Learning to Change: Overcoming Blockers for Construction Transformation

Even as technology brings change in waves like a tsunami, the construction industry tends to cling to old habits — to the detriment of its projects and the personal growth of its people.

Resisting change is a natural human impulse, but those who see it as an opportunity to learn are those who thrive and prosper in new circumstances and under new conditions.

The keys to reversing course begin with an understanding of why construction people, in particular, reject change, even when change is to their benefit. With a clear-eyed look at the construction mindset, based on many years of observation and experience, and a commitment to making learning a daily process, the industry and its people can become leaders in reshaping to survive and thrive in a digital landscape.  

Why Construction Resists Change: 3 Key Obstacles

Early in their careers, construction apprentices adopt strong habits and routines through training and practice. In a high-pressure environment, good habits help them stay focused and on track to achieve their goals.

The message is about mastery of a process or tool that will deliver success — still an important goal, but one lacking further training in how to make learning a lifetime process. 

The focus on mastery as an end goal creates three common roadblocks to change.

Learning to adapt and building a new relationship to change begins by understanding why construction pros overvalue what they know, fear disruption, and misplace their emotional reactions.

1. Overvaluing the 'Known'

The “teach a man to fish” proverb is about self-sufficiency — a concept dear to construction pros — but what happens when the lake dries up? 

With one skill in his toolbox and no ability to adapt, the fisher will starve. He never learned how to learn, so he clings to what he knows.

Cultivating adaptability comes from developing the skills for continuous learning. Applying that ability to learn leads to better decisions and comprehension of a changing world through active exploration of available choices. It might even cultivate an appreciation of the unknown as a destination for revelations and awareness.

2. Fearing Disruption

In the pressure chamber of construction, people feel the need to prioritize daily deadlines over taking time to adopt new processes. With that outlook, every job has a deadline, and it will always take precedence. Learning a new task will never be accomplished. 

The term “disruption” has become a business buzzword for admirable change — but construction minds automatically translate “disruption” to “expensive and time-consuming.”

In reality, self-imposed obstacles tend to overestimate the pain of change while discounting its benefits. They also devalue the learning stage, even though learning empowers independence and fuels positive change in a virtuous circle.

3. Misplacing Emotions

In construction, some people feel that replacing an old process strips away its credence. They might be embarrassed that the ways they were taught now seem irrelevant.

That emotion-based viewpoint forgets that the old processes were the best practices for their time. The craftsmanship of previous generations isn’t less valued because power tools replaced their hand tools. Technology simply delivered the same results with greater efficiencies.

A better alternative is to emphasize the ability to learn and the freedom to explore, while remembering that everything learned in the past has led to this point. In fact, the ability to question whether a current practice remains relevant opens the door to learning new skills.

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Rebuilding the Relationship with Change

Today’s construction industry is a giant repository for solutions, tools and ideas. Harnessing them to elevate the field to greater heights in productivity, risk mitigation, and operational efficiencies demands greater focus on its people, teaching them how to learn and how to change.

In this atmosphere, three questions can help construction professionals and their teams build healthier relationships with change:

• What is something that you have been wanting to try but have avoided, even though clinging to the known no longer benefits you? 
• What pain are you overestimating? 
• What things are you holding onto because the idea of losing it creates an emotional, perhaps irrational, reaction? 

When learning becomes the sector’s most valuable tool, the industry can thrive as change becomes the norm. 

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