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

“The magic for us is when the academic knowledge strikes a meaningful and understandable chord with the reality of the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry. A catalyst was when the faculty visited one of our projects. This sparked curiosity from both sides. It was clear that Cranfield would connect the industry with world-class expertise which challenged both our current and

future leaders.” Nicola Gotzheim Director of Learning and Development, Morgan Sindall Construction

Constructing new futures

During initial discussions around what learning and development interventions might be provided to Morgan Sindall Construction, Professor David Denyer and Client Director Alasdair Poole were invited to visit a school being built in Milton Keynes. David remembers: “I was speaking to Pat Boyle to get his perspective on some of the challenges facing the business and he suggested that we should go and see some of their work ourselves, to gain a better understanding of the environment in which they were working.

“It was a valuable experience. We saw how the team on the ground had an interest beyond just delivering the school efficiently and effectively, but also in the positive impact it was going to have on the local community. They were delivering on a brief but also looking to push boundaries in terms of the environment and sustainability. It was interesting to speak to them and hear first-hand some of the tensions and issues they were grappling with in their multi-stakeholder relationships. “We’ve visited client premises and projects before, but it is usually our client relationship team that does so, rather than faculty. What was interesting in the case of Morgan Sindall was that they really pushed for it. It was important to them that we engaged in that process to understand their context, and I think it made a big difference to what we were ultimately able to deliver for them.”

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