The burning platform

A recent Australian Government-sponsored study into changing work organisation and skill requirements (NCVER 2008) considered whether employees needed a new set of skills to meet the current and future demands of industry, including mining operations. One of the key messages from the study was the need for workers to develop skills in areas such as cooperation and negotiation, as well as improving their administrative, supervisory and management skills. This study also identified that teamwork is declining or being used solely as a social integration process or as part of induction into organisational cultures. Further Australian research on outcomes versus worker perception in occupational health and safety (OHS) performance identifies a need that can be filled by leadership development programs. Specifically, a 2008 study (Dingsdag, Biggs & Sheehan 2008) of worker perception of OHS competency in construction ranked the four most influential safety positions at a construction site as (in order of influence):

• Workplace Health and Safety Officer 
• Supervisors / foremen 
• Trade union representatives 
• Workers themselves

The study discovered no evidence of the recognition of safety-critical leadership at executive management level. The other interesting finding of this study was that worker perception of safety culture promotion involved:

• Training and education 
• Strong knowledge of rules and regulations 
• Good communication 
• Interpersonal skills, behaviours and actions that enforce and monitor safety

A qualitative survey of Australian CEOs (Wagner 2010) identified the need to raise the level of OHS skills. The consensus among CEOs was a belief that safety managers were generally technically proficient and dedicated, but often lacked core capabilities and understanding around business strategy, change management and influencing skills.

This diverse and current Australian research has identified (and confirms the author’s experience) that there is a cross-over in themes that highlights the need for influencing and relationship-building sophistication to improve safety performance specifically, and construction project relationships generally.

Leadership program project context

The contract between Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) and the client for engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for the case study project, began in March 2007. The execution strategy and organisation for the project were developed with particular consideration of:

• An unusually long project duration 
• An early construction start, with a long overlap between project and site offices 
• An overheated project development and construction market, prompting continuously rising costs and shortage of resources 
• Integration of a client-owned neighbouring mine 
• Accommodation issues 
• Critical paths demanding engineering and tendering work before project approval

The project duration was considerably longer than normal, at 48 months from early engineering and 41 months from approval of the project, to the mining of the first coal. Critical path engineering and tendering work were required before project approval, to enable critical contracts to be awarded and construction to commence as soon as possible after project approval.

The employee relations and industrial relations (ER/IR) processes experienced three changes of legislation during the different phases of the project. SKM adopted a strategy of contractors managing their own employees under their own arrangements. This involved SKM developing a minimum number of rules and policies needed to protect the project legally and to create order in the workforce, with the contractors being responsible for their own people.

It soon became apparent that, with the number of contractors, and in particular subcontractors, working on the project, action had to be taken to create a consistent approach to values, language and behaviour on the project, otherwise subcultures, outside those expected, would develop. In particular, this could have an adverse impact on safety behaviour. Culture represents a core set of values governing the attitudes to change adopted by employees, and their approaches to the introduction of something new. For culture to contribute to the knowledge transfer process, it was important to encourage the sharing of information and active participation of individuals in the process.

Information sharing is not a natural phenomenon. The client and EPCM training team need to work with all participants to resolve any problems and to continually provide information and assistance in the process. In such situations, getting participants to willingly share information about what they know requires a supportive project culture. Poor communication between an individual and other team members, is a block to learning. With regard to the contractor teams, communication and feedback processes are very important.

A common standard and vision were created for leadership on the project, based on a belief that visible safety leadership commitment was the single most important feature in managing safety. People at all levels of supervision on the project, from senior management to leading hand, were required to attend the program. The program also served as an important communication process; it was one of the few occasions during which project leaders had the opportunity to listen to and understand the capabilities of others in similar positions on the project. Although the client’s leadership journey was by far the most mature, there also needed to be an understanding of, and respect for, the knowledge and experience of others in leadership positions. On this note, it is important to recognise the substantial support and positive influence of the client in developing, delivering and monitoring the programme. Their maturity and belief in the leadership journey, particularly as it applies to safety, was a huge advantage to the participants as well as those who delivered the program.

Feedback directly from the client and through the lessons learned process acknowledged that ER/IR was effectively managed, there were no industrial lost days, and workplace incidents were dealt with effectively and equitably. Despite the strains on accommodation, operational/construction interface, the introduction of a 24-hour construction shift and the influx of mechanical subcontractors, there were minimal issues and concerns on the project. Risk workshops involving contractors, the client and the EPCM team were effective in raising awareness and planning for ER/IR and for implementing change strategies in rosters and accommodation due to changed operational demands. The village constructed and managed during the project was acknowledged by all involved to be the best they had experienced.

The content

The following core messages for the programme were agreed upon by the participants:

• Our leadership can make a huge difference to safety 
• We need to accept and apply our standards
• We can help people see, understand and act on risks 
• It is your choice what type of leader you want to be

The content of the programcentred on the sharing of the passion for leadership and some tested and practical tools used by the client that were now to be common practice on the project. The program confirmed that the training would assist in all aspect of the participants’ work, while the EPCM team would require the support of the participants’ leaders in the process. The program was delivered by a client representative, the author, and an EPCM leader, and followed a model of planning, assignment and review, as identified in Figure 1:

Figure 1 - Model of planning, assignment and review

The first day of the programme covered listening to individual stories, personally accepting the project values, listening to stories of project incidents, discussing the art of leadership, understanding culture and its connection to safety, practising the use of a planning tool, unpacking a case story, evaluating the day, and committing to putting the day’s learnings into action.

The process of reflection and integration of workplace lessons into our existing belief system is a key element of learning. The orientation is intended to be hopeful, and focused on the future. While knowledge is promoted by processing information gleaned from observation, ultimately participants learn by doing, and therefore change and practice were requested and commitment sought. The learning process mirrors the risk management process, particularly with regard to monitoring, reviewing and taking the appropriate action where possible.

The learnings

The following attendee reflections were supplied in the open forum, held four weeks after the first session:

• The tools and theory have been well received and accepted 
• Participants commented that they benefited both personally and professionally from what they considered to be a positive experience 
• Objectively, take 5s and safety interactions have improved in both volume and quality 
• Subjectively, contractor interpersonal and professional relationships have improved, as has the focus on safety generally (a number of project-specific examples were given) 
• Zero harm has been accepted as a philosophy, as has the message that leadership can make a huge difference to safety 
• There have been inconsistencies in behaviours/standards between the client, SKM and contractors during interactions

The following are some of the author’s reflections after facilitating nine sessions and the review processes:

• Linking the relationship between leadership, culture and behaviour was very positive 
• The use of the word “choice” was also positive. Systems and procedures tend to be prescriptive, but our choice in how we behave and our leadership style will always be our own. This is a key message to promote 
• The ongoing respect and acknowledgement of the individual attendee and their organisation’s present capacity are essential; self-confidence is important in maintaining learner independence and subsequent action 
• Perceived status differences and a lack of inquiry into others’ information and experiences can minimise a group’s learning experience. Disagreement inhibits the asking of sincere questions that are necessary for all participants to learn from each other, so time to listen and appreciate the individual and his/her background and experiences is also very important 
• In many cases, we are not only asking participants to acquire new skills and knowledge, but to also reassess their current belief system and modify their behaviours (not an easy challenge in the construction context)

Trust

The importance of the relationship context of this training should not be underestimated and after the first day of each session, the author hosted a barbecue to promote continued open and honest discussion as well as understanding between particpants. Trust, as a key social capital resource, is indispensable to the creation of a social environment in which ideas are freely generated, honestly assessed and selected, and collectively transformed into safe and productive processes. To create such a social environment, leaders in a project community must be very competent at building and maintaining trusting relationships within, and across, all teams.

Summary

Leadership is an art, and the meanings of words used to emphasis performance, such as “passion” and “relentless”, are very subjective, depending on the individual, their knowledge, experiences, attitudes, values and personality. A leadership program cannot just tell, it must influence as well as create an environment for listening and psychological safety to question and challenge. The complexity of the project construction environment will not create a “one size fits all” outcome; some flexibility and discretion, within clear boundaries, are required, as are ongoing support and review.

From a social and learning perspective, the course was considered successful. Much of this success was a result of the client’s genuine support of, and participation in, the program, as well a positive and open approach by the participants. Although subject to many influences, the project concluded with admirable OHS and ER/IR outcomes. The Construction Leadership Program added to the standardisation of the tools, language and processes of supervisory practice on site, and endorsed group and individual review and reflection. It also addressed specific skill deficits in the construction industry, leaving a positive legacy for future EPCM projects.

© Sinclair Knight Merz
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