Fostering a Quality Culture in Construction
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
This article has been produced in an attempt to take lessons learned from other industry sectors such as aerospace, nuclear and oil & gas where changes to the quality function have brought about improvements in ways of working that have benefitted customers and suppliers alike.
The article does not claim to be the complete guide to cultural change, nor does it go into great detail regarding how any initiatives are to be implemented.
The term ‘organisation’ is used throughout the article to mean the private sector both from a corporate or large-scale project standpoint and also within the public sector.
[edit] Background
So how to foster a Quality culture within the construction sector?
The evidence from other industry sectors has shown that the factors that best deliver products and services, in any organisation be listed, broadly, as follows.
- Culture
- Structure and systems
- Competence
- Behaviour
Although listed in a particular order, none of these should be considered in isolation and, furthermore, are not mutually exclusive; they are interrelated and interdependent.
Considering each of these in greater detail.
- Clear organisational structure
- Clear roles and responsibilities
- Policies
- Processes
- Procedures
- Measurement
- The right people (at all levels)
- Training
- Personal development
- Involvement
Behaviour
[edit] The role of the Quality Manager
The role of the Quality Manager is key to changing the culture of an organisation.
In the past the quality manager was seen as an on-cost by senior management. In some cases, quality managers perceived themselves as inspectors responsible for the identification of non-compliant goods or services or auditors whose sole aim was the maintenance and protection of the organisation’s certification to ISO9001.
If an organisation-wide quality culture is to be developed, then this thinking has to be changed.
Quality managers must expand their roles in order that they are seen to bring benefits at all levels within the organisation. Rather than being seen as policing the work, which, in turn, leads them to being perceived as an added cost to the work in hand (and thus profitability) they should move towards being seen as facilitators, bringing value to the operation of the organisation as a whole. The way forward is for them to become promoters of better ways of working, demonstrating the value of the quality management system and facilitators of change.
This starts with changing the perception of their role within senior management.
Consider what influences senior management the most. Usually this is anything that affects the bottom line – profit and loss.
This can be broken down into facets such as efficient working, high quality output, little or no rework and high levels of customer satisfaction which, in turn, leads to market reputation.
There is also the recognition that a well-informed, involved and motivated workforce can only benefit the organisation and thus assist in meeting their goals.
This is not to say that quality managers should not continue to measure and influence the workings of the organisation by the means of audits, monitoring of processes and procedures, non-conformance reports or suggested improvements. It does mean, however, that their attitude has to be one of communicating and facilitating change where necessary.
Quality managers must have the interpersonal skills to be able to convince senior management of the benefits of taking the above four-step approach.
Senior management must take on board and commit to the approach. Without the commitment of senior management any initiatives introduced to provide and support the aims and objectives will undoubtedly fail.
[edit] How to implement the four factors
Considering the four areas to success as listed above.
There follows a brief comment on how each of these may be addressed. These are not intended to be the only ways to approach the issue of fostering a quality culture in construction. There may well be others but it should be stated that these are actions that are proven to work in other industry sectors.
[edit] Culture
The organisation should have a clearly defined mission, vision and values which are communicated both within and to outside parties. The organisation should have a strategy for the way forward as to what its future aims and objectives are going forward. Each member within the organisation should have a clear understanding of the vision, strategy, values, ethics, aims and objectives. Each of them, at all levels, should understand these and the part that they must play in supporting them.
[edit] Structure and systems
The organisation should have a clearly defined structure, understood by all. Roles and responsibilities need to be fully understood at all levels. Care must be taken that all activities to be undertaken by the organisation are covered, that there are no gaps and no duplication.
There needs to be a structured management system which incorporates policies, processes, procedures and, if required, work methods. These must be measurable such that outcomes can be verified and improved where necessary. The management system needs to be robust and accessible but not be overly bureaucratic. It is to be owned, ultimately, by top management who, in most circumstances, will delegate day-to-day responsibility for its operation and performance to the designated quality manager.
[edit] Competence
Having the right people at all levels is vital to the success of any organisation. The measurement of capabilities is paramount. Where it is deemed that people need training, whether it be in their current role, as a means to promotion or where new products or services are undertaken, there must be plans in place for individual personal development.
[edit] Behaviour
Potentially the most important factor when considering the construction sector. There has to be a commitment within all levels of the organisation to make the changes that a new way of working will need to ensure successful outcomes. This may require changes in attitude, a commitment to change where necessary, an understanding of what is needed and how to achieve the aims and objectives of the organisation.
There must be respect shown to individuals at all levels within the organisation, an understanding of values and ethics and, possibly most important of all, a commitment by all to work together, aligned to achieve the stated aims and objectives.
[edit] The role of senior management
The essence of senior management is commitment, closely followed by communication.
It is imperative that senior management buy in to the concepts as outlined. Each member of senior management should take on board the behaviours necessary to endorse and promote ways of communicating their commitment to the culture. This would include, but not necessarily be limited to, being visible at all levels of the organisation (sometimes referred to as MBWA – management by walking about), exhibiting behaviours that would support the culture, having the means to engage with individuals that may struggle with the culture, encouraging and supporting others within the organisation who have not taken on board or who a resistant to the culture.
Furthermore, senior management must ensure that a safe working environment is established for all, that suppliers are selected that commit to the same ethics as their own, including health, safety and welfare.
In order for the culture to be effective, senior management need to create, exhibit and support principles such as:
- a declared and communicated strategy including aims, objectives, goals and targets
- a no blame culture
- meeting behaviours such as generous listening, encouraging individuals to speak up, putting aside personal differences to focus on the performance of the work, disagree without being disagreeable, commitment to deliver on agreed actions
- encouraging feedback
- encouraging and incentivising innovation
- a commitment to training
- respect in the workplace at all levels
[edit] Tools and Techniques
Communication – in order for each individual to understand the part that they can play in the ongoing success of the organisation it is important for them to understand how they can play their part. The strategy, aims, objectives and targets need to be visible by posters, leaflets or by electronic means in order that there is alignment at all levels to enable a common focus on what is needed for success. In addition, there should be a means of communicating from the bottom-up. In order to enable this, the organisation should implement and demonstrate a ‘no blame’ culture. If issues and problems arise during the execution of the work (product or service) then in successful organisations these can be raised without fear of penalty or retribution. If this is not a behaviour that is encouraged then issues become ‘hidden’ and may have major consequences going forward.
Training – Induction and on-the-job training is required to ensure that all individuals at all levels are aligned to the aims, objectives, targets and culture of the organisation such that they are best placed to support them. It is accepted that not all members of the organisation will have a full understanding of the details of their role from the outset. Methods need to be in place to recognise this and provide suitable training to overcome any shortcomings. This training may be possible in-house or it may be necessary to engage the participation of outside training bodies.
Coaching – It is likely that issues may arise when individuals are performing activities within their personal roles and responsibilities. In such cases it should be seen as a positive course of action that they seek support and assistance from others within the organisation. There should be no blame or stigma attached to requesting such support.
Recognition – Can come in many forms. Individuals can be incentivised financially by bonus payments or rewards for performance, by gifts, participation at events, by awards from senior management that reflect their achievements (normally as formal presentations with their colleagues in attendance such that recognition for exceptional performance can be witnessed by others). High performing teams may also be recognised by similar means and rewarded as a group.
[edit] Barriers to success
The biggest barrier by far to success to improving the culture is the lack of commitment by senior management. If they cannot demonstrate this in their involvement and communication with others in the organisation then the culture cannot be seen to be supported.
Any lack of commitment by senior management will undoubtedly be reflected in a poor response at all levels of the organisation.
[It should be noted at this point that the biggest areas of concern in the construction industry in relation to the execution of work are contractual awareness, procurement (where lowest bidder appears to be the norm, rather than best value), design verification and the focus on through-life operation.]
[edit] Conclusion
The main areas of influence that affect the implementation of a good working culture and thus achieve the desired outcomes are commitment, communication, respect and recognition.
These are not always easy to achieve but by involvement, inclusion, training and culture at all levels within an organisation everyone in that organisation can benefit both in their performance in their role and at a personal level going forward.
It is reiterated that there may well be other approaches to improving culture within an organisation but in highly regulated sectors of industry they are proven to bring value through successful implementation.
Original article written by Colin Harley & reviewed by Giorgio Mannelli, Kevin Rogers and Alistair Connon on behalf of the Construction Special Interest Group (ConSIG) Thought Leadership Group (TLG former KWG). Article peer reviewed by the TLG and submitted for publication by the ConSIG Steering Committee. The information in this article was accurate at the time of the review.