2016 Q4

Innovation and Transformation: Paving the Way to Tomorrow

FMI often hears stories about innovations and positive disruptions occurring in and around the engineering and construction industry. These new ideas are often associated with project-related processes, systems or technologies. And while some ideas and technologies stick, many others seem to fail.

Cultivating the Next Generation of E&C Technical Talent

The E&C industry is undergoing a technology revolution that is impacting how firms find, train and retain top technical talent.

Finding the Right Leader: How to Disrupt Your Leader Selection Process

How to break out of the traditional leader selection mentality and utilize a more strategic approach to building future bench strength.

From Fearless to Feeless: The Changing Value Proposition in the Construction Supply Chain

Why some construction managers may decide to forgo fees in the traditional sense to disrupt competition.

Leading Innovation: Insights From Industry Executives (Part 1)

FMI often hears stories about innovations and positive disruptions occurring in and around the engineering and construction industry. These new ideas are often associated with project-related processes, systems or technologies.

Prefabrication: The Changing Face of Engineering and Construction

For decades, industry stakeholders have lamented the inefficiencies and lack of productivity in the engineering and construction (E&C) industry. 

The Battle for Control: Whose Box Will Run Your Building?

A look at the rapidly evolving landscape following the growing demand for intelligent, interconnected commercial and residential buildings.

2016 Q3

Leading in Uncertain Times: Adapt to Win

This edition of the Quarterly focuses on helping leaders and organizations understand what it takes to operate in a VUCA world.

Beyond the Day to Day: Strategic Thinking in the VUCA Environment

Six ways leaders in the construction and engineering field can go beyond putting out day to day fires and think more strategically in today’s VUCA environment.

Eight Characteristics of Agile Leaders

The race to cultivate and transition leaders into executive positions is on. Is your company ready for the challenge?

Four Cornerstones of an Adaptive Strategy for Construction and Engineering Companies

How leading companies are using context analysis to drive their organizations forward when the foundation for strategy formation is shaky and untenable.

History Repeats Itself: A New Wave of International Interest in the U.S. Infrastructure Market

Mirroring the 1970s, when large international firms first targeted acquisitions to enter the U.S. construction market in a significant way, new international players are emerging alongside traditional international competitors to target the U.S.

How Autonomous Vehicles Will Change the Future of Road Design and Construction

As automakers scramble to make cars that need little or no human intervention, it’s time to consider four key implications of this trend for the engineering and construction industry.

Looking to the Future: How E&C Firms Can Leverage Long-Term Incentive Plans

An in-depth look at the value of using long-term incentive plans in the engineering and construction industry.

Organizational Agility: Creating Enduring Results by Overcoming the Cyclicality Trap

Five critical factors driving agility in today’s engineering and construction organizations.

Using Fleet Technology to Reduce Accidents and Liabilities in Construction

With the construction industry growing at a healthy pace in recent years, many contractors face the challenge of managing heavily congested job sites crowded with company-owned fleets and subcontractor and supplier vehicles.

2016 Q2

Engineering, Construction and Risk: Improving Your Odds of Success

Engineering and construction firms are dynamic and inherently risky businesses. Historically, owners, chief financial officers or risk managers were the sole administrators of risk management. Today, however, the issue of risk is everyone’s responsibility, and a risk management culture must be engrained across the entire organization.

A Blueprint for Risk Management in Construction

Nine elements that should be included in every construction firm’s formal risk management strategy

Keep Score to Reduce Risk

How to improve risk management by creating a corporate culture that’s focused on knowledge sharing, collaboration and learning

Managing and Mitigating Subcontractor Default Risks

Surety bonding can serve as an effective tool to help protect general contractors from the challenges associated with subcontractor default.

The Icarus Leader: How High Will You Fly?

As a leader, have you gone through times where successes of the past have clouded your judgment, leading to lost profits, defeat or failure? In the construction industry, we face the delicate leadership balance of taking the necessary risks to grow and benefit the company without tipping the scales […]

Five Pitfalls to Avoid When Selling Your Company

How to successfully transition ownership while managing risk in the process

Developing Adaptive Leaders: The APi Case Study

How one construction conglomerate is developing effective leaders across 40 different companies and 200 geographically dispersed locations.

The Risk of Wage Rises in Construction: Three Key Trends

Operating a tightening labor market, engineering and construction firms need to pay close attention to salary, benefits and other labor-related trends that can help them avoid job delays, botched projects and profit losses.

Why Large Contractors Fail - A Fresh Perspective

During the past few decades, there have been dozens of large contractors that, after many years of growth and apparent prosperity, experienced notable financial disasters, resulting in bankruptcy or a reincarnation of the business in a much different form.

2016 Q1

The Talent Challenge: Winning in the New Reality

Today’s engineering and construction (E&C) industry talent challenges are not new. However, we are at a critical inflection point: Ten thousand baby boomers are retiring daily across the U.S., leaving behind an incredible void of knowledge and experience — particularly in the engineering and construction space. Baby boomers created billion-dollar companies over the past several decades and […]

Building a Culture of Engagement: Why it Matters

Being able to offer better services, technologies, strategies, products and cost structures can make one organization better than the next, but all of these factors are replicable.

Four Fundamentals of Highly Effective Boards

When done well, the cost of assembling a peak-performing board is more than offset by its overwhelming benefits.

Hire or Acquire

Adding some rigor to the decision of whether to hire versus acquire employees. 

Opioid Abuse: The Undetected Risk in Your Organization

Painkiller medications — also known as opioids — can be effective in managing a worker’s pain, but they also come with a high likelihood of long-term overuse and abuse. A recent Mayo Clinic study revealed that one in four patients prescribed an opioid painkiller for the first time progressed […]

The Big Crew Change: How to Break Into the Succession Plan Part 2

To truly break into the succession plan takes an enormous amount of focus, dedication, commitment and motivation for anyone looking up the career ladder.

The Big Crew Change: How to Empower Your Next Generation of Field Leaders Part 1

Many of today’s construction employers lack a clear grasp of their employees’ skills and competencies.

The Construction Workforce: Debunking Millennial Myths

Rather than focusing on outdated stereotypes, construction employers should develop workplaces where top talent across all generations can engage and thrive. 

The Talent Challenge: Winning in the New Reality

Today’s engineering and construction (E&C) industry talent challenges are not new. However, we are at a critical inflection point: Ten thousand baby boomers are retiring daily across the U.S., leaving behind an incredible void of knowledge and experience — particularly in the engineering and […]

Time to Drain the Pool

Re-inventing your bonus pool structure: a new model

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