Intercultural understanding of teams on construction sites in Germany and Austria

Description

Due to a persistent shortage of skilled workers, construction projects in Germany and Austria increasingly rely on teams with varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds (Statistik Austria; BAMF). Additionally, teams on construction sites, comprising roles from project managers and foremen to temporary and permanent workers, operate under high pressure to complete tasks securely, on time, and in alignment with the contractual requirements. This environment creates significant challenges in achieving mutual understanding, underscoring the importance of effective communication.
Research on communication in construction is limited, with prior studies focusing either on workplace interactions through conversation analysis (CA) and ethnographic observation (Urbanik, 2021; Kahlin et al., 2022), or on surveys and interviews within construction management (Loosemore & Lee, 2002; Ochieng & Price, 2010). This study combines CA, ethnographic observation, and interviews in a short-term ethnographic approach (Pink & Morgan, 2013) to identify effective communicative practices in construction teams at both operational and management levels.
Collaborating with a construction company operating in Germany and Austria, data was collected through field notes, video recordings, and interviews with team members in various roles. This talk presents preliminary findings, highlighting communicative practices that support mutual understanding in common interactions, including project briefings, task coordination, problem-solving, and informal exchanges. The interviews further reveal insights into personal perspectives on intercultural collaboration experiences on construction sites.
Overall, this ongoing project aims to contribute to research on intercultural communication and competence by examining the specific communicative demands of today’s construction sites.

Period	4 Jun 2025 → 6 Jun 2025
Event title	Association of Business Communication Regional Conference 2025: Building bridges between Business Communication and Management
Event type	Conference
Location	Bergen, NorwayShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International