Cultural Implications of Communication Strategies in the Construction Industry: A Systematic Review

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-970-4_18How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Communication Strategy; Cross-cultural communication; cultural competence; diversity management; ethnic minority workers

Abstract

Cultural diversity has become integral to project teams in developing countries as construction projects have become more globalized. The cultural dynamics of the project design team is essential, however less study has been conducted on this topic. This review examines the influence of cultural factors on communication methods of the design team. From 197 studies screened and published between 2014 and 2024, 16 were included for thematic analysis following a narrative review approach using Google Scholar search engine and publisher repositories including Taylor & Francis Online, Elsevier, Emerald, and ResearchGate. Various methods employed included 33.3% qualitative, 50% quantitative, and 16.7% mixed methods. The review utilized thematic analysis to determine key findings. Quality assessment was conducted using adapted critical appraisal criteria, with disagreements between two independent reviewers resolved through consensus discussion. The systematic categorization identified five themes: cultural barriers to clear communication, communication problems for ethnic minority workers, cultural differences and knowledge sharing, cross-cultural communication challenges and errors, and how cultural diversity affects project performance. Miscommunication happens regularly when people use indirect ways to engage others, have different levels of power distance, and speak different languages. How cultural diversity is handled may either create or prevent conflicts. The study showed that employing culturally sensitive ways to engage people is important, such as intercultural training, multilingual tools, and information channels that are open to everyone. Leaders should actively promote diversity by being involved in ways that are sensitive to other cultures. is among the first narrative reviews focusing on cultural implications for communication in construction projects in developing countries. The review shows that cultural dynamics significantly affect communication strategies, with cross-cultural miscommunication and clarity barriers risking project success. It emphasizes the need for culturally sensitive communication strategies, intercultural competence training, and inclusive protocols to enhance outcomes.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Justice Agbevade
AU  - Nongiba Alkanam Kheni
AU  - Frederick Simpeh
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
TI  - Cultural Implications of Communication Strategies in the Construction Industry: A Systematic Review
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering, Science, and Urban Sustainability (ICESUS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 291
EP  - 306
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-970-4_18
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-970-4_18
ID  - Agbevade2025
ER  -