The role of communication style in adaptation to interorganizational project disruptions

Interorganizational projects often suffer disruptions that require participating organizations to adapt in order to restore project operations. We study the role of communication style in facilitating adaptation to such disruptions. Whereas the literature on communication has emphasized communication mode and frequency, we study the detailed content of written communications in seven U.K. construction projects. Communication style mattered for adaptation quality in these projects, and that several properties of communication style were particularly important for adaptation: cost and information orientation, as well as informality, precision and authenticity. Moreover, managerial slack and organizational reputation were important in determining the communication style. We discuss the implications of these insights for research on interorganizational projects.