Transforming the Productivity of People in the Built Environment

Abstract

This chapter explores how we create and support a digitally enabled, agile, competent, and ultimately, productive workforce and determines the key research questions that need to be addressed if Digital Built Britain (DBB) is to provide return on investment and succeed as the catalyst for evolving the manner in which we conceive, plan, design, construct, operate, and interact with the built environment. The proposed vision is a digital competency management ecosystem where interdependent stakeholders are incentivised to work together in coopetition to create, capture, infer, interpret, specify, integrate, accredit, apply, use, monitor, and evolve competence as a working (data) asset. This needs to be in a consistent, objective, explicit, and scalable manner, with end2end transparency and traceability for all stakeholders that overcome the challenges of competency management. Moreover, a core element must be an ecosystem organised around digital infrastructure of competency frameworks and other knowledge sources of competence, so that competency frameworks are in digital operation and dynamic context.

Incentivisation of digital technology takers in the construction industry

“…Findings agree with HM Treasury as cited in Chang (2018), Qureshi et al. (2020) and Underwood et al. (2021), and it opined that an effective incentivisation integrates construction procurement in addition to integrated delivery.…”

“…This is part of the CI concept. Findings agree with HM Treasury as cited in Chang (2018), Qureshi et al (2020) and Underwood et al (2021), and it opined that an effective incentivisation integrates construction procurement in addition to integrated delivery. Also, most participants agree that the government should provide ICT facilities for training and retraining of contracting and consulting firms' staff willing to embark on relevant 4IR technologies applications at an affordable subsidised rate or free as part of CI for public projects.…”

“…, 2020). The concept of construction 4.0 industry is to make the built environment digitally enabled and create a competent and productive workforce (Underwood et al. , 2021).…”

“…The possible outcomes of effective implementation of digital technology are project sustainability, safety measures and significant productivity outcomes (Slaton et al, 2020). The concept of construction 4.0 industry is to make the built environment digitally enabled and create a competent and productive workforce (Underwood et al, 2021). Woodhead et al (2018) affirmed that innovation manifesting as "Industry 4.0" in the construction industry is a transformational wave that needs to be welcomed by all stakeholders.…”