Construction has a reputation for lagging behind other industries in its digitalization efforts. The truth, however, is much more nuanced. In the last decade, digital technologies have created significant changes in the way construction projects are briefed, planned, designed, and assembled. However, one of the challenges is that digitalization isn’t currently implemented at the same level across the construction value chain. In particular, it’s on-site workers and trade contractors that are reluctant to adopt digital tools, despite research by McKinsey Global Institute indicating that digital transformation for construction companies can result in productivity gains of 14-15% and cost reductions of 4-6%.1
90% of architects report using BIM whereas only 25% trade contractors report the same.2
For field ops leaders, digitalization presents a huge opportunity to overcome current and future challenges. Amid spiralling construction costs from supply chain issues, a lack of skilled labor and more, adopting more digital ways of working are already facilitating more cost stability, productivity, and profit for the construction companies prioritizing it.
But on-site workers are renowned for their resistance, favoring pre-existing ways of working over new approaches they see as undermining their roles rather than supporting them. So, field ops leaders have to get them on side. Here are three anxieties construction’s on-site workers have, and what you can do to put their minds at ease.
“This seems over-the-top for a company of our size.”
Too many on-site workers view digitalization as purely a solution for large companies. When most of the construction industry is comprised of SMEs, this is a problem.
David Barnes, Policy & Public Affairs Manager at the Chartered Institute of Building, notes, “A lot of these [SME] companies think they don’t have the time or capacity, whether that’s financial or administrative, to look at technology in the light that it should be.” For field ops leaders, this results in on-site workers viewing digitalization as a needless inconvenience rather than a supportive investment.
The best thing field ops leaders can do to bust this myth is point out the distinct benefits of digitalization for workers’ specific tasks. Digitalization can help SMEs because it offers benefits even when integrated into smaller parts of a project or process. Take safety inspections, for example: digitalization here is already working to make the sharing of documents faster, easier, and less error-prone. This is a very small but important part of safety inspections—that has to be right to protect employee health and business reputation. This shows how implementing digitalization can bring tangible benefits to a single task.3
“I don’t understand it.”
Another popular myth about construction digitalization is that it’s too complex to understand, use, and—by extension—see the benefits of. This attitude is termed “organ rejection”: whereby a new technology solution fails to deliver visible benefits and the workforce, noticing this, refuse to adopt it.4
In many cases, however, it’s not the complexity creating the resistance. Rather, companies are implementing cutting-edge technology before they’ve figured out exactly how these can support their current operations.
This is echoed by David Philp, Chief Value Officer at the Cohesive Group “A lot of (digitalization) has been about for many years,” he says. “It’s not about trying to get better outputs. We’re very guilty of trying to digitize a broken process, then all we get is a digital broken process. We need to think more about better, more sustainable outcomes and process re-engineering.”
The best way for field ops leaders to avoid this “organ rejection” is to first look at troubleshooting their workers’ individual pain points. Take note of them and only begin to adopt digitalization, in a small way first, that works to overcome them. That way, workers begin to see clear and tangible benefits immediately and are less likely to reject the technology.
“It’s replacing me.”
The anxiety that technology will render workers unrequired and unnecessary is far from confined to the construction industry. Particularly as automation becomes more pervasive, employees across a number of sectors have expressed concerns that their job simply won’t exist in a few year times. In fact, staggeringly, 37% of Americans say they are worried about automation displacing them from their job permanently.5
In reality, particularly in construction, there’s little evidence that technology is going to ‘replace’ anyone. It’s much more likely that it’ll work to help these workers realize safer and faster processes—and boost their productivity.
Field ops leaders tasked with convincing their workers of this have two options. Firstly, they should reiterate to workers that technology is there to support them and—importantly—have the knowledge and use cases to back this up. There’s the obvious argument that the workers resistant to technology on the construction site have no problem with the technology in their personal lives that makes their lives easier and more convenient. But also, construction industry-specific use cases are a great way to start convincing your workers of technology’s efficacy.
One such use case is that of multinational construction company, Skanska. They’ve invested significantly in the Internet of Things, using smart sensors, robust wireless networks, and real-time location tracking systems to transform construction sites into digital workspaces. The results? Real-time information flows, increased worker safety, and enhanced jobsite visibility, which allows teams and owners to make informed decisions while reducing risk.6
As well as educating employees, field ops leaders should invest more in adequate reskilling too. Technology won’t replace jobs but will change them. Showing employees that technology is an investment in them is paramount, and giving them the right tools and education to make the most of these opportunities is key to motivating adoption. What’s more, it’ll make the transition as smooth and productive as possible.
David Philp is clear about the importance of reskilling. “Putting technology in place doesn’t solve things unless you put the right education and processes in place,” he says. Not only will reskilling help get teams on side but it’ll also mean the entire company can maximize its impact.
The potential of technology to help the construction industry through its challenges, now and in the future, is huge. And it’s field ops leaders’ jobs to make sure this potential isn’t undermined by worker resistance.
Whether it’s concerns about future careers or misunderstandings of technology’s efficacy, workers need to be on side–and shown that technology is there to increase their safety, fuel their productivity, and aid the company’s growth and profit margins.
One piece of construction technology that delivers all of these benefits is HP SitePrint. As a robotic solution for autonomous layouts, field ops leaders can help their layout professionals complete the same high quality of work, in a fraction of the time, whilst enjoying the health benefits that come with reducing manual work.
Find out more about how HP SitePrint can fast-track your building layouts.
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