Much has been written about the slowness of the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. Slowness to adopt new digital technologies. Slowness to embrace new construction methods. Slowness in delivering projects. Depending on whom you ask, the root cause varies. Some attribute this slowness to a lack of digital skills. Others point to the legal and regulatory framework in which we operate. Others point to the inbuilt incentives to be inefficient through change orders and variations. While these are all contributing factors, I would like to look at another factor – command-and-control management practices around how decisions are made. The message is simple. We need to stop working in the business, and start working on the business.
The scenario
Consider a simple request for a new piece of software in your organisation. The software is only $10 and will automate a task you must do repeatedly. You remember how the company continuously talks about…