Building and Sustaining High-Performing Teams in Construction

Project executives (PX) need to be well-versed and skilled at nearly every part of the construction process, including managing finances, risk and the project as a whole. But ultimately, the job is about people. That’s never more apparent than in one of a PX’s primary responsibilities: building and sustaining high-performing project teams. 

The project executive plays a key role in many parts of team building, including the tangible — like hiring, developing and retaining talent — and the intangible, such as establishing team culture, resolving conflict and encouraging effective communication. Team building has a huge impact on project success, organizational reputation and a PX’s ability to complete other parts of their job, such as managing site logistics, establishing workflows and navigating stakeholder dynamics.

This article explores how to build high-performing construction teams. While it is part of a series about the responsibilities and best practices of project executives, the article aims to offer insights that are valuable to anyone working to build strong teams. 

Understanding Team Dynamics in Construction

The characteristics of an effective team can vary based on a number of factors, such as project goals, organizational culture and the unique strengths of team members. However, high-performing teams often have a few other elements in common.

• Alignment with Project Goals

  Team members should understand project and organizational goals and understand how their actions contribute — or don’t. Alignment generally enhances efficiency and reduces conflict.

• Effective Communication

  Communication is foundational for increasing collaboration, minimizing misunderstandings and creating a more positive culture. Because construction is often done in a fast-paced environment, high-quality communication often relies on established systems that make it manageable and sustainable. This might include standing team meetings, one-on-one check-ins and project management software that centralizes communication. 

• Collaboration

  Once a team has a shared vision for success, team members can work together to achieve goals and resolve issues. Collaboration embraces the unique perspectives and skills of individuals so they have what they need to do their best work. Collaboration is also a requirement for introducing and integrating innovation.

• Trust and Accountability

  Team members need to be reliable and responsible for their tasks. Important or difficult conversations should be had as promptly as possible, which helps resolve issues before they escalate and turns potential problems into opportunities to deepen relationships and build trust. Team members should understand how best to deliver and receive feedback to improve performance and relationships.

The Role of the Project Executive

The project executive usually serves as the leader of the project team, which includes directly managing team members, building an effective team culture, making strategic decisions, overseeing key workflows and making sure team members have all required resources. Project executives are often prominent members of the committee that interviews and makes decisions about new hires. A PX must have excellent leadership skills and be able to differentiate their communication and guidance based on each team member’s working style, personality and professional goals. 

Here are a few key roles for which the PX is often responsible for providing support, oversight and guidance, along with brief job descriptions.

• Project Managers (PMs)

  PMs oversee the project in its entirety, from planning, execution to closeout. PMs make sure projects meet client specifications and are completed on time and within budget.

• Senior Project Managers

  These managers lead multiple or high-profile projects, while often providing guidance and strategic oversight to PMs.

• Superintendents

  Supers are responsible for day-to-day work and operations on a jobsite, including managing subcontractors, checking for safety and monitoring work quality. 

• Engineers

  Engineers work to build and review a project’s design, make sure construction aligns with design specifications, provide technical support and help develop master plans and schedules.

Finding the Right People

For project executives, building a high-performing construction team usually starts with selecting the right team members. Often, project executives are part of hiring committees that interview and decide on job candidates. A PX is primarily concerned with ensuring candidates have the necessary skills to meet a team’s needs and the right perspective to align with its culture. There are a few helpful mindsets to keep in mind:

Prioritize cultural fit.

Most technical skills can be taught in a reasonable amount of time, but differences in values, traits or perspective are usually hard to overcome. Prioritize candidates who are aligned with the company’s culture and will be able to integrate into a team’s dynamics.

Make data-driven decisions.

Introducing data into the selection process helps avoid making decisions based on personal relationships, biases or a candidate's ability to interview rather than do the job. This increases the chances of selecting the ideal person and is fairer to all candidates.

Many organizations use assessments, such as the DiSC, to gauge a candidate’s interpersonal skills, behavioral tendencies and compatibility with team dynamics and culture.

Using a multi-stage interview process helps get a thorough evaluation from a variety of people. Further, asking consistent questions of different candidates helps ensure fairness and increases effectiveness by assessing everyone on the same criteria.

Bringing New Team Members Onboard

The success of a new hire — and consequently their team — begins to be determined from their first day on the job. Project executives should be mindful about how new team members are introduced, integrated and brought up to speed on projects, systems and expectations. 

Structure the onboarding process.

Effective onboarding usually includes orientation sessions that introduce organizational values, workflows and safety protocols. Training programs provide practical knowledge and skills needed to perform duties and access all necessary resources, such as tools for documentation and communication. A structured onboarding process helps every new hire start with the information they need to succeed.

Be deliberate about relationships.

Mentorship can be a powerful tool for supporting team members. Experienced team members can provide new hires with guidance and insight on navigating their roles. Some organizations use a buddy system, which pairs new employees with peers who can offer day-to-day support and answer questions. Relationships help build a sense of belonging and encourage active engagement with colleagues and company culture. 

Engage and provide feedback.

Regular check-ins and open-door policies help create opportunities for new hires to ask questions, voice concerns, share ideas and seek clarification. A culture of open communication is built on team members’ abilities to give and receive feedback, starting during a new hire’s initial stages of employment. Constructive feedback provides workers with the information to meet and exceed expectations. Making space for their thoughts and ideas helps integrate them into the team. 

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Cultivating and Maintaining a High-Performing Team

High-performing teams are made deliberately. They have identities, cultures and goals cultivated by leaders and upheld by everyone on the team. Team identity can be built around a shared definition of success or core values, such as integrity, customer service or safety. Attaining excellence and, perhaps even more challenging, maintaining it requires a few actions:

Encourage continuous engagement and communication.

Developing systems and channels for communication keeps team members informed and involved. This might include regular meetings, habits around feedback or accessible systems for document and communication management. Open and effective communication helps monitor team morale and address concerns as they emerge. When team members feel heard and valued, they are more likely to feel a sense of purpose and do their best work.

Recognize and motivate.

Team members work hard and recognition helps keep them motivated. Implement systems for acknowledging team contributions, such as peer recognition programs, regular team celebrations or shout-outs in company newsletters. Celebrating achievements, both big and small, makes people feel appreciated while also highlighting the actions that a company values and are aligned with its culture.

Develop talent and work to retain them.

Continuous learning programs and professional development help elevate team performance and build skills that improve project outcomes. But as talent is developed, those same learning opportunities also help to retain them. Workshops, training sessions and clear career progression paths help team members see a future with the organization, which helps reduce turnover and maintain stability.

Use tools and technologies.

Like any part of the construction process, innovation can help optimize and improve team collaboration and performance. Project management software can streamline communication, track progress and manage resources in ways that make life better for workers and leaders. Advanced technology, such as BIM, artificial intelligence and robotics, can keep team members engaged and learning, while reducing parts of their jobs that are dull, dirty or dangerous.

The (Not So) Secret Team-Building Tool

Quite simply, high-performing teams need trust — and trust is best cultivated through relationships built over time. Project executives should be focused on cultivating one-on-one relationships with team members and bolstering their abilities to build strong connections with each other. 

Be present for team members during their personal challenges, celebrate their triumphs and invest in their growth as people and professionals. Take time to listen to their perspective and embrace their life experiences. While this takes time and effort, it also helps create loyalty, improves project outcomes, resolves issues, influences team culture and creates an environment where collaboration thrives.

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