Imagine if you had one report that could enable input from every worker and work group - including the barriers and constraints that get in the way - that would give you a clear line of sight as to whether workers' challenges were internal or external.
What if you could also see the workers' ideas for overcoming those constraints and make feedback-based improvements? What if their input turned into analytics that would help you better focus your time and resources to stay on schedule and on budget?
If this information was analyzed and reflected by one report that came to you every day, without having to ask for the information or walk around to find it firsthand, we would call this "worker-driven intelligence," and it is a game changer.
The deeply held notion that planning is the key to success is actually not true. While planning helps organizations think through information and understand challenges, it does not do much to help with the workforce's day-to-day productivity and engagement.
Static plans are overly generalized, quickly become obsolete and frustrate the workers who are expected to implement them. Worker-driven intelligence is the best way to work more effectively. It enables coordinating teams' efforts in real-time, relying heavily on the informed and detailed intelligence of each team member.
There are two key reasons worker-driven intelligence is a game changer.
First, it reorients you toward using the imagination and ingenuity of the people in the supply chain, which affects their performance. Technologies now exist that foster feedback from employees about bottlenecks they're experiencing.
Second, the No. 1 risk to construction and owners today is unskilled labor. Four out of five people who enter construction leave, and it's been projected that 2.2 million workers will be needed over the next two years to fill the gap. The game changer brings a new generation of focus on the value of the worker, letting them feel like they contribute and matter so that they will stay in the industry. It creates a new dynamic of value and fun for the individual workers to enjoy their career. Today, it's critical to re-think culture and how you want things to be at the jobsite to attract and retain skilled workers.
When you get real-time intelligence from every single worker, you can see trends in safety, productivity and quality and use that information to plan your resources and make better choices.
The best intelligence wins
Worker-driven intelligence is only possible if you believe in your workers and treat them as assets. Senior leadership must invest in the idea that workers create meaningful value. What do you need to do to make sure you are fostering this culture in your organization?
- Set up policies and procedures that breed workers' connections to the company, project goals and each other; impart a sense of belongingness to your workers; and create an environment where it is safe for all workers to speak up.
- Allow workers time each day to meet, plan, review and learn using a S.M.A.R.T.E.R. safe execution plan. "S.M.A.R.T.E.R." means specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely, with the ability to evaluate and realign.
- Implement simple digital transformation technology tools to connect with workers on a daily basis.
- Set up a simple system that allows you to leverage efficiency.
- Set up a recognition system to reward ingenuity.
- Make sure managers know how to keep good people and weed out the toxic, negative influencers.
The goal is to get your culture to the point where people believe they matter, work together toward common goals, and provide the imagination for continuous improvement and value creation.
You can start building that culture on the job from day one. Start all of your workers off with a survey to determine what their experiences and biases are. Understanding that most worksites do not value the intelligence and ingenuity of the worker, you then have to do the work to change that experience and follow through with the actions that prove that your job will be different.
For more information, visit https://myetracker.com or call (985) 447-5114.
