April2007
By Dr Keith Hampson
Chief Executive Officer
CRC for Construction Innovation
Relationship management
It has been very satisfying over the past few years to witness the development and industry uptake of
Construction Innovations relationship management research.
Relationship management is a key tenet of successful project management. Traditional-style systems of procuring construction, which are adversarial and rooted in conflict, are unacceptable in todays business climate.
Far from being soft options, teamwork and partnering are hard-nosed, cost effective management techniques that deliver value to the client by minimising or eliminating wasteful activities. Successful relationship management requires leadership and commitment from the top down.
Construction Innovations original relationship management research project, including a team of people from John Holland Group, Brisbane City Council, Queensland Department of Public Works, Queensland Department of Main Roads, QUT, CSIRO, RMIT, and the University of Newcastle, has now been developed into a two-day relationship management training course which has generated widespread interest amongst industry and government.
This reflects the recognition by industry (both private and public sectors) that relationship management should be regarded as another risk and included in an organisations analysis of risk management strategies.
The course was piloted with the Queensland Department of Main Roads in 2006 and has since been adapted and conducted for the John Holland Group. This month the course will be run for Queensland Department of Public Works staff and there has been a high level of interest in the course for other industry and government organisations.
Aspects of the course which identify the human behaviours that drive conflict have been particularly well received by participants. Another of the courses strengths is that it can be specifically tailored to meet the needs of different organisations.
In addition to being rolled out in the construction sector, this course has the potential to adapt into other sectors, such as defence, health and IT.
