All Minds at the Table
Leaders in major programmes that don’t invest in their culture will come unstuck. For us, it’s about being deliberate and relentless about our values.”
MARK THURSTON
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER HS2
The environment in which the UK’s major infrastructure projects are being developed and delivered has never been tougher. Rising input costs are making projects more expensive at a time when public finances are under increasing strain. And the environmental impact of projects being delivered in this decade and beyond will be held to standards that were unimaginable a decade ago.
Increasing complexity is the new normal, at least in the medium-term. And our leaders recognise that today’s challenges need the most talented minds at the table. This means genuine diversity of thought and team composition.
Thinking Differently
While experience remains essential, it is not the sole lens through which our leaders view talent. An exclusive focus on past experience can block more radical and creative ideas by placing too much emphasis on ‘the way we’ve always done things’. It can confine projects to slow, incremental change rather than allowing them to make bold leaps forward.
One of our participants shared an example of a large, civil structure that was designed to cross a river. Engineers proposed a marvel of a structural solution to protect the biodiversity beneath. The environmentalist’s solution: move the river. The latter prevailed, removing hundreds of tonnes of concrete and steel from the design.
The example illustrates two things. The first is the value of diverse viewpoints. The second is that those viewpoints must be heard when the big decisions are being made. It is often argued that the construction sector is ripe for disruption, but that will not happen by the same groups of individuals making the same decisions in the same way. It needs a cultural environment in which different teams – and their different views – thrive.
Finding (and Removing) the Barriers
While there has been some progress in increasing diversity in the sector, it lags behind many others.
ONS data shows that 15% of the UK’s construction workforce is female.1 In addition, analysis by GBM, the union for the UK’s construction sector, estimates that – based on the current rate of progress – it will take almost 200 years to achieve gender equality.2
WOMEN IN THE UK CONSTRUCTION WORKFORCE
NUMBER OF YEARS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR TO ACHIEVE GENDER EQUALITY
The picture is bleaker in the higher echelons of organisations: women account for just five per cent of manager/director roles in the water and energy sectors, falling to 2.1 per cent in construction, and there has been very little improvement over the past decade.1
The gap starts early. A 2019 study by EngineeringUK, a non-profit that promotes engineering, found sizeable and persistent differences across genders, with boys aged 11 to 14 far more likely than girls to consider engineering careers. The report also highlights a clear need to strengthen knowledge of the profession.2
Leaders are blunt in their view that this must be addressed. They also recognise that they must invest in understanding the underlying issues, which are multi-dimensional, intertwined and highly complex. Only this will ensure that teams at all levels are representative of society.
My biggest single learning on Crossrail was that you needed every type of talent because the problem was difficult and complex. The best teams really are a rich mix of minds. However, it’s tough for women and minorities to break through to the C-suite, and we must understand why.”
MARK WILD OBE
FORMER CEO Crossrail
Lots of brilliant solutions aren’t thrown into the mix because there’s not enough diversity of thought in the project.”
PROFESSOR SADIE MORGAN OBE
COMMISSIONER National Infrastructure Commission
We won't achieve the diversity needed in the sector if we don't have the right people with the right skills available at the right time. It is vital that we collectively identify and support the next set of leaders in our sector and also continue to promote our sector to the next generation of infrastructure professionals.”
SARAH JOHNSON
STRATEGIC ADVISER Major Programmes
Valuing Values
Our leaders view organisational culture and purpose as vital to retaining and attracting workers, particularly given the international competition for talent.
Complex infrastructure projects are decades in planning, development and delivery, often accounting for a major proportion of the careers of the individuals involved. Whereas projects may have previously felt transactional and task focused to those on the inside, leaders are increasingly prioritising culture and see this as critical to their overall success. They are putting purpose and values at the heart of their organisations, and driving these across their supply chains. This is no mean feat: projects may comprise thousands of individuals from a vast range of contractors and suppliers. All must work together constructively and share a vision for the future.
The legacy of infrastructure is a transformation of the modern world – and it’s vital that our people feel a strong connection to that.”
BEN WHEELDON
PROGRAMME DIRECTOR HS2 EUSTON STATION REDEVELOPMENT Mace
Collaborate to Innovate
