If Technology Can Cure Poor Construction Productivity, How Come We’re not Using it?
Ever since the Farmer Report highlighted the need for the construction industry to transform how it does business, there’s been an assumption that digitally-enabled companies using advanced construction methods represent the future. To be honest, the industry probably already understood this before the report.
Technology, it is argued, will enable us to build cheaper and faster, with better profitability and less risk. If the economic prize is so big, why has so little changed? It’s not as though we’re waiting for digital tools and better methods to be developed – they are already available.
What we seem to be faced with is an industry that knows that it needs to change, knows generally how it needs to change, but is unable to generate enough momentum behind that change.
To move forward we have to understand and address the factors that are holding us back. It’s too convenient to say that construction is a traditional industry, that our people are resistant to technology or don’t want to change old processes. That may be true in a few cases but the reality is that people of all ages are comfortable using technology for a whole host of everyday tasks.
The Road to Transformation
People will change behaviour and ways of working when they understand the benefit, are clear about what’s expected from them, and are given targeted support based on their ‘change-readiness.’ This is the lesson from other industries. If you don’t understand the direction of travel and how it will affect you personally, of course you’ll be inclined to stick to what you know.
Change also won’t come in a single giant leap. The road to transformation is likely to be covered in small steps. Regular, sustained, smaller technical advances are a more manageable way to evolve our industry.
Once we learn to embrace small advances in technology with enthusiasm we start our journey to becoming an industry where change is normal and welcome.
Like it or not, disruption is coming. The companies that are quick to embrace it will reap the rewards. Those that don’t will be struggling to catch up or will find themselves consigned to history as a business that used to be something to do with construction.
