Comments for John Bale's Construction Blog http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog Fri, 01 Jul 2011 01:43:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Comment on WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION: MORE NEEDED by Kelly http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/2011/03/women-in-construction-more-needed/#comment-103 Kelly Fri, 01 Jul 2011 01:43:53 +0000 http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/?p=161#comment-103 This was a great article. So glad someone shares their views on this subject. This was a great article. So glad someone shares their views on this subject.

]]> Comment on BENEATH THE RADAR? by JOHN BALE http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/2011/05/beneath-the-radar/#comment-95 JOHN BALE Sun, 22 May 2011 17:16:23 +0000 http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/?p=232#comment-95 Hi Tony - Good to see your comment. I worked at Westminster for a time - when it was PCL! I think what you describe as the defensive stance of professional bodies arises from insecurity - a fear of losing their identity. The need is to preserve distinct professional identities, while recognising shared needs and goals. A bit like the EU, and just as difficult! Hi Tony – Good to see your comment. I worked at Westminster for a time – when it was PCL! I think what you describe as the defensive stance of professional bodies arises from insecurity – a fear of losing their identity. The need is to preserve distinct professional identities, while recognising shared needs and goals. A bit like the EU, and just as difficult!

]]> Comment on BENEATH THE RADAR? by Tony Burke http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/2011/05/beneath-the-radar/#comment-93 Tony Burke Sat, 21 May 2011 16:07:48 +0000 http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/?p=232#comment-93 Hello, John I've been following your blog for a while now and always find your posts pertinent and insightful. This post really struck a chord with me, because I gave a presentation at a symposium at the University of Westminster just yesterday (20 May) in which I highlighted the fragmented nature of the construction professions and the impact this has on higher education. Details can be seen here: http://tonyburkesblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/fragmentation-silos-and-impact-on-built.html In response to a question I suggested that the only way in which the universities could seize the initiative is for them to act together and to challenge the defensive stance of the various professional bodies. There was significant support for this from both academics and industry and it could lead to something in the near future. I'd be interested in your views. Hello, John

I’ve been following your blog for a while now and always find your posts pertinent and insightful.

This post really struck a chord with me, because I gave a presentation at a symposium at the University of Westminster just yesterday (20 May) in which I highlighted the fragmented nature of the construction professions and the impact this has on higher education. Details can be seen here:
http://tonyburkesblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/fragmentation-silos-and-impact-on-built.html

In response to a question I suggested that the only way in which the universities could seize the initiative is for them to act together and to challenge the defensive stance of the various professional bodies. There was significant support for this from both academics and industry and it could lead to something in the near future. I’d be interested in your views.

]]> Comment on ‘MISTER CELLOPHANE’ by Dr Andrew Platten http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/2011/03/mister-cellophane/#comment-49 Dr Andrew Platten Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:19:35 +0000 http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/?p=186#comment-49 Re:Mr Cellophane - The term "sexy" can be taken is a few senses. One view point is from that of the prospective applicant. Does the subject area include coverage critical issues, the green agenda and provide a rewarding career ? We know this, but can our prospective candidates in 2012 translate for example "Quantity Surveying" to mean these things ? Certainly creating the interest and satisfaction factor, whilst deemed of low value by many is now of huge importance, either arising from applicant days or in the many student satisfaction surveys, which now have equal importance to many of our other indicators. Likewise at the senior management levels, which subjects provide "value" and "status" to the University wishing to promote its new fees policy and attract external interest from sponsors ? Can the study and research of building provide value and profile to the higher education sector ? We know the discipline can change cities and townscapes and the developers will make their fortunes by speculating on land prices and sales. But can this translate to profile and importance in the University sector ? I am not sure. In the UK we did appear to be making huge progress in the past decade with the rebuilding of our towns and communities. However, many of these projects have been branded as inefficient and consigned to the national archives. This contrasts with the developing profile we have evidenced in China and the Pacific Rim. I wonder when the sector had the opportunity to benefit and advance the cause, if the full opportunity was utilised ? Importantly, what we can do in the brave new world of austerity ? Re:Mr Cellophane – The term “sexy” can be taken is a few senses. One view point is from that of the prospective applicant. Does the subject area include coverage critical issues, the green agenda and provide a rewarding career ? We know this, but can our prospective candidates in 2012 translate for example “Quantity Surveying” to mean these things ? Certainly creating the interest and satisfaction factor, whilst deemed of low value by many is now of huge importance, either arising from applicant days or in the many student satisfaction surveys, which now have equal importance to many of our other indicators.

Likewise at the senior management levels, which subjects provide “value” and “status” to the University wishing to promote its new fees policy and attract external interest from sponsors ? Can the study and research of building provide value and profile to the higher education sector ? We know the discipline can change cities and townscapes and the developers will make their fortunes by speculating on land prices and sales. But can this translate to profile and importance in the University sector ? I am not sure. In the UK we did appear to be making huge progress in the past decade with the rebuilding of our towns and communities. However, many of these projects have been branded as inefficient and consigned to the national archives. This contrasts with the developing profile we have evidenced in China and the Pacific Rim. I wonder when the sector had the opportunity to benefit and advance the cause, if the full opportunity was utilised ? Importantly, what we can do in the brave new world of austerity ?

]]> Comment on WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION: MORE NEEDED by Chrissi McCarthy http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/2011/03/women-in-construction-more-needed/#comment-35 Chrissi McCarthy Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:10:30 +0000 http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/?p=161#comment-35 Hi John, It’s always a delight to see someone talk so passionately about this area. Four years ago after a 10 year career in construction (production side) I set up my business to tackle some of the barriers women face and have found this to be an interesting but complex area. Firstly you are right there is a growing amount of research showing the benefits of women in the work force from operational to strategic level and have tried to put as much of it on my research page as possible. ( http://www.constructingequality.co.uk/faq-s/research ) Secondly I feel we need to look at all the stages of a career to ensure the recruitment, development and retention of women in industry. Currently we have a low retention rate and the women that leave state lack of opportunity and workplace culture as the main reasons when making decisions to find alternative careers – we have to remember that these women will take their experiences with them possibly discouraging others from considering the industry. Colleges and University’s must also do their bit – A recent Audit we were commissioned to carry out on a FE College found barriers to women at recruitment, teaching and progression levels. Encouragingly these barriers could be easily removed. It’s important to state though that diversity only works if it is well managed, if is not it can be more harmful whether in the classroom, workplace and board room. I hope some of that is helpful Chrissi Hi John,
It’s always a delight to see someone talk so passionately about this area. Four years ago after a 10 year career in construction (production side) I set up my business to tackle some of the barriers women face and have found this to be an interesting but complex area.
Firstly you are right there is a growing amount of research showing the benefits of women in the work force from operational to strategic level and have tried to put as much of it on my research page as possible. ( http://www.constructingequality.co.uk/faq-s/research )
Secondly I feel we need to look at all the stages of a career to ensure the recruitment, development and retention of women in industry. Currently we have a low retention rate and the women that leave state lack of opportunity and workplace culture as the main reasons when making decisions to find alternative careers – we have to remember that these women will take their experiences with them possibly discouraging others from considering the industry.
Colleges and University’s must also do their bit – A recent Audit we were commissioned to carry out on a FE College found barriers to women at recruitment, teaching and progression levels. Encouragingly these barriers could be easily removed.
It’s important to state though that diversity only works if it is well managed, if is not it can be more harmful whether in the classroom, workplace and board room.
I hope some of that is helpful
Chrissi

]]> Comment on WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION: MORE NEEDED by Gill Trodden http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/2011/03/women-in-construction-more-needed/#comment-34 Gill Trodden Wed, 16 Mar 2011 09:27:16 +0000 http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/?p=161#comment-34 I am a woman trustee of the CIOB and have been taking a somewhat different approach to the diversity and equality debate. As John says, the construction industry, its professional bodies, and education courses that feed it, display a serious imbalance in terms of the cross-section of society that they represent. However, this imbalance is not only about gender. It includes the entire range of 'categories' generally listed within the umbrella of 'diversity and equality'. Having said that, I do believe that the representation of women in our industry is a good indicator of the overall imbalance pro rata the entire society. Where I strongly disagree, is that any form of positive discrimination towards women and the formation of 'women's groups' will improve the situation. Indeed, as John alludes, that approach hasn't worked over the last 30 years that I am aware of. In my opinion, it is divisive. I have been working with the London Branch of the CIOB and, in particular, London Novus (the forum for recent and aspiring CIOB members) on what we term 'inclusivity'. The theory is that the construction industry moves towards a meritocracy in which we attract, employ and support the most talented people for roles in our very creative and influential disciplines. Current research shows that 'healthy' (in the sense of thriving and successful) businesses are those who employ the best people from the complete representation of the society that they serve. We have to work on the leaders of our industry to make them aware of this and to put strategies in place to ensure that recruitment and support of staff works to this end. This is not only about what is morally right, but what makes good business sense. We can make the construction industry organisations into employers of choice. Clients can help to influence this just as they are doing in terms of sustainability. All we need is the commitment to make it happen! I am a woman trustee of the CIOB and have been taking a somewhat different approach to the diversity and equality debate. As John says, the construction industry, its professional bodies, and education courses that feed it, display a serious imbalance in terms of the cross-section of society that they represent. However, this imbalance is not only about gender. It includes the entire range of ‘categories’ generally listed within the umbrella of ‘diversity and equality’. Having said that, I do believe that the representation of women in our industry is a good indicator of the overall imbalance pro rata the entire society. Where I strongly disagree, is that any form of positive discrimination towards women and the formation of ‘women’s groups’ will improve the situation. Indeed, as John alludes, that approach hasn’t worked over the last 30 years that I am aware of. In my opinion, it is divisive. I have been working with the London Branch of the CIOB and, in particular, London Novus (the forum for recent and aspiring CIOB members) on what we term ‘inclusivity’. The theory is that the construction industry moves towards a meritocracy in which we attract, employ and support the most talented people for roles in our very creative and influential disciplines. Current research shows that ‘healthy’ (in the sense of thriving and successful) businesses are those who employ the best people from the complete representation of the society that they serve. We have to work on the leaders of our industry to make them aware of this and to put strategies in place to ensure that recruitment and support of staff works to this end. This is not only about what is morally right, but what makes good business sense. We can make the construction industry organisations into employers of choice. Clients can help to influence this just as they are doing in terms of sustainability. All we need is the commitment to make it happen!

]]> Comment on WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION: MORE NEEDED by Anonamous http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/2011/03/women-in-construction-more-needed/#comment-32 Anonamous Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:24:51 +0000 http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/?p=161#comment-32 Dear John, A very enjoyable article with a good arguement and content. My concern is we are becoming a box-ticking society, whereby we are making important decisions that are based upon achieving what is socially acceptable, opposed to what is directly important to us. As a managing director of a construction consultancy and more importantly people, I can see the massive benefits of having a "balanced" workforce, but in terms of a Team, opposed to having the same number of men and women. Now if the right balance of the Team means employing 100% women, or 100% men, or a mix of any percentile balance, then so be it. The focus of the Construction Industry should not be on trying to employ more women, people with disabilities, or from a ethnic minority, and making it a more attractive proposition to all people by raising its profile and promoting itself as a forward-thinking and future focused industry. It will then attract the best people regardless of their gender, race or other human characteristics. This brings me on to the point in hand. My opinion on this matter only relates to the Construction Industry, of which I have first hand knowledge. The issue of having a balance board of men and women, or even a balance at operational level, as you suggest, is it doesn't compensate for lack of leadership, poor organisational culture, structure, teamwork, and general competency of its senior management. Whether you have men or women, if the organisation lacks leadership its going nowhere fast and will meandour at mediocre pace, more often than not disguising its inefficiencies. Therefore, I guess what I am saying, looking at the banking crisis from the outside in, is that whilst there might be a case for "machiosm", of which similar characteristics can be seen in all people, I believe poor leadership, structure, governance, teamwork, competency, played a much large part. Thank you for such an interesting article and apologies that I am not your target respondee. Dear John,

A very enjoyable article with a good arguement and content.

My concern is we are becoming a box-ticking society, whereby we are making important decisions that are based upon achieving what is socially acceptable, opposed to what is directly important to us.

As a managing director of a construction consultancy and more importantly people, I can see the massive benefits of having a “balanced” workforce, but in terms of a Team, opposed to having the same number of men and women. Now if the right balance of the Team means employing 100% women, or 100% men, or a mix of any percentile balance, then so be it.

The focus of the Construction Industry should not be on trying to employ more women, people with disabilities, or from a ethnic minority, and making it a more attractive proposition to all people by raising its profile and promoting itself as a forward-thinking and future focused industry. It will then attract the best people regardless of their gender, race or other human characteristics.

This brings me on to the point in hand. My opinion on this matter only relates to the Construction Industry, of which I have first hand knowledge. The issue of having a balance board of men and women, or even a balance at operational level, as you suggest, is it doesn’t compensate for lack of leadership, poor organisational culture, structure, teamwork, and general competency of its senior management. Whether you have men or women, if the organisation lacks leadership its going nowhere fast and will meandour at mediocre pace, more often than not disguising its inefficiencies.

Therefore, I guess what I am saying, looking at the banking crisis from the outside in, is that whilst there might be a case for “machiosm”, of which similar characteristics can be seen in all people, I believe poor leadership, structure, governance, teamwork, competency, played a much large part.

Thank you for such an interesting article and apologies that I am not your target respondee.

]]> Comment on About John by Dr. Akhmad Suraji http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/john/#comment-17 Dr. Akhmad Suraji Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:40:05 +0000 http://ckegroup.org/blog/#comment-17 Dear Prof Bale, My name is Akhmad Suraji graduated from UMIST 10 years ago. Now I am working as a lecturer on construction management at University of Andalas Indonesia while serving as a member of national construction services development board-Indonesia. I notice one of your interest is about construction industry policy. Currently I assist the Indonesia Government to reform the industry particularly on laws on construction services. Many persons in Indonesia are now debating on "what is the construction industry all about", what should include it and how to define it". Could you please help me to define what is construction industry all about and what policy is usually governing the industry. Dear Prof Bale,
My name is Akhmad Suraji graduated from UMIST 10 years ago. Now I am working as a lecturer on construction management at University of Andalas Indonesia while serving as a member of national construction services development board-Indonesia. I notice one of your interest is about construction industry policy. Currently I assist the Indonesia Government to reform the industry particularly on laws on construction services. Many persons in Indonesia are now debating on “what is the construction industry all about”, what should include it and how to define it”. Could you please help me to define what is construction industry all about and what policy is usually governing the industry.

]]> Comment on THE BIG SOCIETY by johnbale http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/2011/02/09-02-11/#comment-13 johnbale Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:47:01 +0000 http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/?p=108#comment-13 An interesting point about support for culture. 'Planning gain' contributions by developers (Section 106 money or whatever it's now called) is often used for road improvements etc, but rarely in my experience for real 'quality of life' things. As an ex-councillor, I can say that you shouldn't rely on councillors to identify what communities need. Communities need to learn how to press the right buttons. There's a need for capacity-building - the capacity of local groups to lever resources out of people who want to make money out of their areas. But capacity building doesn't always require public money. Perhaps RSA could devise training modules which RSA Fellows could deliver. And I'll definitely give some though to an RSA event, perhaps jointly with CIOB - we have many members in common. An interesting point about support for culture. ‘Planning gain’ contributions by developers (Section 106 money or whatever it’s now called) is often used for road improvements etc, but rarely in my experience for real ‘quality of life’ things. As an ex-councillor, I can say that you shouldn’t rely on councillors to identify what communities need. Communities need to learn how to press the right buttons. There’s a need for capacity-building – the capacity of local groups to lever resources out of people who want to make money out of their areas. But capacity building doesn’t always require public money. Perhaps RSA could devise training modules which RSA Fellows could deliver. And I’ll definitely give some though to an RSA event, perhaps jointly with CIOB – we have many members in common.

]]> Comment on THE BIG SOCIETY by matthew taylor http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/2011/02/09-02-11/#comment-12 matthew taylor Sun, 13 Feb 2011 10:00:02 +0000 http://ckegroup.org/johnbaleblog/?p=108#comment-12 Really interesting post John. It reminded me of a conversation I had the other day with a guy who advises developers. He said that just as local authorities are taking money out of arts projects the big developers are realising the importance of cultural strategies. He said that the reason for this is that now the housing market has calmed down developers realise they have to build places that people want to live in not just things for them to invest in short term. On your broader topic of construction and the BS - do you think there might be a basis for an RSA event or network? Really interesting post John. It reminded me of a conversation I had the other day with a guy who advises developers. He said that just as local authorities are taking money out of arts projects the big developers are realising the importance of cultural strategies. He said that the reason for this is that now the housing market has calmed down developers realise they have to build places that people want to live in not just things for them to invest in short term.

On your broader topic of construction and the BS – do you think there might be a basis for an RSA event or network?

]]>