34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) - Singapore, Singapore - 2026

https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0240

Language Action Perspective (LAP) and its influence on communication in project teams

Jason Klous1, Emmanuel Manu2, Ehsan Asnaashari3 & Zakwan Arab4

1Alumni Fellow, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0009-6385-2642
2Associate Professor, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-9002-3681
3Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK, ehsan.asnaashari.ntu.ac.uk, orcid.org/0000-0001-5552-9428
4Senior Lecturer, Civil Engineering, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK, [email protected]

Abstract

Communication failures remain a persistent barrier to effective collaboration in lean construction projects, leading to breakdowns in coordination, trust, and reliable delivery. The Language Action Perspective (LAP) offers a framework for understanding communication as a performative process, where structured speech acts such as requests, promises, and declarations create and manage commitments among project participants. This study was conducted to explore how the LAP influences key aspects of communication practice within construction project teams. A single-case study was conducted on a major U.S. healthcare construction project, where project leaders participated in workshops to apply LAP concepts, including speech acts, conditions of satisfaction, and relational elements such as trust, listening, and mood, with data analysed using content analysis. Findings from observations and pre- and post-intervention surveys and interviews revealed improvements in communication practices across the five areas of trust, quality of communication, clarity of requests, reliability of promises and meeting effectiveness. The findings provide some evidence that LAP focused training can provide the skills for project participants to improve and develop the softer skills for improving communication and team dynamics during projects. The LAP can offer a human-centred approach to communication improvement despite the increasingly dominant technology-centric focus on communication in construction.

Keywords

Lean construction, language action/linguistic action perspective, trust reliable promising, commitment.

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Klous, J., Manu, E., Asnaashari, E. & Arab, Z.. (2026). Language Action Perspective (LAP) and its influence on communication in project teams. In Hamzeh, F., Poshdar, M., & Garcia-Lopez,, N. P. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) (pp. 1229–1240). https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0240

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Klous, J., Manu, E., Asnaashari, E. & Arab, Z.. (2026). Language Action Perspective (LAP) and its influence on communication in project teams. IGLC34. https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0240

 

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