Technical Challenges

Construction is Not A Technical Industry

I have spent most of my career in and around construction. I love the energy, the potential, the opportunity to shape the landscape, and the people. I am a technical professional but, at its core, our industry is not technical. We work in teams, work through others, lead people to successful outcomes. We are a people industry. Until robots and AI come for all our jobs, we need to recognize that we are only successful working together as colleagues, team members, and peers.

I recently worked with a group of Project Managers to help them sharpen their management skills and a recurring theme arose in our one-on-one coaching sessions. As budding or new PMs, I asked them to describe their role. Some saw themselves as glorified Field Supers while others understood that the job is to manage a team of professionals, provide the support and resources needed, give feedback, and more. I favor the latter description. I found myself going back to a concept that was new to nearly all. The concept distinguishes between Technical Challenges and Adaptive Challenges. The proponents of this concept, Ron Heifitz and Marty Linsky of Harvard, did not direct their thinking at the construction industry but they could have.

Technical challenges are those where a solution has been developed, is linear and logical, and just needs to be implemented. Been there, done that. Adaptive challenges require experimentation. What worked in the past will not necessarily work again, with someone else, or have the same benefit. Whenever we insert people into the equation, we are dealing with adaptive challenges. This can be frustrating for the process-driven, technical professionals that just want a ready solution. We accomplish little without the human element of our industry and that’s why I don’t consider construction a technical industry.

This can be frustrating for many who want to work in a silo or solo role. Many in the industry, especially those who did not seek out people-management roles, may feel uncomfortable with the lack of certainty or variability. There are any number of ways that this shows up every day. Perhaps the most prominent is in communications. As managers, we recognize that effective communication accounts for the other person and how they take in information and tailor our approach to maximize our impact. This is the case whether you are talking to a client about a change order, providing direction to a team, or giving feedback.

Effective communication really is our key to success. Develop self-awareness around your own style and approach. Have the emotional intelligence to recognize that in others (asking them is a good start). Accept that there are many routes to success. There is no “right” approach. You have to choose which route to take to get over the finish line.

Construction is not a technical industry. It is fluid, dynamic, ever-changing with a range of attitudes, personalities, perspectives, and needs. Successful construction is all about people.

Michael Riegel

MRiegel@AECBusinessStrategies.com https://michaelriegel.substack.com/

516-238-0859