In an effort to create a leadership pipeline within the field/trades, O’Shea Builders developed its Field Excellence programs. This multi-phased initiative covers three specific development programs offered in cohort style:
- Superintendent Leads
- Foreman to Superintendent
- Superintendent 2.0
A fourth program currently is in the design phase.
Program Details
No matter which program they are enrolled in, each learner has an individual development plan that is created for them based on their Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities assessment. It focuses on several aspects of project execution excellence and is designed to prepare front-line employees to move into leadership roles—whether that be general foreman, superintendent, or higher-level positions.
Each program is delivered in hybrid fashion, combining classroom training, virtual instructor-led training, jobsite learning exercises, technical training, communication training, and mentoring.
Superintendent 2.0, for example, is a six-month leadership development program that builds on O’Shea Builders’ LEAN/Last Planner, Takt, and Superintendent LEADS programs to take superintendent leadership competencies to the next level by focusing on the development of specific competencies, including communication, teambuilding, interpersonal skills, and psychological safety on jobsites. A recent emphasis in this group has involved using the OPS (O’Shea Production System) manual as an internal textbook.
The overall capability of the individual learner upon completing the program informs their job title, compensation and scale, and size and scope of the projects they are assigned. They can “level up” based largely on their initiative and willingness to grow.
Participants are paired with a senior-level mentor to coach and support the learning in the classroom and the fieldwork throughout the length of the various programs. Additionally, participants are expected to present their work and the progress of their construction projects at company town hall meetings throughout the year.
Results
All participants have secured promotion within six months of completing their specific program.
