on the quality of the data, the
wealth of information from the participants, and the nature of the study than
the size of the study population (Guest et al., 2017; Roy et al., 2015). Having
fewer than ten interview participants can be sufficient, and large sample
sizes do not necessarily increase the level of accuracy in a data set (Morris et
al., 2015). The sample size for the current study included five project
managers from an oil and gas company in Nigeria who had successfully used
stakeholders’ communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve
project performance.
Data saturation in a qualitative study is the stage in data collection
when collecting additional data does not identify new themes and does not
lead to new insights or ideas (Colombo et al., 2016; Faulkner & Trotter,
2017). Data saturation has become a gold standard in qualitative studies
(Aldiabat & Le Navenec, 2018). Researchers should end the data collection
process once they attain data saturation (Tran et al., 2017). To achieve data
saturation, I interviewed the participants and collected data from the
company documents until I could not identify new themes.
Ethical Research
Ethical research refers to the moral principles that guide the research
process to ensure the researchers, participants, and the public’s protection
throughout the research process (Pandya-Wood et al., 2017). The current
study complied with ethical research standards and rules of conduct and
aligned with the Walden University Institutional Review Board (IRB)
requirements in participant selection, data collection, data protection, and
confidentiality. Data collection began after I had obtained the IRB’s
approval. Walden University’s regulations do not permit students to collect
data before receiving approval from the IRB (Walden University Center for
Research Quality, 2020). The Walden University IRB also requires that
researchers ensure confidentiality of information collected or generated
during the research, and I complied with this requirement. Walden
University’s IRB approval number for the current study is 03-28-
22-0564727.
Researchers should obtain the consent of research participants before
commencing data gathering for their study. Participation in research should
be voluntary, and participants’ recruitment should be without any form of
coercion (Kanonuhwa et al., 2018; Marshall & Rossman, 2016; Syrdal &
Briggs, 2018). Qualitative researchers should meet the ethical research
obligation by providing adequate information about the study so that
potential participants can independently decide their participation in the
research (Chesser et al., 2019). I used the informed consent form to secure
the commitment of potential participants for the study. The informed consent
form contains the purpose of the study, nature of the study, my contact
information, and participants’ signature. The informed consent form also
included the procedure for consenting, right to voluntary participation,
option to withdraw at any time from the study, protection of participant’s
right to privacy, risk, and benefit of participating in the study.
In qualitative research, participants are at liberty to withdraw before or
during the data collection process by informing the researcher of their
decision to withdraw (Merriam & Grenier, 2019). I assured the participants
that their participation was voluntary and that they could withdraw from
participating before, during, or after the interviews if they wanted to do so. I
explained to the participants that signing the informed consent form was an
agreement to abide by the stipulations in the form, including their right to
withdraw their participation without any recourse. Signing the informed
consent form shows that the participants and the researchers have agreed to
pursue the interview following the terms identified in the consent form
(Dekas & McCune, 2015). None of the participants indicated an interest in
withdrawing from the current study.
Each participant received the consent form through email, which they
signed and returned before I interviewed them. Research participants were
informed that the information they provided and all study-related data would
remain confidential and kept secured for five years, in compliance with the
IRB requirements, in an encrypted and password-protected device that I
alone could access. After the five-year IRB retention period, I will reformat
the storage device to erase the data stored permanently. The participants did
not receive any incentives to participants in this research. Giving benefits
and incentives to participants could lead to a compromise (Phillips, 2015). I
conducted the interviews respectfully and professionally, informed the
participants that the study poses no potential risks to their participation, and
advised them to contact the IRB if they have any concerns regarding their
participation or conduct of the interview.
Qualitative researchers face ethical challenges such as withdrawal,
anonymity, and confidentiality of the participants (Ngozwana, 2018). I
protected the participants’ and organization’s anonymity and maintained the
confidentiality of the information collected through the current study. I used
alphanumeric codes (PT1, PT2, … PT5) to identify the participants and used
a hypothetical name for the chosen company for the research. Researchers
are responsible for protecting the identity of study participants and the
companies they represent while ensuring the proper use and safekeeping of
the collated data (Marshall & Rossman, 2016). I ensured data security by
safekeeping all collected data on an encrypted universal serial bus (USB)
device for five years. After the stated duration, I will destroy all the collected
data by reformatting and destroying the USB and shredding all the papers. I
will also shred and discard all paper documents, notes, and journals used for
the study. I ethically protected the participants’ rights following the guidance
of the IRB.
Data Collection Instruments
In a qualitative study, the researcher is the primary instrument for data
collection and analysis (Karagiozis, 2018). I was the primary data collection
instrument in this qualitative single case research. Qualitative research
involves observing the participants, developing the interview questions,
conducting the actual interviews, and reviewing and interpreting the
collected data (Yin, 2018). The most common case study research methods
are interviews, focus groups, reviewing documents, and observations (Yates
& Leggett, 2016). I used semistructured interviews and a review of
organizational documents for the data collection in the current study.
Semistructured interviews are qualitative study instruments for data
collection, allowing researchers to achieve consistency and flexibility
(Dikko, 2016). Karagiozis (2018) asserted that the results of semistructured
interviews collaborate ideas between the researcher and the participant,
leading to a unified view of reality. For the current study, I used
semistructured interview questions as a data collection instrument (see
Appendix A) to obtain information from participants. I conducted the
semistructured interviews for the current study using open-ended interview
questions to explore communication strategies project managers used to
engage stakeholders and improve project performance. Openended questions
in semistructured interviews are ideal for exploring in-depth knowledge and
uncovering rich descriptive data from each study participant (LaDonna et al.,
2018; Rosenthal, 2016).
Each participant in the current study responded to the interview
questions designed to answer the research question. I scheduled the
interviews with each participant, informed them of the interview’s
expectations, and shared the interview protocol (see Appendix B) in
advance. Each interview session lasted 45-60 minutes, scheduled at the
convenience of the participants. I used the interview protocol (see Appendix
B) to facilitate the discussions during the interview process. After the
interviews, I used member checking to authenticate my understanding and
capture participants’ responses. Member checking is when the researcher
returns their interpretations of the collected data to the participants asking
them to review, iterate, edit, add, or delete information (Madill & Sullivan,
2018). Researchers use member checking to facilitate the elimination of
anomalies by aligning the researcher’s understanding of the participant’s
responses to the interview questions (Yin, 2018). Researchers also use
member checking for quality control to enhance accuracy, validity, and
credibility (Abdalla et al., 2018). The member checking process allows
research participants to affirm the accuracy and completeness of the
transcribed interview responses summarized by the researcher and identify
any misrepresentations of their responses, thus improving data reliability
(Birt et al., 2016; Thomas et al., 2017).
The second data collection instrument for the current study was the
project-related company documents in the chosen organization. Document
review is vital in grasping the facts, history, policy environment, and
operationalization of a particular initiative (Hamilton & Finley, 2019). I
reviewed project-related company documentation such as project charters,
policies and project delivery standards and procedures, status reports, audit
reports, and after-action review (AAR) documents as secondary data
collection. Collecting various documents as a secondary data source helps
provide the depth of evidence in research, develop a comprehensive
understanding of the research phenomena, and test validity through the
convergence of information from different sources (Hussein, 2015; Yin,
2018).
In a qualitative study, data triangulation allows researchers to use
multiple data resources to understand the problems they want to solve and
improve their interpretation and analysis of the data they collect (Forrest,
2017; Saunders et al., 2016). The data triangulation process enables the
researcher to compare data through multiple information sources and build a
comprehensive perspective of the phenomenon (Yin, 2018). Methodological
data triangulation and member checking enhance the accuracy, strengthen
the validity and reliability of research findings, and reduce biases (Abdalla et
al., 2018; Devlin, 2018). For the current study, I used the methodological
triangulation of multiple data sources and member checking to enhance the
reliability and validity of the data collected. I examined the various project-
related company documents from the selected company. I used member
checking to verify the accuracy of the information collected from the various
participants during the interviews.
Data Collection Technique
Data collection techniques that qualitative researchers use include
surveys, interviews, direct or participant observation, site visits, video
recording, review of company documents, and a sample of existing data or
records (Anselmi et al., 2018). For the current study, I used the
semistructured interview as the primary data collection technique to answer
the research question. I explored the various communication strategies
project managers used to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance. Semistructured interviews allow researchers to extract in-depth
and rich information from participants about the phenomenon under the
study through open-ended questions (Oltmann, 2016). Researchers can also
gain insight into the study’s phenomena, and participants are allowed to
describe what was essential to them (O’Keeffe et al.,
2016).
A key advantage of semistructured interviews as a data collection
technique is that researchers could develop open-ended questions around
predetermined themes, which facilitates flexibility of the interviews and
encourages follow-up questions to clarify points the participants made
(Barrett & Twycross, 2018). A vital disadvantage of the semistructured
interview technique is the potential to introduce bias in the study due to the
poor structure of questions (Draper et al., 2018). Another disadvantage of
semistructured interviews is the high cost and the potential to delay
completing the interview process (Brinkmann, 2016). Researchers may
influence participants’ responses through interjections, especially when the
participant makes statements that may imply personal opinions (Draper et
al., 2018).
Due to the increasing wave of the global coronavirus (COVID19)
pandemic, faceto-face interviews are not a good option for the interviews. I
conducted the interviews through telephone communication and
teleconferencing. Qualitative research interviews can be face-to-face or
telephone conversations between the researcher and the participants (Farooq
& de Villiers, 2017; Marshall & Rossman, 2016). Teleconferencing is a data
collection technique with shortcomings like poor (weak) internet
connections that could significantly impact video and audio quality leading
to a communication breakdown during the interviews (Almalki, 2016). To
mitigate this challenge of the poor network connection, I switched to direct
telephone calls, which provided a more stable connection. I also had a
backup internet connection and a standby telephone. I advised the
participants to have a backup phone number if we lose the internet
connection on the primary device.
I conducted the interviews using the same interview questions (see
Appendix A) for all participants and followed the guidelines in the interview
protocol (see Appendix B). I provided all participants with the informed
consent form to understand the purpose of the study and sign the document
as legal consent to participate in the study. Using the same interview
questions and following the guidelines of the interview protocol for all
participants enhances consistency in a study (Mulder & de Bruijne, 2019).
During the interviews, I recorded the participants’ responses using two audio
recording devices to mitigate the potential risk of data loss due to device
failure. Using two audio recording devices ensured the accuracy and
credibility of the collected data. Recording of the interviews started after the
participants had agreed to the recording. During the interview, I periodically
checked the recording devices to ensure they were working correctly and
politely informed the participant when it was time to move to another
question, thereby maintaining focus, controlling the process, and ensuring a
successful meeting. I used methodological triangulation of multiple data
sources and member checking to verify the accuracy of the information
collected from participants to enhance the validity and reliability of the data
collection process. Researchers use member checking for quality control to
enhance accuracy, validity, and credibility (Abdalla et al., 2018).
I reviewed project-related company documents to search for
communication strategies project managers use to engage stakeholders and
improve project performance. First, I requested and secured access to the
company document archive through the government parastatal regulating oil
and gas companies in Nigeria. Next, I requested the project-related
documents through the document archive manager. Once granted access, I
gathered relevant documents and extracted the essential data to support the
data collated during the interviews. Documents are valuable data acquisition
sources with standard, diverse, readily accessible, and reliable data.
(Harrison & Walker, 2018; Walker, 2018). Documentation review comes
with advantages: constantly referring to the documents whenever necessary,
having consistent content, being inexpensive, and being a reliable source of
truth (Harrison & Walker, 2018; Walker, 2018). A significant disadvantage
of documentation review is that collecting, reviewing, and analyzing many
records to consider can be time-consuming and not necessarily a good
experience for researchers (Harry & Fenton, 2016). I mitigated this
disadvantage by requesting project communication protocol documents and
other documents related to project communication and information sharing
with stakeholders.
Data Organization Techniques
Research data organization is a process researchers use to enhance the
reliability and credibility of the study (Lindlof & Tylor, 2019). Effective
organization and documentation of research data are essential for ease of
data retrieval and enhanced confidentiality and protection of research
participants (Barrett & Twycross, 2018). For ease of accessibility, data
protection, and data loss prevention, I collected, labeled, and stored all
collected data in folders on my computer, with backup copies in multiple
external hard drives.
Audio recording, taking notes, and collecting data from multiple
sources enhance qualitative data analysis and enable researchers to organize
research data (Devlin, 2018). In the interview protocol for this research, I
specified the procedure for organizing data and documents such as digital
recording, notes taking, data transcription, and data analysis using NVivo 12
software. Qualitative researchers use the NVivo software to code a large
volume of textual data into themes and organize data in hierarchical order
(Lowe et al., 2018). I used the NVivo 12 software to code and categorized
the collected data into themes and analyzed and interpreted the data to
establish the communication strategies project managers use to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance.
Participants’ identity protection through coding and labeling is one
primary element of the data organization process (Lindlof & Tylor, 2019). I
assigned unique codes to interview data for analysis, and during the coding
process, I protected the participants by not using any individual or company
names. Researchers are responsible for protecting the identity of study
participants and the companies they represent while ensuring the proper use
and safekeeping of the collected data (Marshall & Rossman,
2016). I used alphanumeric codes (PT1, PT2, …PT5) to identify the
participants and protect their identities. Data masking provides data security
and hides the participants’ identities, and data encryption and storage in
password-protected devices ensure data security (Adams, 2017; Ogigau-
Neamţiu, 2017).
Researchers must maintain records to keep track of their data
(Marshall & Rossman, 2016). I organized the research data using a research
log created in Microsoft Excel to capture the participants’ responses in the
rows and the interview questions in the columns of the Microsoft Excel file.
Organizing the participant’s responses to the interview questions in the
Microsoft Excel file makes it easy to import into NVivo for analysis. I safely
locked all collected material from the interview, including the audio records,
notes from document reviews, and all digitized data, in a passworded
electronic storage device for five years. All data collected in hard copies
were stored in a confidential file, locked in a fireproof safe, and accessible to
me alone. After five years, I will delete all the audio records, digitized data,
and electronic records and shred all the paper documents.
Data Analysis
Using multiple data sources in a qualitative case study ensures the
findings’ richness, validity, and reliability (Yin, 2018). The data analysis
process converges several information sources, making the research findings
more convincing (Archibald, 2016; Saunders et al., 2016; Yin, 2018). The
qualitative researcher analyzes data to identify patterns and themes to help
answer the research question (Devlin, 2018). Data collected through
semistructured interviews are narrative. To analyze the data collected
through the interviews and review of company documents for the current
study, I used the methodological triangulation process to enhance the
credibility of the study.
Methodological triangulation includes the combination of data collection
methods like interviews, review of company documents, observations, and
focus groups to compare data from multiple sources, improve interpretation
and analysis of the data and understand a phenomenon (Abdalla et al., 2018;
Forrest, 2017; Gibson, 2017). I analyzed the data collected through the
interviews and reviewed company documents to identify common themes.
I used NVivo software to import collected interview data captured in
Microsoft
Excel, organized the imported data, and evaluated and analyzed the data to
develop and record themes relevant to answering the research question.
Using NVivo facilitated the reviewing, refining, and merging of the collated
data into themes. The NVivo software package was user-friendly, can
analyze open-ended questions, and enables the thematic coding of
categories. Researchers use NVivo to process non-numeric data such as
interviews, surveys, literature reviews, and data extracted from reviewed
company documents (Zamawe, 2015). NVivo is also used in qualitative
research to review, merge, and refine collated interview data, enhancing
research information (Harif & Hoe, 2018). After establishing and recording
the key themes using NVivo, I looked for emerging themes that would
facilitate answering the research question and were relevant to the study’s
objective. I compared the emerging themes from the data analysis with the
conceptual framework, which was the stakeholders’ theory. Researchers
must establish a correlation between the conceptual framework and the study
findings (Sutton & Austin, 2015). I further used member checking to
authenticate the data analysis process.
Reliability and Validity
Reliability and validity are two significant aspects of qualitative
research. Demonstrating validity and reliability in a qualitative case study
helps ensure the research’s correctness and accuracy (Combs, 2017; Yin,
2018). Validity and reliability are crucial to managing researchers’ biases
which can easily influence data interpretations and the results of qualitative
research (Cypress, 2017). Reflexivity, member checking, and triangulation
are strategies researchers could use to improve research validity and
reliability significantly in qualitative studies (Caretta & Pérez, 2019; Madill
& Sullivan, 2018).
Reliability
Reliability in qualitative research involves obtaining consistency in
the quality of research outcomes to produce a meaningful explanation of the
phenomena (Collingridge & Gantt, 2019). Researchers achieve reliability in
the qualitative study when the results are consistent, dependable, and
replicable by other researchers over time (Cypress, 2017). Reliability in
qualitative research depends on the adequacy of data that consistently
supports the research procedures and analysis (Spiers et al., 2018). Data
collection and analysis techniques are essential in achieving reliable and
consistent results in qualitative research. Qualitative researchers must apply
rigorous data collection and analysis to demonstrate research credibility
(Cronin, 2014).
Research credibility is necessary because qualitative research is
descriptive, subjective, and prone to biases. Researchers use the concepts of
dependability, creditability, transferability, and confirmability to
demonstrate credible alignment between research data and study findings
(Devlin, 2018). For the current study, I used the interview protocol (see
Appendix B) to ensure the consistency of the research data. I provided
evidence of reliability by documenting each step of the research process.
Qualitative researchers show reliability in their study by documenting the
research process and demonstrating consistency using the interview protocol
(Hadi & Closs, 2016). I applied member checking to foster the validity and
reliability of the current study's findings.
Dependability in qualitative research reflects the transparency and
accuracy of research procedures, consistency in research methodology, data
collection, and data analysis (Tong & Dew, 2016). Researchers use
strategies to address the dependability of qualitative research and improve
research accuracy, validity, and reliability, including methodological
triangulation, member checking, audit trail of field notes, and interview
protocols (Combs, 2017; Dikko, 2016; Forrest, 2017). For the current study,
I established the dependability of the findings through member checking and
interview protocol. Member checking is a method for validating researcher
interpretations during data collection and analysis (Doh & Quigley, 2014). I
performed member checking to enhance the validity and reliability of the
data from the interviews, deepen knowledge, and enhance the credibility of
the data.
Researchers use member checking to facilitate the elimination of
anomalies by aligning the researcher’s understanding of the participant’s
responses to the interview questions (Yin, 2018). The member checking
process allows research participants to affirm the accuracy and completeness
of the transcribed interview responses summarized by the researcher and
identify any misrepresentations of their responses, thus improving data
reliability (Birt et al., 2016; Thomas et al., 2017). I offered the participants
the opportunity to review and verify the written summary of my
interpretation of their responses to the interview questions, which I recorded
on the audio devices during the interview process.
Validity
In qualitative research, validity refers to truthfulness in research
quality and the state of being justifiable, relevant, meaningful, and well-
founded (Cypress, 2017).
Researchers define validity as rigorously choosing a suitable research
methodology and justifiably applying the chosen methodology to answer a
research question (Collingridge & Gantt, 2019). I l established validity in the
current study through member checking by sharing my written summary of
the transcribed interview responses with the participants to confirm the
accuracy. In a qualitative study, research validity can influence reliability,
credibility, transferability, and confirmability (Beato, 2017; Thomas et al.,
2017). In the following subsection, I discussed how I established credibility,
transferability, confirmability, and data saturation.
Credibility
Credibility is about the research’s trustworthiness and acceptability of
the research findings (Hadi & Closs, 2016; Keil et al., 2014). The credibility
of a study depends on the accuracy, consistency, and interconnections of the
concepts with research findings (Yin, 2018). Merriam and Tisdell (2016)
suggested that researchers achieve credibility and triangulation using
multiple methods, multiple data sources, and crosschecking the primary data
source against other sources. I achieved credibility in the current study
through triangulation by comparing participants’ responses to projectrelated
company documents.
Transferability
Transferability is the possibility of transferring the findings from a
given context into another (Keil et al., 2014; Noble & Smith, 2015).
Qualitative researchers could achieve transferability through purposeful
sampling (Tran et al., 2016) and a detailed description of the phenomenon
(Bradshaw et al., 2017). Transferability is also the extent to which the
findings of a qualitative study apply to other contexts, settings, or
participants (Devlin, 2018). To achieve transferability, I gave a complete
description of the research design, the data collection processes, the
participant population, and their experiences in applying stakeholder
communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance.
Confirmability
The confirmability of research refers to the extent to which the study
is unbiased and objective (Ibrahim & Edgley, 2015). Most qualitative
researchers use confirmability to ascertain the data, the interpretations, the
transcriptions, and the findings that originate from the information collected
on the phenomenon of inquiry. Bradshaw et al. (2017) argued that member
checking is one way to support confirmability. Through member checking, I
achieved confirmability and precluded any biases I might introduce in the
current study.
Data Saturation
Data saturation enhances research validity and occurs when data and
information from new themes or categories have been exhausted in data
analysis (Fusch & Ness, 2015; Hennink et al., 2017; McCrae & Purssell,
2016). I achieved data saturation by exhaustively conducting the interviews
following the interview protocol (see Appendix B), asking the interview
questions (see Appendix A), and extracting detailed information from the
participants by asking follow-up questions until no new data or themes
emerged. I also extracted relevant data from company documents and
conducted a detailed analysis of the collected data using the NVivo software.
Transition and Summary
The current study aimed to explore the stakeholder communication
strategies that project managers use to engage stakeholders and improve
project performance. Section 2 contains discussions on the reason for the
study and why a qualitative case study was the best option for the research.
Section 2 covers discussions on the research methods and design, the
population and sampling, the ethical research process, the data collection
instruments and techniques, data analysis, data organization techniques, and
data analysis. I concluded the section with the study’s reliability and
validity. In Section 3, I presented the overview of the study and research
findings, application to professional practice, and implications for social
change. Finally, I concluded the study by making recommendations for
action by the project managers and future studies, reflections, and summary
and study conclusions.
Section 3: Application to Professional Practice and Implications for
Change
In this qualitative single case study, I explored project managers’
communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance. Five project managers from an oil and gas company in Nigeria
who had successfully implemented communication strategies to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance participated in the current
study. I identified four themes based on data analysis from participant
interviews and company document reviews. These themes were (a) clear
message and written communication, (b) frequent engagement, (c)
transparency and sincerity, and (d) active listening and communication plan.
The study findings indicated that some project managers use a combination
of established communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve
the project performance of their oil and gas company in Nigeria. Section 3
includes the presentation of findings, application to professional practice,
implications for social change, recommendations for action and further
study, reflections, and a conclusion.
Presentation of the Findings
The overarching research question was: What communication
strategies do project managers use to engage stakeholders and improve
project performance? Inadequate communication with stakeholders in a
project can lead to project failure (Biganeh & Young, 2021). Therefore,
project managers could establish stakeholder expectations by applying
appropriate communication strategies (Rajhans, 2018). I used the
triangulation method to combine the data collected from semistructured
interviews and company archival documents. These documents included
project charters, policies and project delivery standards and procedures,
status reports, audit reports, after-action review documents, and field notes.
Upon completing the interview with the fifth participant, I concluded that no
new information or themes were emerging, indicating that I had reached data
saturation. Using NVivo 12 software, I organized the study data and
conducted the thematic analysis to identify emerging themes and trends for
data analysis and interpretation.
In many organizations, project managers’ ineffective stakeholder
communication strategies have led to unsuccessful project performance
(Gupta et al., 2019; Majeed et al., 2021). Consequently, project managers
must pay attention to communication with stakeholders to understand their
expectations, address issues that may arise, manage conflicting interests, and
promote stakeholders’ commitment to improving project performance
(Riahi, 2017). Effective communication is one of the main elements of
project management and the basis for project performance in any
organization (Samáková et al., 2018). The four themes I identified in the
current study were (a) clear message and written communication, (b)
frequent engagement, (c) transparency and sincerity, and (d) active listening
and communication plan. Table 2 presents participants’ responses and the
themes that emerged from the data analysis.
Table 2
Theme Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question
5
Clear message and
written
communication
Frequent engagement
Transparency and
sincerity
Active listening and
communication plan
P1, P4
P1, P3, P5
P1, P2, P4
P3, P4, P5
P1, P4
P1, P2, P3
P2, P4,
P4, P5
P1, P3, P4,
P5
None
None
None
P1, P2,
P3, P4, P5
P1, P2,
P4, P5
P4, P5
P3
P4
P1, P3,
P5
P2, P4,
P5
P5
Development of Themes
Theme 1: Clear Message and Written Communication
Project managers could improve project performance by using
effective communication strategies to engage stakeholders (Lauren, 2018;
Singh & Jankovitz, 2018). In project communication, project managers
should clarify the project scope and targets and provide information that
identifies the project’s purposes, products, services to deliver, and expected
stakeholder benefits (Butt et al., 2016; Suleiman, 2022;
Verghese, 2017). The first theme from the interview data was a clear
message and written communication, reflecting the importance of clear
communication with stakeholders. Table 3 presents the frequencies of the
responses by the participants on the theme of clear message and written
communication strategies.
Table 3
Clear Message and Written Communication: Participants’ Responses and
Frequencies
Participant Frequency of use by
participants
P1 9
P2 4
P3 2
P4
P5
7
4
The theme of a clear message and written communication emerged
from the interview data. All participants affirmed using clear messages and
written communications as a strategy to engage stakeholders and improve
project performance. Responding to Interview Question 1, P1 said “my two
strongest strategies are frequent connect with and clear message to the
stakeholders.” According to P1, “also key to the success of my project
performance is the clarity of my communication with my project
stakeholders. Clarity of communication engenders the stakeholders’
visibility and transparency of project progress.” On further inquiry, P1
assured “with clear communication, project purpose and specific delivery
expectations are well known to internal and external stakeholders leading to
excellent project performance.” In response to Interview Question 1, P4
explained “I make sure my communication to them is clear. I present a clear,
concise, and purposeful message to them.” Responding to Interview
Question 2, P1 affirmed “my experience is that clear communicating help in
building trust and fosters transparency and authenticity with the
stakeholders.” P4 stated that stakeholders “are usually willing even to have
one-on-one engagements with me to clarify any grey areas they may have.”
In response to Interview Question 3, P1 noted “for some stakeholders,
written communication is better since you cannot speak their language.”
Responding to Interview Question 3, P3 remarked “the strongest challenge I
have faced is that of stakeholders misunderstanding the messages or report I
sent to them. I discovered that this problem is caused mainly due to my use
of too many technical words.” In response to Interview Question 3, P4
attested “a major challenge I have experienced in communication is the
misunderstanding of the report.” P5 asserted “major challenges I have faced
implementing these communication strategies are cultural differences and
wrong perception of the intent of the message.” The participants
acknowledged that clear messages and written communications are critical
in engaging stakeholders and improving project performance.
Responding to Interview Question 4, P1 opined “the challenge with
language is a matter of clarity in communication.” Providing further
narrative, P1 added “as a project manager, I try to focus on the clarity of my
language when communicating with stakeholders, and that is because I am
accountable for what I say, how I say it, and even how my stakeholders
understand it.” On further inquiry, P1 explained “if they misunderstand it, I
will be the one to correct the impressions later, and that would have possibly
impacted by project negatively if not detected and corrected on time.” In
response to Interview Question 4, P2 asserted “I also try to make them sign
that any change to the agreed expectations may require change
management.” P3 noted “nowadays, I ensure the reports I send to the
stakeholders are written with simple words that are easy to understand.”
Responding to Interview Question 4, P4 remarked “I try to write my
project reports and any communication to the stakeholders in a very simple
format to understand.” In response to Interview Question 4, P5 affirmed
“through sending clear messages, I have been able to manage the wrong
perceptions of the intent of the messages.” Responding to Interview
Question 5, P4 commented “I can easily refer to past communications and
agreements to prevent misunderstandings of my messages.” P4 noted
“showing to the stakeholders what was agreed in the past that they endorsed
helps prevent delays in the decision by the stakeholders, especially with
multiyear projects that may have experienced some scope or timeline
changes.”
The company document provided by P2 was the project
communication plan that contained the communication protocol. The
communication protocol contained the process of communicating with the
stakeholders and who is responsible for reviewing and approving the written
communication before sharing it with the stakeholders. The communication
protocol also contained information about what to share with each
stakeholder or stakeholder group and the communication’s time, method,
and frequency.
The participants’ responses to the interview question confirmed
knowledge of the discipline aligning with Rankinen et al.’s (2022),
Suleiman’s (2022), and Verghese’s (2017) statements that project managers
use clear messages and written communications to engage stakeholders and
improve project performance. The current study findings demonstrated that
project managers used clear messages and written communications as a
communication strategy for engaging stakeholders and improving project
performance. All participants attested to using clear messages and written
communications as a communication strategy to engage stakeholders and
improve project performance.
Theme 2: Frequent Engagement
Consistent engagement of stakeholders throughout a project life cycle
is critical to improving the project performance. Conversely, if project
managers fail to adopt effective communication strategies or apply
incomplete or ineffective communication with the stakeholders, it could lead
to project failures (Storey et al., 2017). Frequent and effective stakeholder
communication is a strategy that project managers use to ensure timely
completion of projects and improved productivity (Parks, 2018). The theme
of frequent engagement emerged from Interview Questions 1–2 and 4–5. All
but one participant used frequent engagement as a communication strategy
to engage stakeholders and improve project performance. Table 4 presents
the frequency of participants’ responses to the frequent engagement theme.
Table 4
Frequent Engagement: Participants’ Responses and Frequencies
Participant Frequency of use by
participants
P1 8
P2 0
P3 1
P4
P5
1
7
Project managers could gain the trust of their stakeholders by timely
and accurate sharing of work execution, delivery, and progress information
with them, affirming the need for project managers to build trust with their
stakeholders through frequent communication (Amiri et al., 2022; Ruben &
Gigliotti, 2017). Responding to Interview Question 1, P1 opined “my two
strongest strategies are frequent connect with and clear message to the
stakeholders. I ensure regular and frequent communication with my project
stakeholders.” According to P1, “with this strategy, I give updates on the
project progress to the stakeholders and get inputs from them that help me
progress my projects in the right direction, leading to success.” P1 could
connect with the stakeholders
“through meetings, email communications, or even conference calls.” In
response to Interview Question 1, P3 commented “my strategy is to identify
all stakeholders early in the project, engage them to understand their
expectations, and establish their communication requirements, mode, and
frequency.” Responding to Interview Question 1, P5 remarked “during the
project delivery, I make sure the communication plan is implemented
effectively so that all the stakeholders are engaged according to their
requirements and preferred methods.”
In response to Interview Question 2, P1 attested “my experience is
that communicating clearly and frequently with stakeholders helps build
trust and fosters transparency and authenticity with the stakeholders.”
According to P1, “frequent communication with stakeholders builds a
dynamic relationship between the stakeholders and the project managers to
enhance stakeholder experience and align the project’s goals with
stakeholder expectations.” Responding to Interview Question 2, P2 stated
“with regular and timely sharing of project progress updates to the
stakeholders, project managers can ensure the effectiveness of the strategy.”
In response to Interview Question 2, P3 noted “my experience is that I have
been very successful with these strategies because I involve them on time
and communicate with them as they require.”
I reviewed 2 AAR documents for recently completed projects and one
project audit report from P1. The AAR documents were detailed and specific
about the recommendation from project stakeholders on the effective
management of project communication frequency. This document review
made it apparent that although stakeholders appreciate receiving frequent
updates about the project, some may not appreciate overly frequent reporting
unless there are milestone achievements to be shared. My findings from the
review of the project audit report document also received from P1 supported
this position that neither infrequent nor too frequent communication appeals
to stakeholders.
In response to Interview Question 4, P1 noted “when I sense apathy
caused by the frequency of communicating with the stakeholders, I reduce
the frequency to such stakeholders. Instead of sending them weekly updates,
I may send monthly summaries.” In agreement, P2 stated “to manage the
divergent expectation of the stakeholders, I ensure timely involvement of the
stakeholders and reach an agreement early in the project of what they
expect.” Responding to Interview Question 4, P4 attested “where I find out
that a stakeholder has had a bitter experience in the past, … I communicate
with them more frequently to give updates.” In response to Interview
Question 4, P5 asserted “through periodic communications of the project
status, I have been able to manage the wrong perceptions of the intent of the
messages.”
Responding to Interview Question 5, P1 remarked, “I also use
communication methods that the stakeholders prefer.” According to P1,
“recognize that each person or community is different and select the most
suitable communication channel - email, online platforms, social media,
phone, or in-person group meetings.” P1 advised, “offer them the options
and let them choose what works for them, including the frequency of
communication and how detailed they want the reports.” In response to
Interview Question 5, P3 affirmed, “I make sure I provide periodic feedback
to stakeholders on how their interest in the project is being covered and
updates on how we are addressing any issues they raised.” Responding to
Interview Question 5, P5 affirmed, “offer the stakeholders a variety of
communication channels and frequency options and establish what works
best for each stakeholder group (email, social media, phone calls, and
inperson group meetings.).”
Parks (2018), Rankinen et al. (2022), and Ruben and Gigliotti (2017)
stated that project managers use frequent engagement as a communication
strategy for engaging stakeholders, building trust, and improving project
performance. The participant’s responses to the interview question aligned
with the assertion by Parks, Rankinen, and Gigliotti. The study findings
demonstrated that project managers used frequent engagement as a
communication strategy for engaging stakeholders and improving project
performance. As applied in the current study, all the participants attested to
using frequent engagement as a communication strategy for engaging
stakeholders and improving project performance.
Theme 3: Transparency and Sincerity
Effective communication with stakeholders is essential for
successfully delivering any project (Badewi, 2016; Rajhans, 2018; Suleiman,
2022). Effective communications management creates a culture that
promotes trust between the project manager and the stakeholders,
encourages stakeholder participation in project decision making, and
improves project performance (Shakeri & Khalilzadek, 2020). The theme of
transparency and sincerity emerged from Interview Questions 1-2 and 4-5.
Three participants recognized the importance of transparency and sincerity
in engaging stakeholders and improving project performance confirming the
assertion by Suleiman (2022) that poor, infrequent, and unclear
communication with stakeholders is one of the root causes of project failure.
Table 5 presents the frequencies of participants’ responses on the theme
“transparency and sincerity.”
Table 5
Transparency and Sincerity: Participants’ Responses and Frequencies
Participant Frequency of use by
participants
P1 2
P2 5
P3 0
P4
P5
2
0
Effective communication with stakeholders in a project contributes to
the project’s visibility and drives transparency with internal and external
stakeholders (Ogrezeanu et al., 2017; Van Royen et al., 2022). In response to
Interview Question 1, P2 attested, “transparency in communication is the
major strategy I use for communicating with my project stakeholders.”
According to P2, “communicating transparently with stakeholders makes
them trust you and feel comfortable working with you as a project manager
and make them communicate their expectations clearly with you.” On
further inquiry, P2 explained, “project managers use transparent
communication to ensure that all stakeholders are aligned with the project
objectives and their roles to ensure the achievement of the project objective.”
Responding to Interview Question 1, P4 said, “I also try to be sincere and
consistent in my communication to the stakeholders.” In response to
Interview Question 2, P2 stated, “project managers gain the trust of their
stakeholders by transparently and accurately sharing work execution,
delivery, and progress information.” Responding to Interview Question 2, P4
asserted, “because I tell them the truth about the project, they trust their
interests are covered.”
I reviewed the project delivery standards and procedures document
provided by P4. I also reviewed the AAR and audit report documents
provided by P5. Findings from the project delivery standards and procedures
document I reviewed indicated transparent and sincere communication with
stakeholders as a requirement for project managers. My findings from the
reviewed AAR and audit report documents show that stakeholders also
appreciate honest and transparent communication from project managers and
the project teams. One of the recommendations in the reviewed audit report
document was for organizations to adopt project communication policies
that demand honest and transparent communication from project managers.
Responding to Interview Question 4, P4 remarked, “When I find out
that a stakeholder has had a bitter experience in the past, I try to be very
transparent in communicating with such stakeholders.” In response to
Interview Question 4, P5 commented, “through transparency in
communication, I managed the wrong perceptions of the intent of the
messages.” Responding to Interview Question 5, P2 advised, “be open-
minded and curious so you can better understand the concerns and
requirements of your stakeholders. Being open and curious will help to
understand the stakeholders better.” In response to Interview Question 5, P4
attested, “in addition, when sharing information with stakeholders, I try to be
honest, factual, and present the message in a format that is easy to
understand.” Responding to Interview Question 5, P5 opined, “…telling the
stakeholders clearly how you plan to achieve their goals on the project and
cover their interests along with that of your organization.”
The participant’s responses to the interview question aligned with
Shakeri and Khalilzadek’s (2020), Rajhans’s (2018), and Van Royenet al.’s
(2022) statements that project managers use transparency and sincerity as a
communication strategy for engaging stakeholders and improving project
performance. The study findings demonstrated that project managers used
transparency and sincerity as a communication strategy to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance. As applied in the current
study, three participants used transparency and sincerity as a communication
strategy to engage stakeholders and improve project performance.
Theme 4: Active Listening and Communication Plan
Effective communication management is a strategic tool for managing
stakeholders and their varied requirements (Rajhans, 2018; Williams, 2017).
Project managers must agree on their projects’ critical success factors to
achieve improved project performance (Dziekonski, 2017). To communicate
effectively, project managers must establish a proper communication
management plan that defines involved parties, determine what information
to share, and the appropriate tools and methods to facilitate the sharing
(Marcillo-Delgado et al., 2022; Taleb et al., 2017). The theme of active
listening and communication plan emerged from Interview Questions 1-2
and 4-5. Three participants acknowledged using active listening and
communication plan as a communication strategy for engaging stakeholders
and improving project performance. Table 6 presents the frequencies of
participants’ responses on the theme “active listening and communication
plan.”
Table 6
Active Listening and Communication Plan: Participants’ Responses and
Frequencies
Participant Frequency of use by
participants
P1 0
P2 0
P3 2
P4 4
P5 5
Project managers create communication plans to identify project
stakeholders, prepare a strategy to manage their expectations, and provide
them with the correct information at the right time through positive
communication (Marcillo-Delgado et al., 2022; Rajhans, 2018). A manager
with active listening skills can effectively assess a problem, diagnose a
solution, and help minimize mistakes in the project team and the larger
organization (Sfantou et al., 2017). Responding to Interview Question 1, P3
opined, “all this information gathered is what I use to develop a
communication plan that addresses the communication requirement of all the
stakeholders.” In response to Interview Question 1, P4 commented, “I listen
actively to the stakeholders. Actively listening to them gives them a sense of
trust when I communicate to them.” Responding to Interview Question 1, P5
remarked, “then I use this established requirement to develop a
communication plan as part of my project setup.”
I reviewed the project delivery plan document provided by P5. My
findings indicate the need for project managers to develop a robust project
communication plan to engage their stakeholders and improve project
performance effectively. My review of the audit report document also
provided by P5 indicates the need for project managers to listen to their
stakeholders to establish communication and other requirements they can
integrate into their project delivery and communication plan documents.
Project team members should have a better understanding of their
tasks and responsibilities and adopt a well-designed communication plan to
increase their chances of achieving their project goals (Kopmann et al.,
2017; Mochales & Blanch, 2022). By establishing clear communication
strategies to engage their stakeholders, project managers could improve their
project performance (Oppong et al., 2017). In response to Interview
Question 2, P4 noted, “that tells me they also want to listen to me just as I
actively listen to them.” Responding to Interview Question 2, P5 asserted,
“because I capture the stakeholder requirements in my communication plan
and implement accordingly, I meet their communication needs, … they trust
me, and I receive their active support which helps improve my project
delivery.” In response to Interview Question 4, P3 said, “I also ensure that
the reports cover the requirements of each stakeholder as established in the
communication plan.” Responding to Interview Question 5, P5 advised
project managers, “share your established communication plan with the
stakeholders.”
The participants’ responses to the interview question aligned with
Kopmann et al.’s (2017), Marcile-Delgado et al.’s (2022), and Sfantou et
al.’s (2017) statements that project managers use active listening and
communication plan as a communication strategy to engage stakeholders
and improve project performance. The study findings demonstrated that
project managers used active listening and communication plan as a
communication strategy for engaging stakeholders and improving project
performance. As applied in the current study, three participants attested
using active listening and communication plan as a communication strategy
to engage stakeholders and improve project performance.
Findings Related to Stakeholder Theory
The stakeholder theory has evolved to ensure organizations’ full
consideration of stakeholder interests in their decision, thereby making the
theory applicable to many industries (Freeman et al., 2010). Stakeholders
could play significant roles in the performance of an organization
(Mahalingam, 2022; Sancho et al., 2018); hence organizations must integrate
stakeholders into the decision making process (MarcilloDelgado et al., 2022;
Mir & Pinnington, 2014). Mahalingam’s and Sancho et al.’s elements of
stakeholder integration were present in the theme of transparency and
sincerity in communication, which enables project managers to gain the trust
of stakeholders and improve project performance. Stakeholders could have
varied requirements yet interdependent relationships (Aaltonen & Kujala,
2016; Van Royen et al., 2022). Project managers’ effective stakeholder
communication may improve project delivery and facilitate business
performance (Thompson, 2016). The theme of active listening and
communication plan was present in Aaltonen and Kujala’s, Van Royen et
al.’s statement about varied stakeholder requirements and the need for
project managers to cover these varied stakeholder requirements in their
communication plan adequately. The study findings indicate that project
managers could engage stakeholders and improve project performance by
implementing communication strategies based on stakeholder theory. As
applied in the current study, all participants affirmed using communication
strategies to engage stakeholders and improve project performance.
According to Thompson (2016) on stakeholder theory, effective
stakeholder communication is critical to successful business improvement
through successful project delivery. The primary purpose of communications
within an organization for internal and external stakeholders is for the
stakeholders to understand and buy into the company objectives to improve
their performance and achieve the business goal. Based on the themes
presented by participants in the current study, Thompson’s elements were
present regarding the impact of effective communication. Also present was
Stieb’s (2009) element of securing stakeholders’ commitment to project
delivery success. The theme of a clear message and written communication,
as was presented by the participants critical in engaging stakeholders to
improve project performance.
Stakeholders’ interests may change at different stages of the project
delivery life cycle (Aaltonen & Kujala, 2016). Adequately engaging
stakeholders in the organization’s processes could enhance stakeholders’
confidence, loyalty, and support to improve the organization’s performance
(Rankinen et al., 2022; Seay, 2015). As the current study applies, project
managers should establish communication strategies for engaging
stakeholders and improving project performance. Seay’s assertions on the
adequate engagement of stakeholders manifested in the theme of frequent
engagement of stakeholders to secure their support and improve project
performance. All participants confirmed the stakeholder theory regarding
using communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve project
performance. As applied in the current study, all participants’ responses
echoed Rankinen et al.’s (2022), Seay’s (2015), and Thompson’s (2016)
statements on using communication strategies based on the stakeholder
theory to engage stakeholders and improve project performance.
In applying the stakeholder theory, business leaders are encouraged to
develop business models that integrate stakeholders in the business decision
making process to enhance value creation and organizational sustainability
(Freudenreich et al., 2019). The stakeholder theory also indicates that firms
focus on economic values and stakeholderbased performance measures
instead of only on economic factors and making money for the shareholders
(Suleiman, 2022; Wood et al., 2021). As applied in the current study, project
managers used various communication strategies to engage stakeholders and
improve project performance. All participants’ responses echoed
Freudenreich et al.’s (2019), Suleiman’s (2022), and Wood et al.’s (2021)
assertions on the crucial roles project managers play in engaging
stakeholders and improving project performance. All participants used a
combination of strategies involving clear message and written
communication, frequent engagement, transparency and sincerity, and active
listening and communication plan to engage stakeholders and improve their
project performance. As applied in the current study, all participants applied
the stakeholder theory principles to engage the stakeholders and improve
their project performance.
Applications to Professional Practice
Identifying the communication strategies that project managers use to
engage stakeholders and improve project performance is crucial to the global
economy (Biganeh &Young, 2021). Inadequate communication with
stakeholders in a project can lead to the failure of the project (Biganeh &
Young, 2021; Suleiman, 2022). Effective communications management
creates a culture that promotes trust between the project manager and the
stakeholders, encourages stakeholder participation in project decision
making, and improves project performance (Shakeri & Khalilzadek, 2020).
Stakeholders can influence project delivery success by defining the success
criteria for the project (Slunge et al., 2017). Project managers could improve
project performance by using effective communication strategies to engage
stakeholders (Lauren, 2018; Singh & Jankovitz, 2018). All participants
affirmed using communication strategies to engage stakeholders and
improve project performance. The current study’s findings could contribute
to business practice by providing project managers with a better
understanding and knowledge of communication strategies needed to engage
stakeholders for improved project performance. The findings from the
current study could contribute to the literature on project management and
provide project managers with new insight regarding communication
strategies to engage stakeholders and improve project performance. New and
upcoming project managers may use the current study's findings grouped
under the four themes below to understand the communication strategies for
engaging stakeholders and improving their project performance.
Clear Message and Written Communication
To deliver a clear message, project managers should clarify the project
scope and targets and provide information that identifies the project’s
purposes, products, services to deliver, and expected stakeholder benefits
(Butt et al., 2016; Rankinen et al., 2022; Verghese, 2017). Project managers
may need to identify project stakeholders, their communication needs,
preferred methods of communication, the level of details they want, their
education, their culture, and provide information that meets such
requirements. To deliver written communication, project managers need to
improve their writing skills, use a template, and develop a robust
communication plan to gain the trust of their stakeholders and improve their
project performance (Amiri et al., 2022; Van Royen et al., 2022).
Frequent Engagement
Project managers build trust with their stakeholders through frequent
communication (Rankinen et al., 2022; Vaz-Serra et al., 2022). To improve
project performance through frequent stakeholder engagement, Project
managers may need to define and identify their project stakeholders and
analyze them to group them into categories based on their established power,
interest, and ability to influence the project. Project managers may also need
to establish a strategy for engaging the stakeholders considering possible
conflicts in stakeholders’ expectations, and schedule the key communication
activities.
Transparency and Sincerity
Project managers develop trust with the stakeholders through
transparent communication to improve project performance (Amiri et al.,
2022; Rankinen et al., 2022; Shakeri & Khalilzadek, 2020). To achieve
transparency in communication with stakeholders, project managers may
need to adopt the transparency functions of timely disclosing information to
the stakeholders, being clear and concise in their information sharing, and
ensuring the accuracy of communication with the stakeholders. Project
managers may also apply the strategies of being consistent with messages
shared with the stakeholders, showing vulnerability by acknowledging
mistakes and taking responsibility, and leveraging technology such as
artificial intelligence and machine learning to foster transparency.
Active Listening and Communication Plan
Through active listening and a well-developed communication plan,
project managers identify project stakeholders, prepare a strategy to manage
their expectations, and provide them with the correct information at the right
time (Marcillo-Delgado et al., 2022; Mochales & Blanch, 2022; Rajhans,
2018). Project managers may develop an effective stakeholder
communication plan by identifying the internal and external stakeholders to
their projects, actively listening to the stakeholders to establish their
communication requirements, and setting the communication objectives that
facilitate the achievement of the organization’s set objective. Project
managers may also need to establish the communication methods that are
most appropriate for each stakeholder group, like email, bulletins, press
releases, or online chat rooms. Finally, the project managers may need to
create a communication plan dividing the communication by frequency
(quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily) and channels according to the needs of
the stakeholders
The study results could help project managers understand
communication strategies’ role in engaging stakeholders for improved
project performance. The study findings might add value to the project
management community through the dissemination of information which
could significantly contribute to information sharing and networking among
project managers who seek communication strategies to engage stakeholders
and improve project performance. Some project managers with weak
communication strategies may apply the current study’s findings to engage
stakeholders and improve their project performance. The study findings
could significantly enhance project managers’ performance on
communication strategies for engaging stakeholders and improving project
performance.
Implications for Social Change
Knowledge of project performance improvement factors is valuable to
project managers, primarily as many organizations nowadays rely on project
successes for organizational growth sustainability (Sarja, 2018). By
implementing excellent communication strategies, project managers could
improve their project performance and ensure the sustainability of their
organizations. With improved business performance, the organizations
would pay more corporate taxes, which the municipal government could use
to provide social amenities to the local community. Business growth and
profitability could contribute to social change by strengthening local
economies, sustaining small and medium enterprises, and creating job
opportunities, thereby improving the welfare and amenities of the local
communities. The implications for a positive social change for the current
study include improved project performance and business sustainability,
thereby improving the living conditions and well-being of the local citizens.
The study findings might significantly contribute to the economy of
the local community. Organizations known for excellent project
performance are more likely to attract more business patronage than others
(Chou et al., 2016). When organizations are profitable, corporate social
responsibility activities might increase, leading to infrastructural and
economic development in the rural communities playing host to the
companies. Adopting communication strategies to engage stakeholders and
improve project performance might assist project managers in increasing
their company performance, thereby boosting the economic growth of the
local community. New aspiring entrepreneurs could use the information
from the current study’s findings to implement new projects that could
create job opportunities for local citizens, thereby promoting socioeconomic
growth in the local community. As illustrated in the current study, using
effective communication strategies to engage stakeholders might assist
project managers in improving project performance and continue to provide
job opportunities to the local community.
A primary function of projects is to provide firms with the opportunity
to create and retain business value, therefore making the performance of the
projects critical to the success of the organizations (Horning, 2018).
Profitable organizations might expand further into more rural communities,
leading to more employment opportunities, infrastructural and economic
development, human capital development, and possibly improving the
country’s gross domestic product. The current study’s implication for
positive social change was engaging stakeholders to improve project
performance and sustain the business, thereby maintaining socioeconomic
stability for benefiting citizens, families, and communities. By engaging
stakeholders and improving project performance, businesses could
accomplish their corporate social responsibilities to the local citizens
through awards of scholarships, sponsorship of local events, and the building
of social amenities such as healthcare, libraries, and schools. The public
might learn from the communication strategies project managers use to
engage stakeholders and improve project performance.
Recommendations for Action
An effective communication strategy is fundamental in engaging
stakeholders and improving project performance. Researchers have
demonstrated that cultural differences, trust, geographic distance, and
stakeholder expectations significantly affect communication management
(Muszyńska, 2018). One major cause of project performance is the lack of
communication strategy to engage project stakeholders leading to poor
decision making (Buettner, 2017). The growing complexity of stakeholders’
requirements in project management calls for unique strategies to achieve
effective communication (Bourne, 2016). I recommend that project
managers implement a combination of communication strategies to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance for their organizations’
sustainability. I recommend that project managers adopt a clear message and
written communication strategy to engage stakeholders frequently and
improve their project performance.
Project managers could improve project performance by using
effective communication strategies to engage stakeholders (Lauren, 2018;
Singh & Jankovitz, 2018). Despite several decades of a consistent reduction
in project failure rates, research shows that 5% to 42% of projects still fail
(Rosato, 2018). Most project failures are due to poor communication with
project stakeholders (Rosato, 2018; Shahzad et al., 2017). A strategic
approach to stakeholder communication is the key to successful project
performance, notwithstanding that the stakeholders might have complex
communication needs (Bourne, 2016). I recommend that project managers
establish, implement, and maintain an effective communication plan and
active listening to engage stakeholders and improve project performance. To
sustain their businesses, project managers should establish guidelines for
improving transparency and sincerity in engaging stakeholders and
improving their project performance.
Effective communication management is a strategic tool for managing
stakeholders and their varied requirements (Rajhans, 2018; Williams, 2017).
Researchers should identify communication strategies project managers
could use to engage stakeholders and facilitate successful project
performance (Rosato, 2018; Shahzad et al., 2017). Researchers have
identified some negative impacts of project failures, including financial
losses, lost investment opportunities, and political and reputational damage
to organizations (Buettner, 2017; Hughes et al., 2017). To succeed in their
project management careers, project managers must be skilled in
communication (Samáková et al., 2018). I recommend that project owners
adopt appropriate communication strategies to engage stakeholders and
improve their project performance.
Project failures have huge impacts on organizations, such as financial
losses, lost investment opportunities, political damage, and other losses that
may be difficult to quantify (Buettner, 2017; Hughes et al., 2017). Effective
communications management creates a culture that promotes trust between
the project manager and the stakeholders, encourages stakeholder
participation in project decision making, and improves project performance
(Shakeri & Khalilzadek, 2020). The study findings indicate that project
managers use communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve
project performance. I recommend that project managers should have
adequate skills, knowledge, experience, and competency to identify the
appropriate communication strategies for engaging stakeholders and
improving project performance. I will disseminate the current study’s
findings to interested groups through presentations in my workplace, social
media and network, conferences, seminars and training, and publications in
academic and business journals on project management.
Recommendations for Further Study
The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the
communication strategies some project managers use to engage stakeholders
and improve project performance. The study findings, recommendations,
and conclusions might contribute to existing and future research and close
gaps in business practice regarding communication strategies that project
managers use to engage stakeholders and improve project performance.
Effective communication is one of the main elements of project management
and the basis for project performance in any organization (Samáková et al.,
2018; Suleiman, 2022; Van Royen et al., 2022). The current study was
limited to a qualitative exploratory single case study involving
semistructured interviews to collect primary data from project managers in
Nigeria’s oil and gas company. I recommend that future researchers replicate
the current study using qualitative multiple case studies involving project
managers from multiple companies in the industry and quantitative or mixed
methods involving project managers from diverse industries and varying
geographical locations.
Another limitation of the current study was participants’ reluctance to
share sensitive information about their projects to protect their
organization’s interest and fear of competition. Employees’ loyalty to their
organization usually depends on their satisfaction with working for such an
organization (Biganeh & Young, 2022). When employees are deeply
committed to their organization, they may be reluctant to share any
information about their projects to protect their organization’s interests and
for fear of competition. A similar limitation is that participants share
information from limited experiences acquired from the single organization
selected for the research. I recommend that future researchers embark on
multiple case study research that cuts across several organizations to
mitigate these limitations.
The sample size in a qualitative study is a critical consideration
because it can affect the study outcomes, impact data saturation, and
possibly waste time (Malterud et al., 2016). The sample size used by
researchers in a qualitative study depends on the degree of certainty the
researcher aims to achieve in the study (Schreier, 2018). A significant
limitation of the current study was the small sample size of five project
managers from an oil and gas company in Nigeria. Researchers who use
larger or smaller samples could generate different themes that might show
significant differences in the study phenomenon. Therefore, I recommend
further studies with a larger sample size from various geographical locations
such as Asia, America, and Europe to provide helpful insight into
communication strategies project managers use to engage stakeholders and
improve project performance.
The Researcher is the main instrument for conducting qualitative
study and has the role of assessing the thoughts and feelings of the study
participants professionally and ethically in collecting the study data (Combs,
2017; Yin, 2018). Because I am a novice in academic study, my competency
and knowledge of doctoral study are evolving. Therefore, the study was
limited to my subjective evaluation and accurate interpretation of the
participants’ responses to the interview questions. Also, the study was
limited to my personal beliefs and professional background with the topic
involving the communication strategies project managers use to engage
stakeholders and improve project performance. Finally, the study was
limited to the accuracy of information from the participants and the
availability of company archival data. I recommend that future researchers
comprise experts from related multi-disciplines in project management to
divulge some details I must have omitted in this doctoral study.
Reflections
The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the
communication strategies some project managers use to engage stakeholders
and improve project performance. I completed the CITI web-based training
in compliance with ethical study and Walden University IRB’s requirements.
I secured IRB approval before engaging the participants, improving my
understanding of the requirements for using human beings in the study. I
used emails and telephone to contact the participants, which allowed me to
improve my collaborative, empathy, inspirational, negotiation, innovation,
and communication skills. Using the purposive sampling technique, I
selected five project managers from an oil and gas company in Nigeria. The
purposive sampling enabled me to select five project managers with relevant
knowledge, experience, training, skills, and competency to answer the
overarching study question.
In conducting the current study, I used the qualitative study method to
explore the communication strategies that project managers use to engage
stakeholders to improve project performance. I conducted semistructured
interviews and interacted with the participants, which improved my self-
confidence, networking, emotional intelligence, listening, observation,
interpersonal, inspirational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Because I interviewed the participants at their preferred time and date, they
expressed themselves freely, enabling me to gain in-depth knowledge and
understanding of the study problem. The organization and data analysis
enabled me to understand the study problem, identify the themes and
patterns, and establish the study findings. A reflection of my experiences in
the current study indicates that I gained a better understanding of the
doctoral study process, thereby improving my skills in conducting academic
study work.
From the study findings, I gained an in-depth knowledge of the study
problem from five project managers in an oil and gas company in Nigeria
regarding their use of communication strategies to engage stakeholders and
improve project performance. I learned that project managers use a blend of
communication strategies involving clear message and written
communication, frequent engagement, transparency and sincerity, and active
listening and communication plan to engage stakeholders and improve their
project performance. My new knowledge and understanding of the study
problem positively changed my preconceived beliefs, ideas and values,
personal bias, and perceptions of communication strategies project managers
use to engage stakeholders and improve their project performance.
Conclusion
Project managers in the oil and gas industry face challenges in using
communication strategies to engage stakeholders to improve project
performance. Many projects fail in the oil and gas industry because the
project managers fail to use the appropriate communication strategies the
engagement of their stakeholders. In this qualitative case study, I engaged
five project managers with five open-ended questions to explore
communication strategies they use to engage their stakeholders to improve
their project performance. The four themes that emerged from the thematic
analysis of data gathered were (a) clear message and written communication,
(b) frequent engagement,
(c) transparency and sincerity, and (d) active listening and communication
plan.
These findings could potentially provide project managers with the
communication strategies to engage their stakeholders and improve project
performance. Application of the identified communication strategies by the
project managers could facilitate increased productivity for the organization,
business growth and profitability, economic growth for the government, and
improved social amenities to improve the living conditions and well-being of
the local citizens. The use of stakeholder theory as lenses for the current
study might fill a gap in the literature on project management. The study
findings align with previous scholars’ conclusions regarding implementing
effective communication strategies to engage stakeholders and improve
project performance. There is hardly a singular communication strategy that
could enable project managers to achieve improved project performance
through effective stakeholder engagement. Project managers need to invest
time in selecting the most effective communication strategies they can use to
engage their stakeholders and achieve improved project performance.
