Construction Technologists and where to find them.
Going into Autodesk University this year, I wanted to spend some time looking at the people who were bringing construction technology to the industry, not the software and hardware people but the growing group of people we are identifying as Construction Technologists (Con Techs). After a week of AU and conversations with construction technology people across the industry, I think I have a better grasp on what unites Con Techs, but also how different they all are.
I went into AU with an image of what a construction technologist should be. I’ll be frank in saying that I thought it was someone who was a lot like me, personality-wise. In reality, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I found there are very few things that I could say were distinctive personality types. For every introvert there was an extrovert, for every big idea person there was a person who had perfected detail-oriented thinking, and for every social networker, there was a quiet strategist. I admit that AU is its own filter, so I am getting a set of people already capable and interested in going to AU, but even so, they don’t share an obvious personality type. As I started talking to people though, a common trait did begin to surface, and it’s tied to their passion for technology and their purpose for being at AU rather than their personality.
My wife one evening related an article she had read that described a group of people whose motivation was the desire to bring knowledge and solutions to others. The article described these people as ‘Promethean.’ Prometheus was one of the Greek Titans. He’s credited with several things, but in this case, the article focused on Prometheus stealing fire from the gods and giving that fire to humanity. The image of this resonated with me not because Prometheus was a titan, but because Prometheus looked to change humanity by bringing down something so disruptive and powerful that everything after is changed. I think Con Techs aspire to that lofty goal, and it drives their purpose in places like AU.
As the week went on I got to hear about so many peoples’ purposes and passions in conversations. I ended up with a ton of good stories, and most were stories I could relate to. They talked about the frustrations involved in building, and there were often common themes. Almost all the stories focused on how much better it could be. They talked about how many of the problems they saw, either in their companies or on the jobsite, could be easily solved by technology. There were a lot of “if we only just” or “I just need to find.” If they talked at all about their personal frustrations, they focused on not finding solutions, or having the solution not really fix the problem. The biggest take away from the various stories wasn’t the specific issues, but the passion with which the stories were delivered, and as I listened, I realized Con Tech’s were alike — just not in personality. They were alike in drive, passion and even frustration.
They see the problems and issues and see the potential of technology to relieve those problems and solve those issues, but to do that they need to find the people and products that represent the fires of change for the industry. So, it is not surprising to find a large number of Con Techs at places like AU, MCAA Tech, and other Technology conventions. Places where they can talk with industry leaders, each other, and those making the technologies trying to sort out what technology best fits their companies challenges. With so many solutions on the market it is easy to drive down the wrong path, and like Prometheus, a Con Tech’s passion can at times outweigh their sense of self-preservation. In the story, Prometheus refuses to return the fire to the gods and ends up getting tied to a rock and having his liver devoured each day by a large bird. Which is the standard punishment reserved for Con Techs whose purchases do not hit their projected ROI.
I know ‘Promethean’ seems overdramatic, but most of the stories I heard were told in an overdramatic and somewhat fiery fashion. The Con Techs I talked to were not a bunch of dispassionate people discussing the ROI of the latest gadget, or people that are going to be satisfied with watered-down team-collaboration tools. These people want to bring dramatic and disruptive change to construction, and they’re going to. That said, very few of these people were dedicated to Con Tech alone. They, like so many others in the construction industry, wear several hats; they were VDC, CIO’s, teachers, programmers, business owners, and even CEO’s. They all filled their traditional role, and given their level of passion and the success of their various companies they probably did a good job of it. So why even identify them as Con Techs? Because they all shared that drive and passion for changing the shape of construction through technology, and I believe they are the people that are going to bring the fire to their companies, and working together to the entire industry. I think if we want to be successful in finding more Con Techs for the industry we may need to stop looking for a certain type of person and start listening for people who are passionate about finding solutions, and who want to bring the fire.
