Competitive advantage through skills and leadership development in infrastructure management

Management of labour costs and productivity is crucial in the infrastructure management business and the implications of a non-efficient workforce can be staggering. The approach to the treatment adult learning and training is a difficult and ongoing prospect. With a strong unionized environment representing the workforce; there are often limited options with respect to work assignment, seniority, options for training, and labour rates. The public works and infrastructure management industry has undergone many technological revolutions in work procedures and processes and with the average age of the work force getting higher and sometimes a complacency relative to other industries, there is not as great an appetite for the learning of new skills and methods as there may have been in the past.

With this in mind there should be a clear objective for all firms, from small businesses and public corporations all the way to massive MNEs, to have a clear system in place for a skills and leadership development program. Developing a appropriate organizational skills and abilities development program for junior and mid-level staff to hone their abilities, diversify their skills sets, and/or prepare them for senior leadership roles is essential to stay competitive.

The way in which adults learn can be broken down into the following characteristics or traits, which are explained as follows (Delahaye and Choy 2017).

• The need to know: Adult learners need to understand why they need to learn something before beginning it.

• The learner’s self-concept: Adult learners have a previously developed self-concept of determination for their decisions.

• The role of life experience: Adults have a sum of experience from their previous education and work history which factors into everything that they do. This varies greatly by each individual.

• Readiness to learn: Adults are generally willing to learn topics which will help them effectively cope with situations they feel are relevant and likely to encounter in real life.

• Orientation to learning: Being life-centred, adults must feel that the training or skills development will help them in their job or with real world scenarios.

• Motivation: Adults generally achieve the most motivation for learning internally.

While of course these characteristics are present, according to Sam Malone (2014), other factors also need to be considered to give us a much more detailed picture of adult learners.

• Practical: Adult learners are practical in nature; they don’t appreciate having to learn theory that cannot be immediately applied.

• Formal learning: Adult learners are sometimes distrustful of formal learning settings, whether it be due to previous negative experiences, the threat of undermining their confidence, or long held stereo-types on formal education. It will take a special learning environment to counter this distrust.

• Learning style: Adult learners prefer a facilitator and peer style of learning compared to a more historical lecture and hierarchical one.

• Habits: Previously ingrained habits may be the hardest to remove. Many adult learners feel that change isn’t always for the better and the old ways still work fine.

• Feedback: The ability to receive feedback regularly helps support adult learners achieve a sense of achievement and growth.

• Challenge: There is a fine line in the challenge which needs to be provided to adult learners; too little and they quickly become bored whereas too much will lead to high stress levels and cause them to disengage.

If able to design a skills and development training program that can accommodate these characteristics, there is a high chance of successfully engaging the workforce. However, any program which does not consider the specific requirements of adult learners will see limited success if not outright failure.

A properly implemented development program will likely lead to decreases in project costs as operational efficiencies improve which have the potential to compound into large increases in profits, or at the very least preventing further decreases in efficiency. However, these savings and gains can only be accomplished if this training program is supported fully in it’s implementation. Instructors and facilitators must be knowledgeable and competent, mentoring should have made available for areas with identified skills and training deficiencies, and appropriate training and work gear is provided to perform the works as safely and quickly as possible.

It is possible to ignore internal leadership development within an organisation and rely solely on external hires for filling leadership and management positions, but it is highly unlikely that external hires will consistently be good matches for the company’s culture and long-term goals. Having a motivated and highly skilled workforce, supported by leaders who understand the industry and whose personal vision matches the firm's mission, vision, and values at their core will truly lead to competitive advantage.