'Companies need to select more for people who complement each other'

"The human factor in project teams is essential for the success of projects," believes Ruurd Kramer, director of Slokker Bouwgroep, Almere branch. "Unfortunately, this is still regularly overlooked in construction. Knowledge and experience still too often win out over soft skills, leaving project teams stuck in technology. Instead of complementing each other, team members continually try to outdo each other. This is a shame, because it does not add any value to the project or the atmosphere. People only talk about the content, while progress is at least as important. Companies should select more people who complement each other, so that you get further together. This is an important task for the management. Moreover, a different mindset is needed."

Ruurd Kramer (48) has been with Slokker Bouwgroep for 25 years. Since April 2014, he has been director of the Almere branch. "In addition to the daily management, I am responsible for the acquisition of projects," he says. "Both in construction teams and from tenders. I continuously keep a finger on the pulse in terms of project finances and procurement and have regular contact with the project leaders to discuss the planning and execution of current and new projects. We are a flat organization. As director, I am fairly close to the shop floor. This provides the opportunity to put together like-minded project teams. Who fits with whom? Which employees complement which areas? And where is support desired?"

Keeping good matches

"From Slokker Bouwgroep we try to set up the project teams as well as possible, but there is always room for improvement," Kramer emphasizes. "Because we deal with parallel projects, we don't always manage to get the right people released at the right time. Moreover, I am not in favor of changing the project team halfway through a project. However, we do try to keep employees who have worked together more often and proved to be a good match. From executives to work planners and project leaders. Peaks in staff demand are met where necessary with a flexible shell, such as on project Rosewood."

Project Rosewood

At Prinsengracht 432-436 in Amsterdam, the former Palace of Justice is being transformed into a luxury six-star hotel for the Chinese Rosewood chain. The (National) monumental complex of 22,000 m² will house 134 very spacious hotel rooms and suites, as well as a conference center, three restaurants and a spa with gym and swimming pool. As general contractor, Slokker Bouwgroep, Almere branch is responsible for, among other things, supervising the foundation repair, the construction of three new cellars, the complete facade renovation, the topping up of two building sections and the finishing work. "Implementation started in the first quarter of 2021, but before that there was at least a year and a half of project preparation," Kramer says. "And even during execution, the work preparation continues. Initially started with two work planners, we now have three in-house work planners working on the project. We also had two Velox colleagues join us just before the preparation peak. Where a Velox work planner supports in the technical elaboration of the drawing work, the project coordinator supervises the more and less work and the purchasing. He is also jointly responsible for filling in the margin requirements."

Full part

Isn't working with a flexible shell at odds with working harmoniously together in like-minded project teams? "At first glance, perhaps, but Velox's consultants are now very familiar with our organization and our way of working," says Kramer. "They know how to assess which employees do or do not fit with us. Is there a possible match? Then one or two introductory interviews follow, during which we look for a mutual click." The click with the current Velox employees was and is definitely there, he says. "They will stay with us for at least another year and may also slide in to future projects, because they complement our team well. They are different in character and verbal expression, but for both personalities we were able to find a perfect place in our team. Whereas one of them mainly does the research on the PC, his colleague has become the link between inside and outside. Both employees are an integral part of our project team and go along to outings, courses and meetings as a matter of course. This is enormously valuable for the bonding and team spirit."

Right balance

In addition to working with project teams, Slokker Construction Group is highly experienced in working in construction teams, which provide substantial synergy benefits. "Although project Rosewood is a tender project, we continued in a construction team soon after the project award. In this, the client, architect, structural engineer, consultants, installers and we all contribute our knowledge and expertise," Kramer said. "By peeling off all the challenges together and layer by layer, a proper balance between returns and risks is secured. This also creates more togetherness here, which benefits execution and delivery quality."