1.

Introduction
Project management is a fast expanding focus field of study in several businesses, firms,
operations, supply chain and logistics ventures; notwithstanding, one of the big hurdles is
finding an efficient method of operations and maintenance and sustained project management
(Koivula, 2009). Projects have always been the main consideration in any entity, whether
publicly owned or private, one of the indicators that everybody in their field of work comes
into contact with various projects, either explicitly or implicitly (Alatalo, 2021). Projects are
transient organisations, and that the project team is tasked with meeting the objectives of the
projects until it is expired or when the project actually ends. Zulch (2014) presents the notion
that each specific project proposes establishing an end result and that the objectives must be
achieved by individuals, at various costs, within some strict deadlines, and under certain
conditions. As a result, projects can be regarded as the organisation of various resources, such
as human beings, to achieve a particular result with a specified start and end date; conversely,
projects remain in the organisation indefinitely. According to Project Management Institute
(2004), project management is defined as a venture with a particular goal and time
constraints.

Communication is so critical to project management that studies have described it as the

project's cornerstone (Konstantinidou, 2020). To ensure a successful outcome, project
stakeholders interact,  collaborate, connect, analyse, and consolidate knowledge and
information. As a result, it is essential to recognise the communication process in project
management. Communication is composed of three parts: a transmitter, an interaction
medium, and a receiver (Stanton, 2004). The communicated message streams from the sender
and is encoded by a conversational transmission medium/channel. The recipient processes the
information using a communicative process. To guarantee the ability to communicate
effectively, all elements must work together to avoid misunderstandings. The sender initiates
the reflective cycle and has a reason for communicating (Cornelissen, 2011). Communication
in project management could occur due to a request for clarification, the transmission of
knowledge, the asking of answers, the delivery of instructions, the creation of teamwork, or
individuals' social networks. Communication effectiveness is primarily determined by the
sender's ability to communicate, begin writing, rationale, and communicate proficiently.
Interventions are suggested to create information exchange when responses are nonexistent,
postponed, or not imminent (Henderson, 2008). Project managers must continuously review
and evaluate the progress of their information exchange tools and procedures during
execution in order to form a foundation for future analyses. As a result, the
information receiver should affirm that he or she understands the information because
interaction cannot be potent without comprehending. This is also true for project management
(Katalin et al., 2011.

Poor communication can thus lead to misunderstandings in project management.

Inadequately defined responsibilities and key activities, as well as vagueness about duties,
extent, or priorities of project execution, can all lead to project failure (Santos, 2015). Project
management necessitates continuous exchange and modification of notions, clarifying the
possibilities and strategies of the project to multiple stakeholders (the populace, managerial
staff, different departments, and other participants), affecting or negotiating with suppliers
and distributors, or bargaining to resolve conflicts or social conflicts among project
participants or other interested parties.

While the role of communication cannot be overemphasised, the impact of environmental

factors (political, economic, social, economic, cultural, technological, and natural
phenomenon) has engendered a lot of discussions in the existing literature. The COVID-19
pandemic has impacted every industry, sparing no one and altering society's interactions,
participating in social activities, and operating (Williams, 2020). Several entities have
transitioned to teleworking or remote working, while other individuals have been laid off for
extended periods. The effect of COVID-19 on operational processes has been disastrous for
the management team. The dependence on working remotely has hampered the sustainability
initiatives that are commonly seen in a conventional competitive atmosphere (Walker, 2020).
Supply chain operations have been severely disrupted due to shutdowns and boundary
shutdowns, and the vulnerability of running an enterprise and managing projects has
increased dramatically. Nevertheless, project management is the key to increasing the
capacity for several industries in a global economy beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The
kernel of this study is to examine the effect of communication on project management during
the COVI9 pandemic period

1.2 Statement of the Problem

In today's competitive environment, in which industries rely heavily on knowledge
management and continuous operational integration, interpersonal communication processes
are critical for information sharing and overcoming environmental and structural barriers
(Ozguler, 2020). Human interaction can play a significant role in facilitating information and
knowledge exchange across many corporate boundaries. Information exchange processes
enable the delivery of both codified and tacit knowledge among team partners by offering
mutual understanding, establishing standardised understanding, social interaction processes,
and socialisation systems. Promoting effective communication plays a critical role in
organisations operations to foster trusting relationships and information exchange. The
information exchanged can be evaluated by demonstrating the firm's efficiency,
effectiveness, time, and various channels of behaviour. The presumption in this study based
on Zulch (2014) opinion is that all project teams are unaware of the internal management
strategic direction and do not have a pre-planned formal communication strategy. As a result,
execution is, at best difficult. Project communication necessitates a significant amount of
effort from all stakeholders, but particularly from the project manager. Projects necessitate
information exchange, focus, and comprehensive communications in several alternative
specialities. Sanders (2020) opines that in measuring communication impact on project
management, key performance indicators such as setting baseline, response and feedback,
track engagement, turnover, employees advocacy and communication effectiveness should be
considered. Zulch (2014) asserts that these key performance indicators are critical to ensuring
effective interaction and a conducive work environment.

Various studies have looked into the impact of COVID-19 on project management (Muller &
Klein, 2020); how COVID-19 has changed project management activities (Sonta, 2020); The
influence of the COVID-19 crisis on business projects (Project Management Institute, 2020);
project management after CCOVID-19 (Ozguler, 2020); COVID-19 effect on project
management space (Proggio, 2020); and the effect of COVID-19 on projects managers in the
construction industry (Nyathi, Taylor & Proches, 2020). Most of the literature reviewed
indicate that majority of these studies were carried out in the developed economies. To the
best of the researcher's knowledge, there is a dearth of literature on the effect of COVI9 on
communication in project management in Nigeria. The choice of Nigeria is facilitated by the
fact that the country has the most robust economy in Africa (Statista, 2021). Hence, this study
investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on communication in project
management in Nigeria.

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to examine the impact of communication on project t management.
The specific objectives are:
i. To evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on employees advocacy in
project management in Nigeria.
ii. To examine the interaction between the COVID-19 pandemic and track
engagement in project management in Nigeria
iii. To investigate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on response and
feedback in project management in Nigeria
iv. To establish the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the combined dimensions
of communication in project management in Nigeria.

1.4 Research Question

In achieving the research objectives, the following research questions were raised;
i. How does the COVID-19 pandemic influence employees advocacy in project
management in Nigeria?
ii. In what way does the COVID-19 pandemic affect track engagement in project
management in Nigeria?
iii. What is the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on response and feedback in
project management in Nigeria?
iv. To what extent does the COVID-19 pandemic affect the combined dimensions of
communication in project management in Nigeria?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

Based on the research questions, the following research hypotheses were formulated:
HA1: COVID-19 pandemic significant influences employees advocacy in project
management in Nigeria.
HA2: COVID-19 pandemic significant affects track engagement in project management in
Nigeria
HA3: COVID-19 pandemic significant affects response and feedback in project management
in Nigeria
HA4: COVID-19 pandemic significant affects the combined dimensions of communication in
project management in Nigeria
Theoretical Framework
The study is anchored on the attribution theory. The attribution theory was postulated by
Heider (1958). The study of how people understand situations and how it affects their
perception, behaviour and conduct is known as attribution theory. People try to understand
why people do what they are doing, according to attribution theory. When someone is trying
to figure out why someone else did action, they may ascribe one or several causes to that
conduct. An individual can understand two types of attributions, according to Heider (1958).
1) internal attribution: the assumption that a person's behaviour is due to something about
them, such as their disposition, personality, or temperament. 2) External attribution is the
assumption that an individual's behaviour is influenced by the environment in which he or
she finds themselves. A person or group cognitive and emotional impulses also have a
substantial impact on their attributions. Self-serving attributions include criticising others and
evading personal blame. Individuals also make attributions in order to defend themselves
against what they believe are accusations. The attribution theory is adopted because it
explains COVID-19 as an external environment that influences the way people react in
carrying out their daily activities. It is also believed that in adopting this theory, a robust
explanation would be provided on how COVID-19 affects communication flows in project
management in Nigeria.

Methodology
This section looks at the research methods, the area of study in focus, the population, the
sampling technique, paradigm, philosophy and theory underpinning the study.
This research will be based on the quantitative case study of Nigeria and how COVID-19
affects communication in project management. This approach is suitable since the study
investigates the facts in a natural environment by applying multiple sources of evidence (Yin
1984). Further, this study seeks to understand a phenomenon within its natural context, '
'that's to answer the how and why question (Baxter & Jack 2008; Yin 2003).

Rationale For The Methodology

The case study approach will be applied in this study. This is predicated on the notion that it
will enable a thorough examination of a specific situation (small groups or individuals) while
allowing data to be collected and analysed using various approaches, including observation
and interviews, as well as consulting other individuals confidential or community documents
(Saunders & Thornhill, 2012). The case study approach would also be employed in the study
because it will assist the researcher in examining the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on
communication in project management and enhances the capacity to choose one or more
people from that situation to focus their case study/studies on. It will also result in detailed
descriptive data that is specific to the case(s) under investigation

Research Design
The descriptive survey research design would be employed in this study. The descriptive
survey research attempts to characterise a community, condition, or phenomenon
comprehensively and reliably. It will aid in providing the answers to the questions of what
and how of corporate social responsibility and community development (Gall, Gall, & Borg,
2007). The descriptive survey research design would also facilitate and enhance the
evaluation of one or more variables using various research methods (Myers 2008). It will also
aid the use of observation and survey instruments in collecting data (Collins, 2010) to reveal
the extent to which corporate social responsibility influences community development.
Researchers with similar objectives (Mitra, 2020; Gomez, 2020; Ervit, 2021) adopted the
descriptive survey research design, which influences this research design in this study.

Research Philosophy
The study adopts the ontology philosophical approach. Ontology is premised on the belief
that fact can only be fully comprehended by subjective interpretation and intrusion into the
issue investigated (Sauders et al., 2012). This research paradigm will aid in the
comprehension of the phenomenon at hand (how COVID-19 affects communication in
project management). Crotty (1998) emphasises that the Ontology philosophical approach
offers true explanations that show why phenomena occur and how such phenomena can be
better interpreted and that these explanations are part of the empirical knowledge provided.

Research Paradigm
The positivism philosophy would be adopted in this study. The observations and procedures
used to gather quantitative information are most closely connected with the positivism
paradigm (Littlejohn & Foss, 2009). Various scholars have employed this method in arriving
at deductions, testing causality and the effect on one phenomenon on the other(Myers, 2008).
This paradigm will also guide the researcher to consider existing beliefs in explaining the
research issue at hand. It also assists in distinguishing between speculative and objective
philosophical problems while providing the premise to reject or accept a philosophy (Collins,
2010). Similar studies have also used this philosophy to concentrate on the facts and figures
related to the research issue. This philosophical approach allows for a better understanding of
complex management or business circumstances

Population And Sample Of The Study

The Lagos State public service used as the theatre of study. According to Egbejule (2020),
Lagos state is the seventh-largest economy in Africa and that the public service in Lagos state
is one of the most efficient in Nigeria. The total population of workers in the lagos state
public service as at 2020 is 100 433 (Ugbodaga, 2020). Utilising the raosoft sample size
estimator at 95% confidence level and 2.5 % margin of error, the estimated sample size is
1495. Based on the opinion of Hair, Anderson, Tatham & Black (2010), a sample size of 300
would be purposely selected from the 1495 and considered sufficient enough for this study.
According to them, a sample size ≥ of 300 is adequate to reduce sampling error components
so that small differences are regarded as statistically significant. The primary source of data
employed by distributing questionnaires to the Lagos State Public Service employees.

Research Instrument
The questionnaire and interview research instrument would be applied in this study. This is
because they are deemed more appropriate for the types of questions that would be asked
from the research participants. The questionnaire research tool is pivotal for explaining the
participants' experience and seeking in-depth knowledge about the phenomenon at hand.
Bogner et al. (2009) cited that the questionnaire can shorten the time-consuming process of
gathering data because questionnaires are seen as the crystallisation point for practical insider
knowledge and soliciting in-depth information from respondents. The questionnaire would be
administered with the aid of research assistants. Interviews (semi-structured) will be one of
the main sources of data. Per the principle of the chosen method, which heavily relies on data
absoluteness, the number of interviewees is significant to identify themes (Guest, Bunce &
Johnson 2006). Further, expert sampling will be applied in selecting the participants for the
interview since individuals who are knowledgeable in the field under investigation will be
able to supply the needed information (Patton 1990; Kunzel 1999). The interview will be
conducted by the researcher and question concerning the COVID-19 and communication in
project management..

Pilot Study
A pilot study would be carried out by giving a set of the questionnaire to twenty respondents
in the Lagos State. The set of respondents would not be part of the final field survey and data
analysis. The pilot study would be conducted to check the research instrument's reliability
and correct any possible weakness in the design. Where flaws are observed in the wordings of
the questions and some ambiguities observed, such would be corrected before the final field
survey. Suggestions from the pilot study would guide the researcher to further improve on the
research instruments before their final use. The overall aim of this is to improve the validity
and reliability of the research instruments. The questionnaire would be administered twice to
20 respondents who are not part of the study within an interval of two weeks, and the results
of the first and second pilot studies would be correlated in achieving a Cronbach's Alpha of α
that is acceptable. George and Mallery (2003) suggest a continuum for assessing reliability
based on Cronbach’s Alpha (α): (i)α greater than 0.9 Excellent (for High-Stakes testing); (ii)
α 0.8 to less than 0.9 Good (for Low-Stakes testing); (iii) α 0.7 to less than 0.8 Acceptable
(for Surveys); (iv) α 0.6 to less than 0.7 Questionable, (v) 0.5 to less 0.6 Poor, (vi) α less than
0.5 Unacceptable. The results of the first and second pilot study would be correlated to
determine the Cronbach alpha a pre-test will also be run on the instruments before their final
administration.
Analysis
The quantitative data analysis will focus on obtaining an in-depth and comprehensive
understanding of the impact of CSR on community development. Data collection analysis
will be done sequentially; this will assist in probing areas that need attention in subsequent
interviews and focus group discussion. An intuitive coding scheme will be developed to
identify the impact of CSR on strategies regarding the identified social challenges (Glaser &
Strauss 1967; Blanche, Durrheim & Painter 2006). Thematic analyses will be derived from
the codes developed (Blanche et al. 2006), subjectivity and accuracy will be ensured during
interpretation. Data will then be aligned with what is already known in the literature to
conclude.The descriptive and inferential statistics method was used in the study. Mugena and
Mugena (2020) posit that descriptive statistics are a pivotal analysis and technique that will
present information so that data analysed will be easily understood and the overall image and
interaction would be explained explicitly. The multiple regression and Pearson's correlation
analysis were used in inferential status to test both relationships and effects using the
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

Validity
Validity aids in ascertaining the extent to which the questionnaire measures precisely what it
is intended to measure. The face, construct, and content validity would be ensured in the
study. The instrument would be tested by independent evaluators who are experts from
Business Administration, Measurement and Evaluation and Banking and Finance
Departments in academia to achieve face validity. In carrying out content validity, the
questionnaire on elements of Sanders (2020) and Santos (2020) would be adopted and
corrections by the researcher's supervisor would be done where necessary. This became
essential to reduce the errors encountered while formulating questionnaires to capture the
variables used in the study (Mugena and Mugena, 2020). Adapting the questionnaire also
enables the researcher to tie the study to existing literature that has used the same tool. It
would also help make little changes to the research instrument, which will prevent a
significant impact on the instrument (Williams, 2007). This became critical to make the
respondents capture the essence of the phenomena while considering the respondent's
demographics (educational background). The construct validity would be done by carrying
out a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on each research instrument item after the field
survey.

Reliability of Research Instrument

The test-retest reliability technique would be utilised in the study by administering the
research instrument twice on the same respondents at different times. The Cronbach's Alpha
test would be used through the aid of the SPSS statistical package.

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