Finding the strengths in your construction industry team
Strengths discovery and strengths-based coaching are fantastic tools for increasing employee engagement, boosting productivity, and bringing out the best in office-based teams.
But what about businesses – and teams – that don’t fit the office-based model? Can these powerful tools work in the field, as well as at a desk? For example, what about a construction team, delivering valuable projects to tight schedules, and working within strict health and safety regulations?
Of course, not everyone involved with a construction project will be working on site. Behind the scenes of every building site there is a team of people planning the work, managing the budget, and keeping everyone – from the architect to the local authority and the client – informed about any issues, cost increases or delays.
So, how can a strengths-based approach help keep your project (and your team) on track?
Strengths in construction
Research shows that encouraging employees to work to their strengths, rather than coaching them through their weaknesses, brings measurable benefits to businesses. A strengths-based approach helps to build more effective teams, increases employee engagement and productivity, and makes it more likely that employees will stay in a job, confident that their abilities are recognised and rewarded. These principles apply whether the teams are office based or not.
Leveraging strengths in the construction industry is likely to benefit projects and businesses in several ways.
1. Enhanced efficiency and productivity
Imagine a team where every individual is enabled to contribute their best to every project. By aligning each employee’s individual strengths with specific project objectives, tasks can be allocated more effectively. This allows the team member best suited to each task to take ownership of its delivery, leading to improved efficiency and productivity overall. Placing workers (whether on site or behind the scenes) in roles where they can excel, helps to deliver smooth project execution and – importantly – completion on schedule.
2. Improved project success rates
Construction projects are never simple or straightforward and plans frequently need amending once teams get on site. Recognising and incorporating diverse skills into a team increases its ability to tackle complex projects successfully, and to respond when plans are forced to change. With the right people in the right roles, any team is better equipped, and more likely to meet the project objectives: deadlines, budget constraints, client expectations, safety, and quality standards.
3. Increased employee satisfaction and retention
Looking to improve employee retention, and build successful teams that can tackle future projects with confidence? Building teams while recognising and nurturing individual talents allows team members to appreciate each other’s strengths, as well as their own. Employees are much more likely to feel motivated and engaged when their strengths are used effectively, leading to higher levels of job satisfaction and retention.
4. Improved adaptability to industry changes
Investing in continuous training and development ensures that any team remains up to date with the latest industry trends, technologies, and best practices. Building diverse teams – and ensuring that a range of strengths are represented – increases each team’s ability to react to, and plan for, unexpected problems. Strengths-based teams are proven to be more innovative and collaborative, giving a company the ability to adapt quickly to changes in the construction landscape, remain competitive, and seize new opportunities for growth.
5. Enhanced safety and quality standards
Working with a strengths-based approach increases psychological safety within the organisation which enables a more effective approach to accidents, incidents, and near misses. This in turn reduces the occurrence of such situations resulting in increased efficiency, profitability, and industry reputation.
Meeting the challenges
Applying strengths discovery and strengths-based coaching in construction has the potential to produce improved project outcomes, stronger team dynamics, and sustained growth for companies in this highly competitive industry.
To grow your company’s potential for success in construction, contact Strength In People Ltd or book a discovery call. It’s time to discover how our strengths-based approach can transform your teams, your project management, your safety and quality compliance, and your organisation.
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