In her keynote speech at WDBE 2024 in Tallinn on October 4, Amy Marks, the “Queen of Prefab” and SVP at Compass Datacenters, explained why change is necessary in our industry and how to start making it.
Amy has extensive experience in the industry. She’s a former vice president at Autodesk and the owner of one of the oldest prefabrication companies in the U.S. With a passion for driving change, she discussed the essential components of transformation.
Amy used Dan Miller’s formula as a framework for her talk:
Dissatisfaction
Dissatisfaction catalyzes change. Amy pointed out that if everyone is content, there is little motivation to change.
“You don’t have to be miserable, but you have to either be miserable or you have to be aspirational, that you can’t reach something that you want to get to,” she said.
In the construction industry, this dissatisfaction can arise from various sources, such as inefficiencies, high levels of waste, and a lack of innovation. For instance, Amy highlighted that approximately 41% of every construction project results in transactional waste, which includes excessive meetings and materials that ultimately end up in the garbage. This level of waste should evoke dissatisfaction among industry professionals, prompting them to seek improvements.
Moreover, the industry faces significant workforce challenges, particularly the lack of diversity—only 3% of workers in trades are women, despite women making up 51% of the population. This dissatisfaction with the current state of the workforce can drive initiatives aimed at attracting more talent and fostering inclusivity.
Amy also mentioned our inefficiency in utilizing data.
“Everybody’s talking about data. We are a $14 trillion ecosystem yet to be touched by e-commerce, by the way. Let me say that again. $14 trillion of an industry yet to be touched by e-commerce!”
A Clear Vision
Once dissatisfaction is established, the next step is to create a clear vision for the future.
Amy emphasized the importance of vision in driving change, noting that organizations like Autodesk excel at painting a compelling picture of the future. This vision should be aspirational and realistic, outlining what the industry can achieve in the coming years.
For example, envisioning a construction ecosystem that leverages technology to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and enhance collaboration can inspire stakeholders to work toward that goal.
Amy mentioned the potential for a digitally connected marketplace that allows for better productization and automation in construction, which could revolutionize project management and execution.
Concrete First Steps of Action
Having established dissatisfaction and a clear vision, the final component is to identify concrete first steps of action.
Amy stressed that many conferences and discussions inspire attendees, but the momentum is lost without actionable takeaways. She encourages individuals to leave with at least one actionable item to implement in their work.
Overcoming Internal Resistance
Amy also highlighted that resistance to change often comes from within organizations. This internal resistance can manifest as a reluctance to innovate or a fear of losing revenue from traditional practices. Amy mentioned how contractors make a lot of money on the lack of information and gaps of information.
Eventually, money explains why we do or don’t foster business change.
Engaging employees in discussions about their dissatisfaction and aspirations is crucial to overcoming internal resistance. By addressing their concerns and involving them in the change process, organizations can foster a culture that embraces innovation rather than fears it.
One of Amy’s key messages was to change our thinking about technology:
“Every innovation we talked about on stage yesterday was people using technology so that we don’t lose. If you look at what people are using AI for in oil and gas, in pharmaceuticals, they’re looking for exploration, they’re looking for faster drugs, they want to do things quicker. We are looking just not to lose our shirts.“
Listen to my interview with her and Kevin Cardona on WDBE Talks to learn more about Amy’s thoughts.
