Site supervisors play an important role in supervising and training the field workforce and managing projects.
Traditionally, the people with the best craft skills were the ones who moved into field leadership positions. The problem with that approach is that there are other skills needed to be a good leader. They are required to assign work, maintain and supervise work progress, verify proper safety practices and develop lookahead schedules.
Additionally, they are expected to be leaders that are fair, motivational and ethical. Making sure you have the right person in that position requires being intentional with selecting and training crew leaders.
Having a big picture view of the project, along with communicating and directing others, is not necessarily intuitive. According to an article published by Leaders Media, there is a difference between leadership skills, such as communication, delegation, listening and accountability, and qualities that make good leaders, such as acting as a servant leader, having ethical behavior and being authentic.
Advice for developing crew leaders
In research released this year by NCCER about women working in construction, female craft workers both self-identified and were recognized by management as being better communicators on the job than their male counterparts. In addition, they are more likely to be focused on team performance rather than individual performance, be detail oriented, be focused on safety and to adhere to established policy. The full article — "In Her Own Words: Enhancing Project Outcomes" — can be found at nccer.org/inher-own-words.
Additional data affirms the positive impact tradeswomen have on overall crew performance. A survey of 2,780 construction craft professionals conducted as part of the Construction Industry Institute Research Theme (RT)-370 asked respondents to rate their personal performance record. It looked at safety, attendance, quality, productivity and initiative for the previous year. Those with at least one female member on their work crew reported a higher individual performance score than those in all male crews, and the difference was statistically significant.
These are the kinds of skills needed in site leaders, and this represents an opportunity for both women and employers. However, a survey of 272 tradeswomen found that 57% had never had a woman supervisor. Women who participated in NCCER’s focus groups for its women in construction research also noted the importance of offering training to increase the representation of women in site leadership roles. To assist employers with transitioning craft workers into supervisory roles, NCCER has released an updated fourth edition of its Fundamentals of Crew Leadership program.
As employers become more intentional with identifying and preparing field supervisors, it’s worth noting additional research regarding how supervisors should spend their time. According to Construction Industry Institute Report RT-330, frontline supervisors should spend 60% of their time supervising craft professionals, but RT-370 found they actually only spend 37% of their time doing so. Instead, they are involved in a disproportionate amount of administration, planning and other tasks. This is concerning, primarily because the craft workforce today is overall less experienced than in the past and would benefit from more involvement from supervisors at the worksite.
Site supervision is critical in successful project outcomes. Companies would benefit from examining the skills needed for successful frontline supervision, expanding the pool of candidates for supervisor positions, providing training for both new and experienced supervisors and adopting technologies and processes that enable frontline supervisors to spend more time with the workforce.
For more information, visit nccer.org.
