culture & behaviour

8/10/2019 Culture & Behaviour

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Culture and behaviour

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Effecting cultural change

Integrated neighbourhood development in Hellevoetsluis

What the Cabinet wants to achieve,

weve already done

Communicative Risk Management during

reconstruction of A2

Everyone was eager to break the deadlock

Lessons

Do or dont

Sandra Schruijer, professor of organisational psychology

at Utrecht University

Culture is learnt behaviour

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Culture

and

behaviour

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Buildin

gforconsumers

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Collab

orationandintegration

ofthechain

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Tenderingproceduresandben

chmarking

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ICTandconstruction

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Knowledgeandeducation

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Practicalprojects

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Outloo

kfortheconstructionsector

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ThePS

IBouw

programme

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Culture is the product of behaviour. It is some-

thing we acquire. It develops in a specific environ-

ment; within a company, team or department.

Or within a group of organisations that have to

work together. Because behavioural change trig-

gers cultural change, we need to focus on hownew behaviour develops. This happens when the

environment changes, when you place people in

surroundings that are new to them or when they

decide of their own free will to display a different

kind of behaviour.

Unfamiliar

Dont be fooled into thinking thatthis happens automatically. If you have to learn

something new, it usually also means you have

to unlearn something else. Add to that the fact

that this new element is - though available -

still unfamiliar and therefore often rather risky,

and you have a recipe for stagnation. Take the

introduction of the Building Information Model(BIM), for example. Or the Tendering Guidelines,

the construction game Link, the Project Startup

(PSU) manual, the Communicating about Risks

tool and the Tendering Procedure Consultations.

PSIBouwnetwerk developed these and everyone

supports their potential but who truly implements

or enforces them?

Breaking through the persistent lethargy in the

construction sector requires patience. Resistance

DURF 1-1 Introduction to the theme

Effecting cultural changeOver the past few years, an ever clearer picture has developedabout the direction the construction sector should be taking. More

value provision, better collaboration, greater professionalism,

more attention to consumers and clients, service provision and

consequently a more enjoyable working environment. There are

countless tools - in varying degrees of suitability - to help achieve

these goals. Enthusiasm and ambition also exist, though not across

the board. This is because word and deed are separated by thepersistent old culture, which cannot be changed at a whim.

exists because of the fact that the new behaviour

clashes with the relative comfort of the prevalent

culture and the convenience of what already ex-

ists. The sector is not known for its strong marketdynamics, where technological changes and alter-

nating preferences of purchasers ensure dramatic

changes1. But some changes are taking place.

Mutual trust, which is crucial for collaboration

and the exploration of new terrains2, is making a

comeback: commissioning parties come up with

new forms of tendering procedures, which create

room for innovative solutions. Stichting Bouwre-

flectie is starting to gain momentum in its role as

mediator in imminent conflict between commis-

sioning parties and contractors. Integrity is also

being taken more seriously as a fully-fledged part

of the operations. The key players have adopted a

code of conduct that will play a significant role in

improving the relations between commissioning

parties and contractors. And if trust is generated

through ethical behaviour, then that also creates

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room for learning new things. The focus then

shifts gradually from the development of knowl-

edge to the active implementation of it.

ChoiceIt all boils down to the fact that behav-

ioural change can take place at any time. It is achoice; often a personal one. You can choose to

embrace it at any time and if at first you dont

succeed, you can simply try again tomorrow.

Take for example what happened in terms of risk

management in the A2 project in Hellevoetsluis

(chapter 2). It is often a case of two steps forward,

one step back. It is with good reason that wecall one of our most popular publications Lef

(grit). Because that is what it is really all about.

The lessons learnt (chapter 3) show that those

who take the step need support and encourage-

ment from all sides. The heads of organisations

in particular can be expected to put their money

where there mouth is and constantly reaffirm to

all echelons of the organisation the wisdom of thedecision, even when things fail to go according

to plan. And things often fail to go according to

plan: behavioural change means you no longer do

what others would expect from you. This creates

uncertainty (Will I be able to do what is expected

of me?) which results in a social inaptitude of

sorts. This also happens on the smallest scale:between people, at their department, within their

construction team, project team, management


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team. Precision, attention, not shying away from

confrontation, in order to gain clarity. That is what

it is all about then.

NichesA lot of aspects have gained momentum

over the past four years, mainly on the projectand organisational level, but also to an increasing

extent between organisations. Albeit in a limited

number of places, in niches, as they are called in

marketing jargon. PSIBouw has personally intro-

duced or supported these niches in the past four

years. Based on insights gained from research,

help was offered in order to establish collaborationprocesses from a new viewpoint (with new contract

forms and new communication tools). In order to

set to work actively on integrity policy. To practise

the compilation of a team of which the members

show confidence in one anothers undertakings and

are able to call one another to account on undesir-

able behaviour. To use game simulations to demon-strate, in a safe environment, the qualms and their

consequences. Those who want to can also set to

work on the issue. But not everyone is ready for

this something more is needed.

PressureFirstly, the pressure from outside can

increase. For example if politicians start fuss-

ing over the sector, or when the economy takes a

turn for the worse. Or when consumers and users

stop supporting businesses that perform poorly

or disinterested service providers, as a means of

expressing their dissatisfaction. Energy prices can

also serve as a catalyst for new behaviour. Nor is

it inconceivable that suppliers, who are naturally

more sensitive to clients feelings than construc-

tion firms are, forge alliances that more or less

force the executing part of the construction sector

to become more attuned to their customers. But it

is better not to sit and wait for this to happen.

WillThe second line is that of personal will. A

motto often heard in recent years is: Cultural

change? Go for it. Nothing wrong with that, except

that the motto could easily turn into a meaningless

clich. For that reason, we should stop using big

words to describe the cultural change and the

behaviour of the construction sector. Because

it makes the issue so abstract and disconnected

that it turns into a gaping void into which many an

innovative ambition has fallen. It seems that it isonly through immense dedication and attention

that successful practical projects of PSIBouw can

deliver what has now been realised. After all, one

swallow does not makes a summer. Old habits tend

to rear their heads again as soon as the novelty of

the new has worn off. As far as behaviour is con-

cerned, you actually only achieve long-term changewhen there are indications of strong personal will

and perseverance among those people involved.

Vision, passion, discipline and conscience. Easy to

encourage and observe through an innovation pro-

gramme. Easy to demonstrate to others the lessons

learnt. Who subsequently have their own process

to experience, namely that change, the learning ofnew things, can definitely start off with ow! but

can also lead to wow.

GenerationsLooking at the PSIBouw situation

again, we see that its actually a lot more about

tracking down and supporting niches on the

project, company and sector level - experimental

and otherwise. And at the same time, upgrading

what people have learnt to a place where others

can reap the benefits as well. Another important

new insight (gained both within and outside PSI-

Bouw) is that every generation is a new generation3.

A new generation is constantly entering the work

floor, which causes all other generations to shift up

a level. And each generation, including those that

have shifted up, wants to improve the new situa-

tion in which they find themselves. And hey presto:

a positive and practical common denominator for

cultural renewal in the building sector.


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Integrated neighbourhood development in HellevoetsluisWhat the Cabinet wants

Local residents who share the responsibility with the contractor for

the redevelopment and the management of public spaces, while the

local council limits itself to the role of coordinator. Such a role division

requires a dramatic cultural switch from all par ties involved.

The local council of Hellevoetsluis accepted the challenge and

launched a pilot project in collaboration with contractors and

residents in Vogelwijk, a traditional neighbourhood established in

the 1960s. The project has since developed into one of the showpieces

of the PSIBouw programme.

DURF 1-2 Experiences

Some five years after the launch, project leader

Hans Lievense of the Netherlands Organization

for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) looks back

with satisfaction on the most intensive project of

his career. Charged with the day-to-day coordina-

tion of the process, he was closely involved in the

Vogelbuurt experiment from day one. Everything

came together in Hellevoetsluis. The local council

wanted to experiment with an integrated approach

to public spaces and concentrate on a new role as

coordinator. The aim was to create value: using

fewer resources to achieve more, by tapping the

expertise of market parties and taking the wishes

of residents as the basis. An important consid-

eration in that regard was cost control. Different

phases and disciplines usually required their

own tendering procedures. But now it involved a

tendering procedure that would span 20 years and

include both the redevelopment and the manage-

ment of the public spaces. Based on the cost sav-

ing forecast, the estimated sum could be reduced

by 15 percent. A building consortium interested in

long-term involvement in such a project was found

in BTL-Vibor. As a knowledge institute, TNO is of

course always interested in new developments.

PSIBouw was also eager to support the experi-

ment. To steer the cultural change in the desired

direction, the organisers enlisted the help of

Niels Noorderhaven, Behavioural Scientist at the

University of Tilburg and a member of the Core

Scientific Team at PSIBouw.

VogelbuurtLocal councils, market parties and

experts found each other and, after an explora-

tory phase, decided to set to work together. Next

in turn were the residents. It was agreed that

the experiment would be conducted on Vogel-

to achieve, weve already done

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buurt, a redevelopment neighbourhood that was

established in the 1960s and home to a t least

14 different cultures. Hans Lievense still recalls

vividly the first meeting with a consultative group

of some 40 critical local residents. The residents

arrived with a huge dose of deep-seated mis-

trust. And when they learnt that they were also

expected to contribute to the management, they

were convinced they were being roped in as cheap

labour. But their initial scepticism quickly turned

to enthusiasm when the project development took

off and they realised that their input was being

taken seriously.

Cultural turnaroundThe new approach meant a

dramatic role change for all parties involved. The

residents however were the ones who under-

went the greatest change, according to Hans

Lievense. You could truly see them grow during

the process. And the best part is that the sense of

community has been restored. Residents are once

again proud of their neighbourhood. There is more

contact between the various cultures. A major

catalyst in that regard was the intercultural neigh-

bourhood festival that the residents had organised

themselves. When I saw that, I thought: Minister

Vogelaar, what you want to achieve, we have al-

ready done. Residents can do more than you think

and the success of the experiment is largely owed

to them, concludes Hans L ievense. Without selling

the other parties short, of course. The local coun-

cil showed mettle and enthusiasm in attempting

such an experiment. Two similar projects have

since been launched in other neighbourhoods.

The knowledge and expertise and the motiva-

tion of the market parties, in particular are also

important factors for success. The objectives con-

cerning value creation were also achieved. People

are happier with their neighbourhood. And traffic

safety has improved.

Problems are reported sooner because people are

now confident that these will actually be resolved.

The residents are their own driving force. After

four intensive years, Im noticing that my role as

process supervisor is increasingly changing to

that of follower, which of course is exactly what is

supposed to happen.

Hans Lievense:

Residents can do more than you think.12

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Communicative Risk Management (CRM) was

developed by the Dutch Network and Knowledge

Organisation on Risk Management (Risnet). Risnet

supports the construction sector through its

development trajectory entitled IRIS (Integration

of Risk Management in Collaboration Processes)

in order to arrive at an improved building process

through a joint approach to risks. Such a joint

approach is not yet visible in everyday building

practice, according to Risnet. Marco Heres, Risk

Manager at the Directorate-Generals Construc-

tion Service, agrees: The parliamentary inquiry

has led to artificial working relations between

commissioning parties and contractors. On the

one hand, all parties are well aware that things

need to be done differently, but on the other hand

there is still a lack of openness, which makes

people reluctant to share risks.

StalemateInitially, the reconstruction of the

A2 was only scheduled for completion in 2012.

But that was too late for other activities to be

launched, for example, on the A1. By coming to

clear agreements with the contracting parties,

it was possible to reduce the timeframe by two

years, explains Marco Heres. This acceleration

was also desirable because it meant that the

problem of road congestion on that trajectory

could be tackled three years sooner. However,

both parties believed that the collaboration was

slow to get off the ground. The contractors felt

that there was too much emphasis on follow-

ing the agreed procedures and too little on the

challenges that emerged in the course of the

project. The commissioning party felt that the

contractors were too quick to resort to solutions

that went against the contract. But the parties did

agree on one thing: everyone was eager to break

the deadlock. This resulted in the introduction of

Communicative Risk Management during A2 reconstruction

Everyone was eager

There is literally no way around it for motorists between Amsterdam

and Utrecht: the broadening of this section of the motorway into two

sets of five lanes, and the construction of a tunnel are in full swing.

This is the Netherlands largest road construction project to date

and the often complicated activities are carried out according to a

strict schedule. This can only be achieved through close collaboration

between commissioning party and contractor. To support the

collaboration process, the Directorate-General for Public Works

and Water Management has decided to app ly Communicative Risk

Management. The project formed part of the A2 Covenant, which

was also signed by the Association of Consulting Engineers of

the Netherlands, Bouwend Nederland and PSIBouw.

Serious talksThe process of learning a different

way of interacting with one another went in fits

and starts, Niels Noorderhaven concludes in turn.

This is true for the relations between the local

council and the building consortium, for exam-

ple. It took a few serious talks to get everyonesexpectations in line again. The same holds true for

the residents: members of the consultative group

sometimes still tend to shift the responsibility onto

the shoulders of the local council or the building

consortium. If you take a decision together, you

also need to give it your full support. This is dif-

ficult at times, because things never go exactly theway you and your neighbours would have liked.

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