Assessment of Level of Team Integration among Property Development Stakeholders in Lagos State

Abstract

As well established as the concept of integration is in developed countries, it has yet to gain ground in developing nations like Nigeria. Within the context of property development, integration refers to the introduction of working practices, methods and behaviour that create a culture of efficient and effective collaboration between individuals and organisations, thus improving property development outcomes. This study, undertaken in a Nigerian context, addresses the lack of literature on integration and collaboration in property development. It assesses the level of integration among stakeholders in Lagos State, identifying ten parameters of integration and 18 challenges to achieving it. A quantitative survey was conducted with 139 stakeholders, including property investors, developers, building professionals and financiers. The purpose of the survey was to identify what parameters of integration these stakeholders considered most important for effective teamwork, as well as to measure the levels of occurrence of these parameters among property development stakeholders and to identify the most significant challenges and impact of poor integration. The study found that key integration parameters in property development stakeholders in Lagos include a ‘shared vision’, ‘team and process flexibility’, and ‘unrestricted sharing of information’. Despite the presence of a fairly high level of integration, the Lagos property market still falls short of expectations. Major challenges identified were project size, changing team composition, self-centeredness’ among professionals, and the absence of a system for measuring integration. Poor integration negatively impacts project performance, leads to delays and harms team relationships. To improve collaboration, the study recommends investing in collaborative technology, conducting workshops for team cohesion and establishing standard metrics for measuring integration.