Imagine a construction company where the left hand always knows what the right hand is doing. Imagine a construction company where everyone is pulling on the same oar. There are no secrets or competition. Imagine a construction company where everyone feels they have an equal share in the company’s success. Imagine a construction company where everyone wants the same thing and where everybody wins.
You’re probably used to working in an environment where the boss wants one thing and the team wants something else. Bosses want more profit. Employees want higher wages. Project owners want higher quality and less expense. Contractors want less expense too, but to them higher quality means more expense. The complicated construction transaction is fraught with conflicting objectives that often end up being resolved through unexamined compromise where nobody wins.
Honesty-Transparency-Trust
Building a team that works together (Management by Objective) to achieve predetermined success objectives (Strategic Plan) requires effective communication skills. Effective communication is one of the most important drivers of profitability, productivity, quality, and safety. The work depends on dozens of people making coordinated decisions under changing conditions. Unclear or late information causes rework, cost overruns, disputes, and/or injuries.
- Communication is most effective when people trust one another. Construction can be fast-paced and stressful, but disrespectful behavior, blame, and public criticism discourage employees from sharing problems. Leaders should set a professional tone by listening carefully, asking questions, and addressing mistakes without humiliation. Constructive feedback focuses on the work, the expected standards, and the next action—not on personal attacks.
- Clear communication also requires honesty. If the schedule is at risk, material is delayed, or budget is under pressure, leaders should communicate the issue early and explain the recovery plan.
- Transparency builds credibility with employees, clients, and trade partners. A strong communication system helps ensure that the left hand always knows what the right hand is doing.
Authority
Another foundation of effective communication is clarity about authority. Employees need to know who makes decisions, who must be included, and who should receive updates. For example, the superintendent may oversee site coordination, the project manager may manage budget and client communication, and foremen may direct daily field activities. Ambiguity about authority creates delays because employees either make unauthorized decisions or wait for someone else to act. Written job descriptions, organization charts, and clear reporting procedures reduce confusion.
Routine
Construction projects change rapidly, so regular communication routines are critical. Daily huddles, weekly look-ahead meetings, and project coordination meetings keep teams aligned on priorities, sequencing, manpower, deliveries, inspections, and safety concerns. A short morning meeting can prevent a full day of lost productivity by identifying trade conflicts, weather risks, access limitations, or material shortages before work begins. Weekly planning should look beyond immediate tasks and identify upcoming constraints early enough to resolve them.
Two-Way
Communication cannot flow only from management to the job site. Field people often see problems first, like unsafe conditions, incomplete drawings, unrealistic schedules, or poor site logistics. Office teams need structured ways to gather and respond to that feedback. Field people should report progress, constraints, and potential changes promptly, while project managers should communicate updated budgets, schedules, procurement status, and client decisions back to the field.
Documentation
Verbal conversations are valuable, but critical project information must be documented. Current drawings, specifications, schedules, requests for information, change directives, meeting minutes, safety records, and daily reports should be accessible through a consistent system. Teams should confirm important decisions in writing to all parties including project owners and designers, especially when they affect scope, cost, schedule, or quality. Good records protect the company in disputes and are lessons that can improve future projects.
Continuous Investment: Communication skills require ongoing investment.
- Supervisors may be excellent builders but need continuous training in leading meetings, giving feedback, resolving conflicts, and communicating across different experience levels.
- Technology can support coordination through mobile reporting, shared project files, photo documentation, and real-time updates.
- The company should regularly review communication breakdowns and ask what information was missing, delayed, or misunderstood. Turning those lessons into better routines creates a culture in which everyone pulls on the same oar, helps each other succeed, and shares responsibility for the company’s results.
Next week we’ll discuss how the functional construction company we’ve imagined over the past twelve weeks selects new projects. Let’s get to work.
For more information on incentives, read more at: MBO
For a broader view of management by objective, read more at: COMMUNICATION
To receive the free weekly Construction Messages, ask questions, or make comments contact me at research@simplarfoundation.org.
Please circulate this widely. It will benefit your constituents. This research is continuous and includes new information weekly as it becomes available. Thank you.
