Welcome to our latest newsletter, where we continue our exploration of the ADKAR model and its application in driving sustainable change within our projects. Building on our previous discussion about assessing team readiness and prioritising focus areas, this edition outlines a strategy and actionable plan for implementation.
In our last issue, we developed a matrix that assessed various disciplines in our construction project using the ADKAR model, from Awareness (1) to Reinforcement (5).
We also evaluated each discipline based on its sustainability impact, aligning efforts with the project’s sustainability requirements.
This approach allows us to:
By grounding our strategies in the practical realities of the project, we ensure that our actions are thoughtful and effective.
Below is a recap of the matrix from our last newsletter, showing our evaluation of project disciplines, their impact weighting, and potential for improvement.
From this we can determine the maximum rating available to each to each discipline and prioritise based upon the difference.
The potential for improvement (shown in the Δ column) determines the prioritisation of our disciplines.
Our strategy should prioritise efforts where the most impact can be achieved: Delivery, Senior Leadership, Design, and Procurement. By focusing on these four key disciplines, we maximise the effectiveness of our sustainability resources.
This does not mean that other teams are excluded. For teams in the Reinforcement phase (e.g., Health, Safety & Environment), the focus shifts to support and sustain their progress. Meanwhile, Commercial and Project Controls teams may require a more gradual approach with extended timelines.
Looking at the table above, our Delivery team stands out as a priority. The lower score at the Awareness stage significantly impacts our ability to achieve our project’s sustainability goals.
Thus, our priority would be the improvement of Awareness amongst our Delivery team through communication of the project’s sustainability vision, engagement with leadership and having open sessions to deepen the team’s understanding and identify potential barriers or issues to implementing sustainable requirements.
Our intention at this stage would focus on the development of opportunities for the Delivery, Senior Leadership and Procurement teams to be involved in decision-making regarding sustainable outcomes, incentivising participation through recognition and potentially awards, aligning sustainable outcomes with team (and personal) goals and the sharing of case studies modelling successful outcomes of the process on previous projects.
While the content may differ across the disciplines, aligning every discipline's engagement at each stage of the Model, helps to facilitate the process of sharing the journey across the project team.
A similar process would then be applied to the subsequent stages and a tailored approach devised to address issues and facilitate alignment across all disciplines toward an agreed vision and outcome.
While successful implementation does not guarantee sustainable outcomes, a shared understanding and ability to evaluate and execute sustainability initiatives enable our teams to support, engage, and drive meaningful change.
In my next edition, I’ll explore how this approach can be adapted for different sectors.
If you're interested in exploring a specific scenario or want to discuss how to apply these strategies within your organisation, drop a comment or schedule a chat with me.
Together, we can shape a sustainable future.
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