This CITB snapshot report investigates the links between leadership with engagement in firms within the construction industry and highlights practical steps that can be taken to further develop engagement within these organisations.
The research found that:
- Most SME business planning is done centrally and that CEOs and MDs are ‘afraid to let go’.
- Most construction SMEs have good structures in place to enable the involvement of a broader range of staff in business planning. These organisations foster two-way communication that helps to engage staff in discussion about strategy.
- There was a mixture of views about leadership, where good leaders were seen on site, some new leaders lacked communication, decision-making and people management skills which limited their contribution to business performance.
- Where employers have implemented forms of distributed or shared leadership it has been generally found to have a positive impact on performance, most notably because of better use of staff.