Construction is a fast-paced, highly competitive industry in which the dual abilities to make high stakes decisions quickly and to control costs are essential to success. The technology of the industry is changing rapidly as well, not only in equipment but also in data management.

In construction, a relatively small corporate staff must manage often far-flung operations with independent management and a shifting employee base. Teams are critical and must be formed and re-formed constantly. The industry recruits management heavily from engineering and related fields. Thus, managers often think linearly and adopt a no-nonsense approach. They prefer to be outside with their sleeves rolled up and aren't keen on what they consider small talk. The Enneagram plays a significant role in team management.

Human Resource departments in construction have a huge challenge, struggling to find and retain employees in an industry that projects a shortage of a million workers over the next 20 years. Communication also can be an enormous challenge in construction companies. With high mobility and frequently multilingual workforces, it isn't easy to get messages across.

Just as one example, a growing construction firm decided to implement a company-wide integrated software platform. They had the ability to construct the software, but getting the messages out proved to be a daunting challenge. The Enneagram is a critical approach in framing essential messages and training protocols.

Given the competition, construction companies often understand the importance of thinking strategically, and the most successful recognize the value of taking the time to see the big picture. The Enneagram allows the space to step back from delivering projects in order to assess the future of the business. The Enneagram also helps management watch for blind spots in team development and ensure that important considerations have a place in decision making.



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