Jun 13, 2018
DPR presents Beyond the Drawing Board. In this series of podcasts designed for our Design Management Academy, we bring to you conversations with Industry Thought Leaders to take a peek behind the curtain at the design process.
Our guest for this episode is Gretchen Gagel, Principal of Continuum Advisory Group. A recognized expert in the construction industry, she has been involved with DPR since 1994, when she started off doing employee engagement surveys for the company. Since then, Gretchen has worked with DPR over the years on improving employee satisfaction, and implementing change and innovation to improve productivity.
Gretchen shares her insights about the changes afoot in the construction industry and why it’s taken so long for the conversation on innovation to get started. Integrated project delivery is on the horizon, and Gretchen shares valuable insights into how this shift could play out and impact DPR as well as other industry players. Gretchen is also finishing up her PhD on organizational agility and the critical need for flexibility in integration and moving forward.
This episode is brought to you by DPR Construction, with our host, Greg Mantz.
Key Takeaways:
[:43] Greg introduces his guest for this episode - Gretchen Gagel.
[1:12] What is Gretchen's history, and what has her involvement with DPR been like?
[2:17] In the employee satisfaction surveys Gretchen did back in 1994, did she find that they helped bring about change in the firm?
[4:08] Gretchen shares a little about the theory of servant-leadership and how that can play into shaping leadership in an organization.
[5:05] What does Continuum Advisory Group (CAG) do for the industry?
[6:25] What's taken so long to get the conversation started about innovation and change?
[9:11] Greg and Gretchen discuss the shift toward integrated project delivery in the industry.
[12:23] What kind of resistance is there in the industry when it comes to integration? Gretchen touches on how this shows up among designers.
[16:29] What does Gretchen think the next big step is in terms of innovation?
[20:14] Gretchen shares a little about her research with CII and CURT.
[25:21] What is organization agility?
[31:45] How can DPR embrace organization agility to meet the needs of its owners?
[34:45] Gretchen and Greg discuss the trend of contractors buying design firms to integrate the design process.
[38:26] Greg shares how DPR and other companies in the industry are adapting to become more flexible.
[42:21] How did Gretchen's podcast, the Built Revolution, come about?
[44:29] Gretchen shares her final thoughts about moving forward in the future.
Links:
Design Management Academy Yammer Page
The Patient Will See You Now, by Eric Topol
Construction Industry Institute
The Agility Factor, by Chris Worley, Ed Lawler, and Thomas Williams
Design Build Delivers, Podcast by DBIA
Lean Construction Institute (LCI)
The Agile Organization, by Linda Holbeche
Tweetables:
"I've always considered you guys at the cutting edge of thinking in our industry, and love watching what you guys are doing and that you guys are never afraid to try new things."
"There's nothing worse than going around asking people for their opinion and then not doing anything about it."
"Our vision is to transform the industry through revolutionary innovation."
"I think the industry right now is ripe for some revolutionary change because people understand ... that we are either going to disrupt ourselves, or we are going to be disrupted."
"Whether it's as a leader of an organization or as a consultant, I'm trying to help people change the way they do things to get better."