Building resilience and capability: Shaping the future of Morgan Sindall Construction

warning signs, the sound, the vibration, the turbulence. In economic terms, this train could be a recession; it could be inflation; it could be some other economic challenge that is going to impact your business. What can you do about it? You can get off the track, but only if you spot the early warning signs. Understanding the economy is about learning to spot the signs that your business and economic environment may change – that might be change for the good as well as bad – and being prepared to respond in advance. The UK economy is going through a prolonged phase of readjustment to a new sense of normality. We’re in a low growth phase and so, a lot of businesses who rely on strong economic growth are realising that things may not be as buoyant as in previous decades. The next five years are going to be tough for the economy, but that doesn’t mean they have to be tough for every business – there are always winners and losers. The key is to build not only understanding of the economic and business environment but also resilience to deal with whatever comes along, whether positive or negative. Fortunately for Morgan Sindall, they are quite diversified in their portfolio. They are also in social housing, which means whatever Government is in power they have the potential to embrace changes in public sector policy as well as private sector developments affected by Government policy. The journey they have been undertaking with Cranfield is a great example of investing in the future. Investment is the engine of growth – organisations need it, and the economy needs it. If you invest in infrastructure and in people then you lay the foundations for growth into the future – and that’s what Morgan Sindall is doing. There’s no guarantee, but looking at the quality of their people, the diversification of their portfolio and the activities they’re involved in they look to be in pretty good shape and have everything in place to continue their success into the future. Another cliché I use frequently is: ‘Losers can’t escape their past. Winners create their future.’ This programme was about creating the leaders who will create the future for Morgan Sindall, and the vibes are good.

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