The Only Way is Ethics

Introduction

The expectation for the construction industry seems to be that in the post-Grenfell era, every person involved behaves 100% ethically, 100% of the time. 

This presents a philosophical argument over the concept of balance and interconnectedness. Are positive and negative elements mutually dependent when considered more broadly? Many philosophies suggest that the 'best and worst' are two sides of the same coin and cannot be understood without the contrast of the other.

Is it any surprise then that we continue to see instances of poor practice while most of industry strives to do better?

We cannot expect every person to behave as we would have them do without exception. People are affected all the time by competing factors which may influence decisions, ignorance of legal obligations and sometimes just greed. The construction industry consists of so many elements from all walks of life, is it that surprising there are some undesirable attributes present?

We do have the opportunity to continue to improve and set the benchmarks of good practice and behaviours so that it is easy to differentiate good from bad and drive out as much unethical behaviour and incompetence as possible. It takes the good actors to step up, be consistent in delivery and to challenge those who take a different path. It takes individuals, organisations, regulators and those who set the frameworks to work together to achieve a collective aim.

Competence

Much of the discussions in industry over the last years have revolved around competence. Rightly so, but perhaps we need a deeper look at what this means. Competence is commonly broken into four elements, skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours, often referred to as SKEB.

The combination of these elements presents a coherent overall picture of competence. If one element is lacking, then appropriate actions are needed and of course all elements involve continual maintenance and management to ensure one remains competent.

The benchmark of distinguishing competence may have been to consider membership of a professional body. Speaking from my experience as a building inspector I know that taking such membership in isolation is not a guarantee of competence. It's a strong indicator but it's not the only measure.

So, what underpins the way in which we do our work?

Ethics & behaviours

The behaviours part of SKEB should really be first in the acronym. How we act as individuals sets the tone from the outset.

I would argue that in most cases we all know what is right and wrong. We don't need legislation or codes of conduct to tell us. The choices we make may be influenced in specific circumstances and of course these may determine whether we ultimately do behave in the right way.

Throughout our lives we make these choices every minute of every day. When we are in the right place ethically, we will make the right choices.

There are many knowledgeable people discussing the competence challenges industry faces. How do we all determine whether we have the required skills and knowledge for any given task? How do we record and measure competence? How do we really know the person we appoint is competent?

Perhaps we should have a new way to describe competence? 

BASE

• Behaviours & ethics determining the
• Application of
• Skills and knowledge using
• Experience

Placing the behaviours element first, through applying a set of ethics and behaviours to determine how one applies the skills and knowledge one holds and then using experience to shape that application seems a better fit for me.

If we don't possess the ability to understand the limits of our competence for any given task, we will never reach the ambitions for industry. Understanding when we need support, when to say no and when there is a conflict of interest are all crucial to how we progress.

Professionals have been doing this for centuries. There will always be outliers and those out to make a quick profit.

"It’s up to us collectively to call out poor behaviour and set the standards expected."

Alongside this we need strong leadership and enforcement of legislation for those who break the law and from professional bodies when people breach codes of ethics and standards.

In a world where pressure is seemingly applied to everything we do or say, staying true to our ethical beliefs will stand us in good stead.

Colin Blatchford-Brown

BSc(Hons), FRICS, FCABE, CBuildE, IEng