In thinking about the future of construction, my Google search turned up a lot of ideas. Some of the main aspirations of construction companies for the future are zero defects and accidents, efficiency and sustainability…as well as completing projects on time and on budget. These are great concepts, but I question…aren’t these already goals of today’s construction industry?
One thing is certain: change is always constant. To achieve these outcomes, you need innovation.
The desired future outcomes of construction companies are easy to identify. The difficulty comes with finding actions steps to achieve those outcomes. So, I think construction companies need to think more about innovation for the future. Innovation requires a willingness to challenge the assumptions that have made a construction company successful.
It’s important to remember that innovation can be most any type of new idea: New equipment, automated scheduling systems or simply a new approach to communicating with clients. The challenge – for any company in any industry – is to recognize that innovation offers the promise of constant improvement, rather than standing still.
If an organization has management that is content in its ways, it will eventually fall behind.
The mindset of constant improvement needs to be engrained into your culture. Solutions to problems will become part of your thinking… and those solutions will eventually grow into larger ideas that create value. This value will create a competitive advantage for construction companies that look to the future. At the heart of this mindset is a commitment to innovation.
