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The construction industry is one with deeply ingrained processes and cultures. Therefore, suggesting that construction companies open up to a more innovative approach might sound unsettling to leaders and workers.
Setting those natural fears aside, there are plenty of reasons why every business should look to innovate, and plenty of evidence that those which manage to innovate perform better than those relying on “the old ways, because they work.”
Innovation isn’t just about improving production. And change isn’t all about technology. Innovation processes can make construction a better industry to work in. Innovation can make construction sites a safer place to operate in, with better quality resulting in safer buildings. It can help reduce costs, add greener and social value to projects, and help the workforce contribute more to the company’s success.
Innovation Beyond Technology
When most workers and executives hear about innovation, they tend to think of more apps and technology (more on them later). But in construction, that does not have to be the case. Innovation starts with the simplest of steps, with construction examples including:
- Sustainable construction practices, focused on using natural or recycled materials and reducing waste across construction processes.
- Prefabrication and modular partnerships to speed up construction.
- Taking an innovative approach to project management to share the risks and rewards among a broader pool of partners, bringing their collaboration ideas to boost results.
- Working with the community is essential for construction projects, but going further to involve them and deliver community benefits creates greater positive results.
Businesses can also consider greener production methods, such as green roofing and urban landscape design to promote eco-friendly innovation without requiring endless technology. Finally, any business can do more for recycling and reuse, combined with the above areas to help contribute to green or social projects.
But Technology Can Drive Greater Innovation
The primary use of technology is to help make any business information clearer and more accessible. Many construction firms are highly reliant on their ERPs and project tools, but as software continues to add innovative features, it is up to the organisations to use them. New features need investigating for their value.
Gone are the days of dense spreadsheets, with most layers of management and executives opting for live dashboards showing project progress, cost overruns, delays and their causes.
Updating construction project management software also brings further benefits, including:
- Streamlined project planning showing life timelines, resource allocation, and task management,
- Improved collaboration allowing comments into processes that are more visible across the project operations and leadership.
- Increased transparency helps identify issues earlier and for teams to work on solving problems before they become expensive issues.
- Mitigating risks by highlighting potential supply chain problems, site delays and disputes.
Beyond project management software, new ideas can be encouraged by providing idea management software across the workforce. This encourages a more formalised approach to idea sharing and research.
That can boost collaboration as workers are encouraged to take ownership of ideas, gain broader support and see that innovations are recognised. Leadership can see the ideas, prioritise and manage them as they prove worthwhile or tempting. If needed, innovation software can also act as the repository for data related to each innovation, providing supporting trends and opportunities.
People Innovate, Technology Helps Them
The key issue to respect is that your workers are the ones driving the innovation. They should be rewarded for doing so, and given the tools (in software or services) to make sure each innovation gets its chance to shine.
A culture of innovation should be encouraged by leadership, but it won’t work unless it is easy, understandable, and even fun, for all levels of employees to use. Promoting Innovation alongside the typical health-and-safety guidance is just as important to drive home the message.
With all construction workers having access to smart devices, they can all act as a greater part of the innovation process. And as more workers move between projects, that knowledge and information will be shared to bring about wider change to the construction industry.
And innovation isn’t just an internal proposition, innovation is recognised in construction industry awards. These can boost the profile of a business, placing it among peers, creating marketing opportunities. A greater level of market awareness helps build trust with clients and prospects, can attract talent, and breed further interest in innovation from within the ranks.
Not all innovative ideas will succeed. But by promoting a culture of innovation, and seeing a few successful efforts that deliver business and creative benefits, any construction company can evolve quickly to place innovation at the core of operations. And in a market with broadly similar companies looking to stand out and differentiate, the successful innovators will be far ahead down that road.
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