Hi folks 👋🏾
This week we are going through the Diversity, inclusion and teamworking competency. I believe this is a relatively new competency so there may be limited resources available for this! Some of the bullet points are a bit vague and random, hopefully, I can help identify what it is the RICS want to know!
I would highly advise you to go through the candidate guide and the QS pathway guide to understand the basic requirements.
DISCLAIMER: The following is not an exhaustive set of notes, but it's an attempt to help those who, like me at the beginning, did not know where to start! Please feel free to let me know if I have said anything incorrect or out of date!
So what is Level 1 Diversity, Inclusion and Teamworking all about?
The RICS note that to demonstrate competence at Level 1, you need to demonstrate your ability to:
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles, behaviour and dynamics of successfully working in a team.
How team members are selected and appointed
This is a straightforward requirement, we are being asked if understand how different positions are sourced. This might be within our own team within a firm or in a client team. How does the client procure consultants? How do we hire and source risk managers, project managers, engineers etc?
The process will vary from firm to firm. They may be appointed through direct hires or sourced through consultants. Consultants are selected again either through direct hires or through some sort of procurement process whereby they either win the professional services element of the project or they get placed on a framework. Clients can then “call-off” against that framework to secure a team member!
The role played by the various team members
Depending on the size of a construction project you will have various team members with different roles and responsibilities. Here are some of the key roles:
Client - Defines the requirements, and provides high-level input with respect to the vision and purpose of the project!
Project Manager - Responsible for coordinating the project team to execute the client’s requirements.
Design Team - The design team consists of architects, engineers and anyone who develops specific performance requirements and designs. Their job initially is to produce a concept which matches the client’s requirements.
Commercial Team - This may include commercial managers, risk managers and planners.
Commercial Managers are responsible for securing, monitoring and administering the client’s financial interests and contractual obligations.
Risk Managers work across the disciplines to identify key risks to the project. They work with the design team to identify specific risks relating to the built asset, and they work with the commercial team to identify commercial risks.
Planners are responsible for identifying the best sequencing of work to deliver the client’s project.
Contractor - Responsible for the construction of the client’s requirements.
The above are just some of the key roles and there may be many more in different organisations.
The importance and business value of diversity in a team
There are so many more qualified people who can tell you why diversity can benefit a business. A key reason why is the different perspectives that a diverse workforce can provide.
Here’s a good article on this topic:
Formal communication processes within the team
I'm not really sure what is being sought after here but I assume that the RICS expect us to understand communications should be inclusive. Team members should not be left out and leaders, as well as members of a team themselves, should ensure everyone is being treated in the same way!
Inclusive communications
I think this point is trying to get us to understand how we actually communicate with our team. We should be aware of how we communicate with and be respectful of their needs.
I’ll give you one example that really bothers me. When people start an email saying “Hi Gents” when there are females within the team. I find it quite disrespectful to those team members and it happens a lot more than you think!
Another one that is annoying is when people spell your name wrong in email, even though you’ve signed off in a particular way. For example, my name is Farhan Tanvir, I often get people addressing me as Farham, or Tanvir! If it’s the first time we’ve made contact I understand but constantly getting a simple thing like a name wrong is a real shame.
How partnering and collaborative working affect the team
If any of you have been seconded to client teams you will up having multiple sets of work ‘families’. You have your hiring firm family who provides you with your base level of support. Then you have your client team who may include project managers, engineers, support staff etc.
It requires you to be agile, open and confident - especially if you want to build relationships within your client organisation!
When two organisations ‘partner’ in a JV, it requires them to integrate their staff to execute the project. I’ve never been part of a massive JV but I have been asked to integrate into a delivery partner organisation and there was a very big focus on the team dynamic.
Being part of a team means working with others to deliver a goal. A good team member in my view someone who always delivers their work on time and to a high standard. They are someone who is approachable for any issues and attempts to help!
Internal diversity and inclusion policies, including any applicable to non-discrimination or anti-harassment in the workplace
Are you aware of any equality diversity and inclusion (EDI) policies within your organisation?
Here is a summary of EDI:
You should know examples of different policies which aim to alleviate EDI shortfalls.
Knowledge of Unconscious bias
Here’s a video that explains UB.
Supply chain management
SCM in the construction industry is the relationship between the suppliers and the contractors involved in the overall project.
Here’s an article for your review:
That's it for this folks, as always if you have any queries give me a shout!