Why is collaboration in Highways & Transportation important?

Successful collaboration, whether with clients or suppliers, is at the very heart of our business and one of our core values. We believe that in business, as in other walks of life, teamwork can pay real dividends. Partners working together can often achieve much more than when they work alone. Our peers and the wider industry recognise this approach, and we have achieved a great deal through collaboration and through application/integration of BS ISO44001:2017 Collaborative Business Relationship Management principles.

In your opinion what is the one thing that is essential to effective collaboration?

Collaboration cannot succeed without the right behaviours. Leaders should aspire to instill a culture of mutual trust and transparency, enabling effective teams, harnessing the power of working better together, and being ‘just what we do’ as business as usual.

Make the shift from competitor to disruptive collaborator!

Lead the way don't wait to be led

How can the issues of distance and different work cultures be overcome in complex projects?

Creative thinking and adaption of the traditional ‘face to face’ meetings, moving to e-meetings, dial ins and use of available technology, are all key enablers to successful creation or on-going collaboration(s) with partners.

It is critical, that a structured governance and communication strategy is in place. This is fundamental to meeting all partner needs and ensures timely decision-making keeping a project/activity on schedule.

Communication channels chosen included e-meets, telephone conference, monthly meetings but underpinned using SharePoint 365 Online in development of an ‘Alliance Portal’. The portal was accessible by all 75 members across 24 organisations. This platform enabled us to share key information, audit timelines, management system content, news and most importantly be able to share and learn with feedback and input from all involved.

How important is I.T. to collaboration and why?

As part of the growing digital workplace it is clear that we need to embrace the use of available (and functional) technology to support colleagues, partners and clients together in one secure location to work together and achieve common goals. Naturally, transitioning to use of technology reduces travel time and costs but also increases productivity and flexibility in being able to log-in at anytime, anywhere to collaborate.

Consideration however of all individuals needs and learning style should be taken into account when utilising technology and adapt to suit e.g. some may additional telephone dial in sessions. Do not lose a humanistic approach to working together, or it won’t work.

Technology also allows for build of systems using screen sharing and voice enabled technology (via free sources for screen share too) resulting in what would normally have been on average 4 months to build, took 6 weeks!

What did you learn that you will take into the next project?

1. That you need to be clear from day 1 of the project why you are all working together (Relationship Agreement) as a collective, with agreement to instil engagement across the board. Don’t force an approach, outcome or system upon people, instead create ways of working together pre commencement of any work to start off with a clear understanding and mutual respect.
2. Ensuring ‘everyone’ is clear on what is expected and know their role and expectations, if not provide awareness and give one to one support to enable full engagement and support across the project.
3. Bringing key volunteered partners into the project team allowed for streamlining and simplification of content drawing upon their work and input, resulting in all understanding and owning the alliance and ways of working and applying best practice from all partners involved.
4. Implementing a cross partner training/mentoring support and audit programme which allowed increased momentum in both alliance development and individual organisation system build and certification against ISO44001.
5. Achievement of significant savings in time, resources and costs achieved due to the streamlined and joined up programme of activities and audit overall across the alliance programme.
6. Alliancing gave the ability to develop joint innovation initiatives through discussion and discovery of further opportunities in working together.

What kind of skills are critical now for collaboration to succeed?

• Leadership
• Knowledge
• Trust
• Communication
• Support
• And….a real reason to collaborate. Collaboration is more than just a transaction!

What do you see as the future of collaboration?

I personally believe that many organisations (small or large) are moving towards disruptive collaboration to strengthen their internal capabilities, enable growth and to give them an advantage in moving from competitor to collaborator. Leveraging new partnerships pushes advanced opportunity, access to new markets, expansion and remove traditional barriers to enable scaling up of core competencies and individuals to provide sustainable success.

What do you think leaders need to be thinking about or doing today that perhaps wasn’t part of the equation for leaders five or ten years ago?

Leaders should embrace new ways of working with partners in delivery of joint outcomes or goals to enable transformative collaborations to be forged now and in the future. This will allow organisations to build upon and move beyond bilateral partnerships and allow fostering of greater inclusion, connectedness and strategic collaboration between and amongst the business, government and social sectors. Results in adoption of collaborative working and its principles will ensure critical drivers of innovation and growth for 2019 and beyond are in place.

I think all of us could agree that ‘No one of us is smarter than all of us’ after all.

Louise McMahon, Business Integration Manager, Kier Highways

Having joined Kier Highways mid-June 2018, Louise McMahon holds the role of Business Integration Manager. Her role is to focus upon key initiatives which develop and embed collaborative working relationships for Kier and partners, measuring safety behaviour/culture and support new and refined systems, processes and ways of working helping to deliver improved organisation-wide outcomes.

Louise is also responsible for other programmes which will evolve the ways of working leading to sustained stakeholder and business results. Louise brings a wealth of experience in collaboration and management systems from her previous role working for Virgin Trains East Coast, boasting a track record in successful delivery and engagement of standards (and people) which support business excellence, continuous improvement, compliance, data security and strengthened business relationships in the form of; General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), British Standard ISO44001 Collaborative Working Relationships, Customer Service Excellence (CSE) and Investors in People.

Hear more from Louise

Louise presented at the CIHT Learned Society Event Collaboration - buzzword or real deal? on 10 July 2019 

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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the CIHT or its members. Neither the CIHT nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.