How to Help Shift Your Company to a Modern Growth Mindset
Even with the most meticulous planning and strategies in place, unexpected challenges are a common occurrence in construction management. As a result, encouraging a growth mindset at every level is one of the best methods to ensure the smooth running of things.
We have come a long way from the old techniques of coordinating and delivering construction projects. New materials, trends, safety issues, technology, marketing strategies, sales approaches, and client expectations are continually evolving. With the increased demand for construction projects how can you stay competitive, on top of your game, and on schedule with everything?
To keep up with demand companies need to come up with more innovative ways of doing things. General contractors and project managers need to recognise that their management techniques must evolve and adapt to new methods of problem solving in their business, such as the use of cloud-based construction scheduling software. According to a Carnegie Mellon University publication Project Management for Construction: The Owners' Viewpoint companies that are slow to adapt to new technology risk being pushed out of the design and construction mainstream.
However, before getting into the fundamental technical details, you must first shift your way of thinking or attitude to the project. Within your organisation, you need to develop a growth mindset in which you are focused on continual growth and learning in order to perfect your procedures and improve how your business operates. In this blog, we'll look at why construction companies need to adopt a modern growth mindset to succeed.
Growth Mindset v Fixed Mindset, What’s The Difference?
There are two types of thinking: "growth" and "fixed." These two approaches have the potential to impact productivity, employee retention, morale, and sales.
A growth mindset is a way of doing business that allows everyone to learn and improve, allowing any business to grow and thrive. Individuals with a growth mindset understand the importance of continuing to learn and improve. With this mindset, issues become opportunities to improve rather than immovable roadblocks. A growth mindset can help you prioritise consistent progress over instant success, allowing your business to develop and expand as needed. It makes it easier to adjust and adapt to new information, capitalise on fresh opportunities, learn from your failures, and adapt to meet the ever-changing needs of your clients.
A fixed mindset, on the other hand, is a mode of doing business in which you believe you can only succeed if you have the necessary expertise and experience. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to get stuck in the past and stick to old methods that may have worked in the past but are now failing. This can prevent a company from growing by keeping things the same and making people hesitant to make mistakes, which can slow the company down. This can also make people frightened of change and unwilling to develop new skills, even if those skills would be hugely beneficial to the business.
The Benefits of a Growth Mindset in Construction Management
A growth mindset starts with good leadership. However, this extends beyond project managers and upper management. A construction team comprises a large group of people who all have a stake in the project, including architects, engineers, subcontractors, and third-party suppliers. To complete a project successfully, it helps if everyone is on the same page in terms of mindset.
Let's look at some ways that you can help foster a growth mindset across your team.
5 Tips to Help Your Company Shift to a Modern Growth Mindset
We all have the ability to learn, grow, adapt, improve, and get better through time. This growth enables us to overcome obstacles with time and hard work, allowing us to become better individuals and employees. This is the concept underlying a growth mindset—it is a strategy to improve the workplace and help people grow within their roles and beyond.
1. Schedule Learning Sessions
Finding time to learn something new might be difficult when you have a lot of projects on the go, and you may require help with time management. However, the more time you put into learning, the better prepared you will be for any new developments in the industry. Make time to learn new skills, be open to new technology, and develop your leadership techniques. If you and your team need support with new software, such as web-based construction management software, you can schedule training sessions or develop strategies to support your staff in adapting more quickly.
2. Utilise Construction Technology
People who work for companies with a growth mindset are more likely to be adaptable in their daily responsibilities. It is essential in today's modern society to help employees to connect in meaningful ways. Businesses can benefit from a powerful, natural way to promote behaviours associated with a growth mindset by making it easy for co-workers to communicate with one another. Because technology, tools, and equipment are fundamental to your job, you and your team should keep up with advancements in these areas. You can also reach out to more clients and ensure the project runs successfully with things like online construction scheduling software.
3. Keep Up with The Latest Trends
There are many people working in construction management, with varying levels of education and training behind them. You can set a good example by staying up to date with industry trends and development and constantly learning new things. Consider online training and skill development programmes if you manage a team and multiple projects.
4. Build an Effective Change Management Strategy
Most of the time, change creates uncertainty; this can be detrimental to company morale and capacity to retain staff, and it can make it easier for people to fall back into fixed mindsets. Take measures to avoid this by talking often and being honest with one another. Simplify communication and foster easy collaboration within your team, especially when discussing job-related issues, so that the project's progress is transparent.
5. Listen to Feedback from Your Team
You can point out things that could be done better without being negative, depending on how you look at the situation. This is where you get positive feedback.
Applaud the aspects of a process that worked well while pointing out the elements that did not. Collaborate with your team to evaluate what can be done to resolve the issue while also ensuring a solid foundation for the next project.
How Can We Help?
Searching for an opportunity in the construction industry? Or are you a hiring manager in search of the top talent in the market today? Contact our team of industry experts to start the conversation. getus@jamesgrayrecruitment.com