Improving Satisfaction through Conflict Stimulation and Resolution in Value Management in Construction Projects

Value management is a goal-setting process that aims to satisfy the client’s project requirements. However, goals cannot always be easily identified or agreed upon due to conflicts among project participants and/or objectives. Conflict is often conceived of as detrimental to the effective operation of a team. Cognitive scientists argue that a suitable level of conflict can stimulate a team’s creativity, which could lead to better decision making, productivity, and satisfaction. This paper examines the relationships between the value-goal conflict and participants’ satisfaction through three case studies collected in Hong Kong. The findings indicate that a suitable level of conflict can improve satisfaction up to a certain point, where the satisfaction diminishes as conflict increases. To yield an optimum level of satisfaction, a value manager should stimulate conflicts at the early stage of the value management workshop and strive to resolve any undue conflicts among the project participants.