Intragroup conflicts in the pre contract stage of construction projects

![CDATA[Conflict is inevitable to individuals, teams and organisations in any work context. In the construction industry, multiple professionals organise as teams to achieve project goals. The contribution of each member of the project team has a significant bearing on the achievement of project deliverables. Hence, group conflicts among the project team members (intragroup conflicts) could significantly affect the overall outcome of the project. Previous researchers have identified three distinct types of intragroup conflicts as task conflict, process conflict and relationship conflict. There are few previous studies that focus on these three types of conflicts in a construction context. This paper aims to explore common types of intragroup conflict that occur during the pre-contract stage, as well as highlighting their effects. A case study research methodology was selected to gain an in-depth understanding. More specifically, four construction projects - all operating under the traditional procurement method with re-measurement contracts in Sri Lanka - were selected for inclusion in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three distinct participants in each construction team during data collection. The findings revealed substantial effects created by intragroup conflicts and their inter-relationships. Based on these findings, a framework to understand the cyclical effects of intragroup conflicts in each phase of pre-construction was developed. It is hoped the findings will assist construction project managers to proactively manage intragroup conflicts in construction project teams.]]