It’s no secret that we’re experiencing one of the longest economic expansions since World War II, and the Built Environment has been a clear beneficiary of this prosperous time for eight consecutive years. Exactly when an economic recession will rear its ugly head is anyone’s guess, but few would argue the fact that we’re at the top of the business cycle right now.
Ten years into the United States’ longest period of economic recovery, is your company ready for the next downturn…or not?
Recent FMI research suggests visionary companies come out on top through tough economic times. As we look to a potential market downturn, how will you leverage your company vision to stay ahead?
When building product manufacturers walk side by side with contractors, engineers and architects, they become true partners in the building process (versus just suppliers or vendors).
Accepting a project on unfamiliar turf can bring an array of unforeseen challenges. Here are some suggestions to help ensure a successful journey.
Using action learning to enhance high potentials’ strategic thinking, organizational agility and teamwork skills.
How E&C can use technology to get a second wind and keep the momentum going.
How to create a structured incentive plan that supports your organizational mission.
Here’s how E&C companies can use captive insurance to shield themselves against the impacts of an economic recession while also strengthening their positions in the marketplace.
Welcome to the third edition of the 2019 FMI Quarterly. We dedicated this issue to a concern that’s top of mind for E&C and many other industries right now—namely, what’s keeping our leaders up at night and why.
Interview spotlight with the leaders of DPR, Fortis and Syska Hennessy.
While the economy is strong, how can you sharpen your pencil as a leader to take advantage of the market?
Increasingly severe weather creates unprecedented challenges for the built environment. Resilience is more important than ever.
Tight labor markets demand accurate and timely compensation practices. Understanding your employees’ true market value enables you to make informed decisions and retain high-performing players.
How owners and project stakeholders are changing the way they work together to deliver successful megaprojects.
Three best practices that will increase the odds of sustaining organizational success and continuity in the face of leadership transitions.
How companies can fully leverage their boards of directors and other leadership groups to achieve success in any market conditions.
Welcome to the third edition of the 2019 FMI Quarterly. We dedicated this issue to a concern that’s top of mind for E&C and many other industries right now—namely, what’s keeping our leaders up at night and why.
In this edition of the Quarterly, we have a collection of articles across all stakeholder groups in the built environment that talk about how technology is impacting and influencing businesses across the value chain.
Being a beta customer is not an easy decision and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Here’s how to make sure your experience is a good one.
As Amazon Business continues to make headway in the building products distribution industry, we’re beginning to see the Amazon effect disrupt the purchase and delivery of building products to the job site.
Four ways artificial intelligence can transform an industry that’s finally poised to embrace technology.
With the universal growth of platforms powering business functions, the importance of a technology stack is being recognized by companies of all sizes in the built environment.
How to get everyone onboard with successful technology implementations that benefit your entire organization—from the field worker to the senior-level executive, and everyone in between.
Once you know what you want and need from your technology solutions, you can begin to extract meaningful insights to help your organization manage risk more effectively.
The E&C industry plays a key role in identifying technology and bringing it to end users through the design and construction of the built environment.
Here’s how past recessions have influenced the technology industry and what new construction tech companies need to be doing now to get ready for the next one.
Construction spending growth is slowing, and there’s a lot of turbulence going on in the general economy. We think the engineering and construction (E&C) industry is at or near the top of the cycle. Knowing this, it’s time for E&C firms to start thinking about how to operate their businesses profitably when (not if) the recession hits.
Position your business for long-term success by fine-tuning your company’s operations, risk management, people and rewards practices.
Recessions can create opportunities for construction companies to weather economic headwinds, allowing them to catapult past the competition and emerge even stronger.
Using business analytics to create a data-driven culture that helps E&C companies fine-tune their business strategies and continually improve their operations.
Now is the time to select strategic partners and understand what your clients really want in a design-build project.
The best boards are helping companies devise good plans of action for the future. Is yours on target?
Because the time to fix a leaking roof is when the sun is shining, multifamily contractors should be shoring up their cash reserves and diversifying now rather than later.
The pros and cons of bringing the project design function in-house.
How to get the most out of your business strategy—even when the future is unclear.
This issue of the Quarterly highlights some key innovations and transformations that are taking place across today’s built environment and sheds light onto this seemingly quiet yet pervasive transformation.
How to develop a business strategy that outwits Amazon Business at its own game.
How E&C firms can take their huge data sets and transform them into usable, actionable intelligence that improves competitive advantage, enhances efficiencies and supports high levels of productivity (2018).
How E&C firms are using shared leadership strategies to transfer their businesses to the next generation of leaders.
How technology and integration expertise are becoming key competitive differentiators for design and engineering firms focused on facilities and buildings.
How building product manufacturers can take advantage of offsite construction trends and adapt their distribution models.
Zurich’s top picks for promoting productivity and mitigating risk.
How to develop an engineering and construction organization that values, cultivates and fully leverages innovation at all levels.
Assessing the key M&A deals for construction technology and what they mean for the E&C industry.
This edition of the Quarterly focuses on C-suite leadership, corporate governance, field leadership, ownership transition, risk management and the importance of leaving a legacy for your company.
Welcome to the third edition of the 2018 FMI Quarterly. We’re now well into the second half of the year, and our authors are all thrilled to be able to share a fresh batch of insights, advice and trends with you over the next few pages.
How to get the most value out of your leadership development investment.
Success in business today comes down to field leaders’ ability to stimulate performance not only through hard skills like quality and process improvements, but also through soft skills like motivating and influencing others.
The built environment offers the private equity community an opportunity to invest in strong, growth-oriented companies with competitive returns.
An accurate assessment of your own level of self-awareness takes effort and vulnerability, but if you commit to doing it, the positive results will follow.
Fully embracing the “Three Lines of Defense” model can mitigate risk and optimize future opportunities.
E&C companies largely fail to invest in ongoing education and development at the board level. Here’s how they can get on the right path.
With over 90% of E&C firms not being candidates for sale to a third party, employee stock ownership plans can serve as a viable succession planning tool for owners looking to transition out of their businesses.
How to effectively balance recognition and rewards with independent board governance.
Welcome to the second-quarter issue of the “2018 FMI Quarterly.” With a focus on Canada, this issue explores the various facets of the E&C industry in a country that, while a close neighbor to and ally of the U.S., has its own unique, independent qualities.
A look at how strategic, deliberate talent development can make a significant difference in an organization’s current and future growth.
The phase between substantial completion and final acceptance can be one of the hardest bridges to cross, but the rewards of getting there are worth the extra effort.
Hurricanes and wildfires in North America have brought new insights to risk management strategies. Can your risk register weather the storm?
Technology connects us, informs us, entertains us and changes the way we think, but how is it shaping customer expectations in the construction industry?
Here’s why organizations that invest in their future leaders are always ahead of the curve.
A viable means to repair and upgrade infrastructure, particularly in a strained economy where public resources are limited and private capital needs strong, risk-adjusted investment opportunities, P3 maintains a strong presence in Canada.
They say the grass isn’t always greener, but this year it may be in the case of U.S.-Canada cross-border M&A activity.
It’s time to start incorporating a millennial-focused talent development strategy in the E&C workplace.
With continuing industry growth trends, labor and productivity challenges, and retiring boomers, it would be easy to maintain focus on addressing the opportunities and challenges of the here and now. The risk in remaining solely focused on the short term is that the industry will likely look and operate very differently in 10 years than it does today, and firms may find themselves on the outside […]
This article was written in response to the rise of venture capital focused on construction technology and disruptive startups, such as Katerra. In it, by examining case studies from other industries, we explored how industry disruption was unfolding.
Assessing the role of emerging technologies in easing workforce gaps for engineering and construction firms.
A simple shift in perspective regarding boards of directors can lead to a cascade of the best decisions an E&C industry owner will ever make.
How smart E&C companies must get ahead of disruption by finding ways to adapt and innovate to remain relevant.
A look at what types of employees the E&C industry will need over the next few years and how top companies are working to fill those positions now.
By being innovative and fully leveraging technology, E&C firms can effectively address the various levels of complexity within their projects while assuring quality and timely project delivery.
How to select a technology solution that aligns with your company’s overall direction and optimizes resources and information.
How the rise of solar photovoltaics (PV) is creating significant Operations and Maintenance (O&M) opportunity for today’s engineering and construction (E&C) industry.
In this Quarterly edition, authors discuss several topics, including how to develop high-performing teams, effective boards, and a strategic compensation philosophy to drive innovation and performance across the company. We also look at new trends around offsite construction among owner organizations (based on our latest industry study conducted with CURT and CII) and discuss the convergence of […]
Evolving project delivery methods present new roles, opportunities and distinctive challenges for general contractors.
A highly effective board can help drive innovation and keep your company ahead of the curve.
How to develop a pay philosophy to guide your compensation strategy.
How companies can effectively transform environmental- and health-related disruption into true opportunities now and in the future.
How to effectively draw out ideas and feedback from customer communities and translate that information into product innovation.
It’s time to rethink offsite construction and align it with your organization’s overall project execution strategy.
How to make the connection between exceptional leaders and high-performing teams.
How E&C firms can think out of the box and become true “innovation machines” during the years ahead.
We find ourselves in one of the longest sustained economic expansions in the history of the U.S. engineering and construction industry. As such, we think it is a good time to focus on a few strategic items that executives often overlook, but, if acted upon, can make a positive impact on a firm’s performance regardless of market conditions.
How to align employee performance with corporate strategy to ensure that staff behaviors are consistent with the company’s overall mission and vision.
In a business environment where 83% of E&C firms are interested in acquisitions, it pays to set your criteria, establish your team and lay down the rules of the road before jumping in.
Customer loyalty is more than repeat business. Now is the time to recalibrate your client focus and achieve new levels of customer loyalty.
Getting smart about your go-to-market strategy, picking the right customers and pre-positioning yourself for the win will help set up your company to gain profitable market share without breaking the bank.
How to leverage the power of your board of directors to propel strategy and enhance company growth.
It’s not enough to play the game well, you must also decide what game you want to play.
How Cadre Coaching can help address not only individual developmental needs but also a shared set of organizational objectives.
The rebounding construction market demands even greater discipline and diligence when considering subcontractors.
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