The moderating role of staff competency on communication and the effectiveness of force account approach: an empirical study from Tanzania

Abstract

The study investigated the moderating effect of staff competency on the influence of communication on the effectiveness of force account approach (FAA) in construction projects in Tanzania. This study proposed three hypotheses, which were tested by using PROCESS macro from data obtained from 229 members of projects under FAA in local government authorities (LGAs) in Dodoma, Tanzania. The findings unveiled that communication and staff competency contribute in a meaningful manner in influencing the effectiveness of FAA in construction projects. Lastly, the study established a moderating effect of staff competency in the relationship between communication and the effectiveness of FAA. Based on the main findings, it was concluded that communication and staff competency are significant factors for the FAA effectiveness in construction projects in LGAs. Furthermore, the role of communication on the effectiveness of FAA in construction projects varies across different values of staff competency, with a stronger influence when staff competency is high compared to when it is low. Therefore, staff competency strengthens the influence of communication on the effectiveness of FAA. Despite its limitations, our study provides significant implications for practice and theory.

Keywords

• Communication
• Staff competency
• Local government authorities
• Force account approach
• Construction projects
• Project performance