Collaborative Construction
Construction is a major contributor to the U.S economy, with more than 680,000 employers and over 7 million employees. From architects to construction managers to subcontractors, the industry employs some of the most diverse individuals.
However, with so many people with different qualifications working on one job, how do things get done? Collaborative construction is the key to the success of any construction project, with projects requiring teams to build strong working relationships.
In this post, we provide you with everything you need to know about collaborative construction, including what it means, its benefits, and how you can build a collaborative culture for your construction project.
What Does Collaboration in Construction Mean?
Collaboration means working with another individual or group to achieve a common goal. In construction, collaboration yields success. Collaborative construction means that the engineers, construction manager, architect, client, main contractors, subcontractors, and other stakeholders are willing to work together to accomplish a project.
Collaboration allows team members to combine their experiences, knowledge, and expertise to accomplish a shared goal. Construction projects get completed efficiently when people work together because they can come up with better ideas to complete the project.
On the other hand, construction projects can easily get off track if the stakeholders do not work together efficiently. For instance, workers get exposed to workplace hazards, productivity suffers, and the quality of products deteriorates, ultimately affecting the company's profitability.
What Happens When There is No Collaboration in Construction
Lack of collaboration in construction is more than just an opportunity cost for the business organization. It can go to the extreme level of costing people’s lives.
From GM motors to AOL and Time Warner, we have seen companies and projects fail due to a lack of a collaborative culture. And the repercussions for the failed projects have been extreme.
For General Motors, for instance, the repercussion was the death of 124 people and a lawsuit that cost the company around $1.475 billion. People sued the company for developing a car with a faulty ignition that led to the deaths of 124 innocent individuals.
Lack of communication between the teams that made the car and silos at work was the primary cause for the error that claimed the lives of the innocent individuals.
Lack of collaborative construction has also resulted in employee injuries, errors in processes, and reduced productivity and profitability of a company. Research shows that a lack of collaboration costs small businesses as much as $208,000 each year.
Important: There is more to collaboration than just the individual. It’s a culture and a mindset, and can’t, thus, be forced or bought. You’ll need to follow various steps to build a culture or mindset of collaboration.
Benefits of Collaborative Construction
Collaboration in construction is undeniably vital. Otherwise, how would anything get done?
Fostering collaboration in construction provides all parties with a clear task list and how each task contributes to the whole project. This means that the main contractors, subcontractors, engineers, architects, and other stakeholders know their roles and responsibility.
Information is also set free to all departments, meaning each individual can access information regarding the construction at any time. As a result, this leads to:
· Increased profits
· Fewer wastes in terms of materials, manpower, and money
· On-time delivery of projects
· Positive brand reputation
· Fewer rework and changes
· Better quality of the project
· Reduced delays and disputes
· Happier clients
Also, studies state that 91% of project owners and main contractors believe that collaboration reduces risk on construction sites.
Challenges of Collaboration in Construction
Over time, the construction industry has been struggling with collaboration – and this is for a reason.
The construction industry has a traditional chain of command, which mainly promotes sharing of information only when necessary. Before the advent of great technologies that made instant communication possible, this chain of command was crucial in keeping everything in order. Although slow, the system worked well to make sure that everyone did what was expected of them.
Divisions between clients, project managers, architects, engineers, and other stakeholders encouraged team members to work in silos. Instead of focusing on the project’s long-term goals, the team members are more interested in meeting their short-term personal goals.
Today, however, the more complex builds demand the use of consistent and immediate collaboration and communication channels. This makes it possible for various construction projects to be completed on time and without any risks.
Luckily, we have the technology needed to make collaboration and instant communication possible. While better collaborative technology exists, it’s unfortunate that the industry still holds on to its pre-technology methods, which kill innovation and creativity.
The construction industry is in dire need of a culture shift. People should start appreciating the value of each position and the benefits of collaboration and communication in construction.
Let’s see how you can build a collaborative culture in construction.
Building a More Collaborative Culture in Construction
With the rapid increase in population and technology changing everything around us, the construction industry is under much pressure to cater to people’s needs. Research indicates that we can get the most out of the industry’s great potential through simple communication and collaboration.
Below is how you can achieve a more collaborative culture:
1. Encourage Relationship Building
A construction site can be pretty lonely. For most tasks, people are split up, with one individual working on a different task. In turn, this discourages interactions between co-workers. To improve collaboration among these workers, you may consider the following:
· Encourage individuals to socialize outside work
· Come up with team-building games
· Encourage people to respect and appreciate others
These are just some of the proven relationship-building activities. Their main goal is to get people working together and communicating.
2. Encourage Accountability Through Feedback
In construction, collaboration is all about accountability. You should make sure that the communication is transparent and push for feedback from your team members.
Active dialogue helps team members know how to relate to each other and appreciate one another. This improves the team’s productivity and creates positive momentum.
3. Embrace Diversity
You’re likely to experience the most diverse workforce in construction than in any other industry. You find people with different backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, and education qualifications.
In such instances, it becomes difficult to collaborate if you can’t recognize and embrace diversity. Hiring a diverse workforce is just a minute part of embracing diversity. You need to give everyone a voice by encouraging their input.
Overall, a diverse workforce performs better. Studies show that 43% of firms with a diverse workforce reported higher profits.
4. Change Your Project Delivery Methods
Changing your project delivery methods can go a long way in changing how people relate within the organization. Traditional methods may have worked several decades ago, but they discourage collaboration among workers.
For instance, the traditional design/bid/build discourages collaboration in all aspects in that one team has to wait for the other team to complete their part of the project. On the other hand, the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) encourages input from all participants, thus, enhancing collaborative construction.
5. Use Collaboration Tools
Besides fostering collaboration among workers, the right collaborative construction tools also reduce gaps in understanding and prevent data loss. The proper tools will also improve task coordination and enhance productivity.
These tools may range from a simple mobile phone to the Revit (Autodesk) software. Together, they go a long way in making sure everything is well done.
Conclusion
With the construction industry requiring so many individuals for one job, collaborative construction is the key to completing a project. In this post, we have used research to compile a list of things you need to do to enhance your collaborative construction. With the information, your next construction project should be completely smooth.
