The True Power of Teamwork

If I were to ask you, “What is the true power of teamwork?” how would you respond?

Would you tell me that teamwork is “a collective group of individuals working together toward a common outcome?”

Would you see it as “all participants sharing a common vision and striving for that mutual goal?”

Or would it be, “like-minded individuals homogeneously collaborating with the prospect of achieving success?”

All of the above would suffice as standard responses and clearly this is a subject that all those in construction, especially general contractors, know intimately, because properly tapping into this resource is indeed how our members succeed.

Our members experience teamwork every day in their companies. Through banners, posters, logos and signature lines in emails, the message is repeated. Our contractors foster the concept and even have retreats with their employees to reinforce the notion that collectively, we are stronger together than individually.

This is also clear when two or more contractors collaborate on a joint venture to satisfy all of the requirements for a specific project. The hope is that the venture is synergistic and that the ultimate output exceeds the sum of each individual part. It only goes to reason that together we are stronger than individually.

So, why am I asking OGCA members about teamwork?

Because the basis of any association, especially the highly successful ones, is the input provided by every individual company toward the ultimate success for the whole. In this case, I am referring to the entire ICI construction industry.

OGCA members are the most highly collaborative and team-oriented association members from any sector of construction, and this isn’t just hearsay, but proven with results.

Let me expand on this.

Firstly, let’s review how OGCA members continue to address health and safety in construction in a team-oriented fashion.

OGCA members have demonstrated that collectively, they are the safest contractors of any sector. Repeatedly, our members far exceed industry benchmarks that are compiled and assessed from organizations such as the WSIB and Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development (MLTSD). This was recognized through the establishment of a new WSIB rate category, solely linked to non-residential construction with a significantly lower rate than other sectors in construction.

This is further reinforced by the constant safety awards our members receive for their continued placements about “lost time injuries” and “without incident” assessments.

This positive and beneficial outcome is linked directly to the efforts that all of our health and safety professionals contribute by sharing information. The terminology that “safety is not proprietary” is a common phrase you hear at the OGCA Safety Committee meetings, and it is not simply said, but instead lived and clearly supported by empirical evidence. This sharing of information has elevated this committee through continued teamwork to addressing the burden of safety.

Secondly, let’s review how the OGCA members continue to address innovation in construction in a team-oriented fashion

Construction has been called a “luddite” or a “dinosaur” when it comes to the advancement of technology, but this is simply an untrue statement and not at all indicative of the ICI construction sector. OGCA members are literally at the forefront of robotics, use of drones, internet of things (IOT) sensors, and especially in the adoption and promotion of Building Information Modeling (BIM).

How our members address construction design and the flow of information yield truly inspirational and breath-taking outcomes in the projects we build. And the OGCA Innovation committee is continually discussing, assessing and advancing the use of all of these technologies through studies, reports and collaborations with other construction industry stakeholders and sharing with not only our members, but all of construction. And this is only the beginning.

In a relatively short time, the OGCA Innovation Committee has solidified its impact on advancing technology and is continually getting member input and requests for webinar explanations and demonstrations on how to properly utilize these innovations. Members are communicating how to successfully incorporate technologies into construction to other members and sharing all of the pitfalls they encountered along the path to ensure they are not repeated.

Thirdly, let’s review how the OGCA members continue to address issues in tenders, contracts and procurement in construction in a team-oriented fashion

OGCA members understand that, through the OGCA, they can directly influence a buyer of construction more so than if they addressed them alone. On tender matters, the potential OGCA bidders who highlight an issue with the association are met with enthusiastic support and together, tender language is repeatedly amended by the buyer of construction in favour of more open, transparent and equitable terms. But again, I want to highlight that it is through the members working together through the OGCA that significant and beneficial advances are made.

To conclude, what then is the true power of teamwork? The true power resides in the combined ability of a group to make a significant difference!

Each day the OGCA, through the continued support of all of its members, makes a significant difference. The OGCA can shape health and safety, innovation use and tender and contract language daily, due to the synergistic effect that our members have on the industry. And this is just the tip of the iceberg…

I want to leave you with a famous quote from the Greek storyteller Aesop, in one of the most quoted statements ever: “United we stand, divided we fall!”

Should any of our members like more information on how the OGCA is affecting change with the input of our contractors, or if you require any assistance from the OGCA, please contact me directly at giovanni@ogca.ca or via phone at 905.671.3969.