Examining the Impact of Social Media Use on Project Management Performance: Evidence from Construction Projects in China

Abstract

Team members in construction projects often fail to communicate effectively, share knowledge, and coordinate as a whole. Although many construction organizations have adopted social media technologies to improve project team processes, little is known about how social media use at work affects project team processes and project management performance. Against this background, employing the enabler-process-intermediate outcome-performance framework, this paper aims to explore the mechanism by which social media use at work affects project management performance with a specific focus on project team processes and project team efficacy. Based on literature research and theoretical analysis, the theoretical model with several research hypotheses is formulated. The empirical data are collected from 156 construction project managers, and the structural equation modeling technique is applied to test the theoretical model. The results show that social media use at work positively influences three team processes, specifically, effective communication, knowledge sharing, and coordination. The three project team processes then indicate different effects on project team efficacy. Furthermore, the project team processes enhance project management performance through project team efficacy. These empirical results reveal the benefits of social media use at work in construction project teams and provide valuable implications for practice.