It\u2019s no secret that the construction industry is one of the most rapidly evolving sectors of the global economy. Thanks to industry-wide changes including the use of 3D printing, modular building technology and digital transformation<\/a>, construction is undergoing arguably one of the most dramatic technological shifts since the Industrial Revolution.<\/p>\n According to Dr. Jack Dennerlein, co-director of Harvard\u2019s Center for Work, Health and Wellbeing<\/a>, these changes may come with an increase in worker anxiety. Workers, particularly those with more career experience, are afraid that the impact of technology on the construction industry may result in them being left behind. And more often than not, companies don\u2019t do a good job of addressing these anxieties on an organisational level.<\/p>\n \u201cThe problem is that you have competing demands within the organisation,\u201d Dennerlein said. A desire for the increased speed or efficiency of production that come with the use of new technologies can be slowed by inefficient communication within an organisation whose members may feel their positions are threatened by such rapid change.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the center, we look at social technical systems, which is the organisational structure of construction and how that impacts worker health, safety and well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n As a result, how should the industry introduce technological change<\/a> while minimising resistance? The answer, Dennerlein said, is to focus on the big picture.<\/p>\n When introducing major changes to a workplace amid the impact of building technology on the construction industry, it\u2019s important that companies develop a realistic sense of how its organisation functions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe look at how work is organised, what the demands are on workers and how they\u2019re supported by their supervisors\u2014the social, technical and organisational structure.\u201d<\/p>\n Only by developing an accurate sense of the unique structure and needs of a particular workplace can construction firms begin making the large-scale technological and interpersonal changes that today\u2019s rapidly evolving industry demands.<\/p>\n In the beginning of introducing a new concept or technology, however, Dennerlein recommends developing an in-depth understanding of how the company works and how the proposed change will meet the firm\u2019s particular needs.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery company is different in how it\u2019s structured: the personalities of the people who work there, the issues that it is facing, what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not working,\u201d Dennerlein said. \u201cSo, to come in with a very prescriptive solution<\/a> isn\u2019t really fair, even though that\u2019s what they might want. You really need to give them something they can adapt and sustain on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead of presenting employees with a finished product\u2014whether that be the logistics of a technological shift or a change in their responsibilities and the company structure resulting from it\u2014involve employees in the decision-making process to help them feel personally invested in the company\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n The Center for Work, Health and Wellbeing has a very specific process for assessing what changes need to occur within a workplace as the impact of emerging technologies on the construction industry takes hold.<\/p>\n Although the issues it helps companies address vary in nature and occur in businesses at every level\u2014from multinational corporations to small firms\u2014Dennerlein said that it always starts with the same questions for employees and stakeholders<\/p>\n \u201cWe talk about what\u2019s good,\u201d Dennerlein said, explaining that his firm always strives to make space for employees to celebrate the positive aspects of their workplaces and to celebrate what\u2019s working about the organisation\u2019s systems and technologies.<\/p>\n \u201cBy talking about what works,\u201d he continued, \u201cwe get people to focus on the positive. We encourage them to focus on what\u2019s working and to feel proud of their contributions to the workplace. This gives them a space to see a model that works and to understand how the changes we\u2019re going to make together will contribute to supporting the positive aspects of how the organisation is functioning.\u201d<\/p>\n Starting on a positive note allows employees to understand how their contributions to change will support the healthy functioning of their company as building technology continues to reshape the construction industry, but it also shows how it will impact their own daily work experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat it does is create a dialogue, where they can explore the solutions and explore ideas and explore understanding the concept,\u201d Dennerlein said.<\/p>\n \u201cSaying what works gives them some ideas of how to build on past successes.\u201d<\/p>\n Accentuating the positive when creating change also helps workers and management feel connected as a team and to understand the ways they\u2019re building toward a common goal. As Dennerlein put it, when creating change;<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t just attack your weaknesses\u2014build off your strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n The most common reason for change to cause employees stress or for progress on a planned technological change to falter is a failure in organisational communication.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s so many opportunities for that communication chain to sort of break down,\u201d Dennerlein said.<\/p>\n Especially in multinational organisations, change that makes sense locally can falter when it\u2019s upscaled globally when management hasn\u2019t taken a big-picture approach.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a multinational organisation you\u2019re going to have places that have different kinds of cultures, where different issues may arise\u2014 in South America vs. North America or even Texas vs. Massachusetts,\u201d Dennerlein said. But these issues can crop up even in smaller companies, where differences in company culture or the expectations for communication may vary even between divisions.<\/p>\n When bringing change to any organisation, Dennerlein believes that it is important that management understands the experience and concerns of front-line workers.<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter how big an organisation is, they have to understand what it\u2019s like to walk the floor,\u201d Dennerlein said. \u201cA manager should be able to understand what\u2019s going on at the front line of their organisation and how the decisions they\u2019re making may impact everybody down below. When making a change, they need to realise that there\u2019s this whole organisation that will be implementing their policy; they need to understand how that policy disseminates through the company as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n To create this understanding and effectively implement change<\/a> in a psychologically and organisationally coherent way, leaders must learn to perceive their company as a whole, understanding how interconnected labour and communication creates a productive atmosphere.<\/p>\n \u201cThe infrastructure of the whole organisation needs to understand how to be connected to that front-line worker,\u201d Dennerlein said. \u201cBy doing that, you create a dialogue.<\/p>\n “You create a psychological safe space where the workers can communicate back to managers of what the managers\u2019 decisions are doing, how that\u2019s impacting those workers and how they have to deal with that from day to day.\u201d<\/p>\n Only by creating this cohesive understanding can a company effectively implement change.<\/p>\n Learn more about Bluebeam Revu<\/a>\u00a0at bluebeam.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Please note: this is a commercial ad.<\/em><\/p>\n Embracing the impact of new and disruptive building technology in the construction industry means also managing the organisational change that comes with it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38487],"tags":[74470,464,94656,70338,172737,172739],"stakeholder_rel_tag":[172393],"contributor_rel_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-84633","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-construction-technology-news","7":"tag-bim-today-december-2020","8":"tag-contributor-profile","9":"tag-digital","10":"tag-pbc-today-november-2020","11":"tag-project-management-software","12":"tag-site-communication-software","13":"stakeholder_rel_tag-bluebeam"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nManage workplace culture<\/h3>\n
Reduce resistance to building technology<\/h3>\n
Focus on communication<\/h3>\n