The role and function of effective communications in European interdisciplinary multi-organisational projects: case studies from nuclear energy-related projects

The aim of this paper is to enhance the understanding of the importance of communication among project members/partners in the planning phase of multi-organisational international interdisciplinary projects from theoretical and empirical perspectives. It also aims to show the important role the project leader has in coordinating and stimulating the communication among different stakeholders in such projects. This is a qualitative research paper based on the analysis of interviews conducted with representatives of organisations of the three European projects which are related to nuclear energy. The conclusion of this study is that communication during the planning phase of multi-organisational interdisciplinary projects is key to their success. If a person wants to be successful as a project leader of multi-organisational interdisciplinary projects, then he/she should pay particular attention to the importance of project communication management in the project planning phase.