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Interview their role or activity . Generic communications don ’ t enable people to understand how change impacts them . It ’ s not a one-size-fitsall engagement and communication strategy and there ’ s also a real need to avoid business speak and jargon .
“ The other key element is listening . Communication should be two ways and involve listening and responding to people ’ s concerns so that they feel heard and understood . Communication should also be ongoing so that people are kept up to date on progress and feel part of the process .”
Huge potential
A key driving force behind Hexagon Consultants ’ approach to business improvement is assessing whether the implementation of any organisational change will deliver value . “ If you consider the implementation of AI , for example ,” Sue continues , “ from digital twins through to predictive analytics for demand forecasting and risk management , there are numerous applications that can add value in a construction setting . The important thing though is to make sure any adoption of those technologies is appropriate and not in response to hype . Across many industries , including construction , the difficulty can often lie in people not knowing where to start or how best to apply AI in their organisation . It ’ s crucial to be clear about the problem you ’ re trying to solve , making sure that AI is the right answer to that problem and then making sure you pick the right tool for the job . There ’ s a lot of options out there , but you need to start small and balance innovation with practicality .
“ This kind of approach is also pertinent to supply chain optimisation . It ’ s not simply a case of tackling symptoms but rather identifying the root cause of any pain points . We ’ ve recently been working with a company that ’ s been struggling with on-time delivery and subsequent negative customer feedback . By mapping out the process , the data , the products and the information flows , we ’ ve been able to identify several issues contributing to that poor performance . As such , we ’ re currently working through a process with them to address those issues and solve the problem in the longer term . This kind of mapping is also useful for supply chain risk and resilience assessment , where your objective is prevention rather than cure . Getting an understanding of your supply chain , thinking about where risk may occur and starting to think about your mitigation strategies ahead of there actually being a problem means that if there is an issue , you ’ re in a much stronger place to respond ,” she elaborates .
“ Staying the same is not an option for the sector . It ’ s about implementing technology given the current challenges and where construction is in its adoption of tech . There is a huge potential from digital and AI capabilities , but I think that the message must be to get value from that capability . It ’ s not just about buying a system ; it necessitates a change to business operating models and service delivery to suit new ways of working and to leverage value . Another crucial element of that is to remember it ’ s not an IT project ; it must be managed and the impact understood at the strategic and organisational level , not just through the lens of systems and IT .
“ I think construction is a complex and dynamic industry and the ongoing successful businesses will be those that can move and adapt to that changing environment ,” Sue concludes . “ I think there are some legacy ways of working from which the industry should try to move on . Many of the challenges that I hear about and talk about are the same in multiple industries , and there is real opportunity in seeing how others are tackling problems and moving up that improvement curve more quickly by taking advantage of the lessons that other industries and other people have learned .” ■
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