Month: July 2020

 

Last month we were delighted to announce that McKeon Group has been approved as a registered training provider with Engineers Ireland. We are now in a position to offer our exciting and thought provoking CPD ‘Innovate Together’ to our large range of clients and colleagues in the construction industry. This live online or in-person, problem-solving, collaborative experience enables participants to apply key creativity and innovation concepts to real world engineering problems and opportunities. Each CPD offered shall be tailored to a specific audience based around the key themes of Design Thinking, Lean Startup and Business Model Innovation to frame a specific problem or opportunity in the given engineering domain or area of interest. You can find more information about this CPD offering here: https://mckeon.ie/new-cpd-innovate-together/ 

 

When it comes to industry innovation, we firmly believe that the culture of innovation does not belong to startups or newly-established organisations. As a third generation business, McKeon Group thrives on innovation, but it is not something that we take for granted. We value innovation and, perhaps more importantly, we adequately resource it. And now, we teach it and we measure how successful it can be.

 

So when Blade Kotelly published an article titled ‘Innovation Can Be Taught. And Measured’ (link to  the  full article here:
https://www.cmswire.com/leadership/innovation-can-be-taught-and-measured/amp/), it caught our attention. 

 

The author starts by acknowledging that:

 

 “As a culture, we’re in love with the idea of genius. We point to people like Steve Jobs and Edison and think: They must be born with it. That type of innovation can’t be taught…” 

 

There is no denying that thinking differently comes naturally to some, but every person has the ability to be more innovative. In the above article, Kotelly describes innovation as a baseline requirement for survival for many industries today and he does not accept the premise that innovation cannot be measured. While he acknowledges that highly innovative individuals and teams tend to share certain capabilities and innate behaviours, he believes that these capabilities and behaviours can “most certainly” be taught, learned and measured. 

 

In his article above, Kotelly, outlines five things business leaders need to be aware of as they drive innovation within their organisations: 

 

1. Innovation Is Not Creativity

These are terms that are routinely – and incorrectly – used interchangeably.  There is an important distinction between innovation and creativity, and this distinction becomes even more apparent in a team and/or enterprise setting. Of the two, creativity is more innate, whereas innovation, according to Kotelly, is about harnessing a set of tools that enable the discovery of new ideas with the intention of getting the highest possible value out of both the ideas and the ideators. 

 

2. Intellect and Emotions Matter

There is a direct link between how emotionally open a person is and their ability to problem-solve in an innovative way. Kotelly explains that while we have all learned to react to stimuli differently, people who have a calmer reaction to problems are more likely to see them as opportunities for innovation and to take action. He goes further to say that if you learn to do this at work when a problem arises, you will likely be in a much better position to innovate.

3. Innovation Requires Both Invention and Advocacy

This is perhaps the most obvious, yet overlooked consideration. Kotelly points out that new ideas alone are not enough to spur innovation; teams and individuals must be also able to promote and advocate for those ideas. 

4. Bad Habits Can Be Overcome

This is arguably the most interesting consideration for organisation leaders. Kotelly states that innovation is often a matter of how a person adapts to different situations, which is something that can be taught – even to leaders and employees who have not demonstrated particularly innovative behaviours in the past.

5. Different Teams Need Different Levels of Innovation

This is a tricky one. Innovative organisations advocate for innovation across the entire organisation, however, the reality is that different functions and departments will likely require different levels of innovation. Kotelly makes the excellent point that everyone within the organisation needs a basic understanding of innovation to ensure that they do not squash innovation by accident. 

 

It is definitely worth reading Kotelly’s article in full: https://www.cmswire.com/leadership/innovation-can-be-taught-and-measured/amp/. And if you wish to discuss innovation in the context of Ireland’s construction and real estate sectors, talk to the team at McKeon Group about bespoke, CPD accredited, innovation sessions for your organisation.

 

About McKeon Group:

Established in 1950, this year marks the 70th anniversary of McKeon Group, which remains a family business. ISO certified for more than two decades, McKeon Group offers expert construction, fitout and building services. The Group delivers projects, services and maintenance across a range of sectors for State, local authority, FDI and private clients. For more information, contact: www.mckeon.ie

 

Last week, Joseph Aamidor, proptech consultant and former director of product at Lucid Design Group and product manager at Johnson Controls, published an interesting article on Propmodo titled ‘The Case for a Smart-Building Stimulus’, outlining the reasons why governments need to prioritise and support smart building right now. 

 

Watching the policy focus in the UK switch demonstrably to offsite and other modern methods of construction, there is a lot for Irish policymakers to consider. While this article is definitely worth reading in full at https://www.propmodo.com/the-case-for-a-smart-building-stimulus/, below are a few of the most relevant insights

 

State stimulus resources need to be allocated not simply on the basis of need, but rather, where these resources can be put to the best possible use.

 

Aamidor proposes a smart building-focused stimulus plan that includes “investment in sensors, data, and analytics, coupled with traditional operational systems, to reduce costs and improve health and wellness”.

 

Significantly, this would upgrade buildings to provide for heating and cooling systems that operate according to building occupancy – and even area/zone occupancy – for great energy efficiencies and reduced maintenance expenditure. In the context of coronavirus (which he describes as “a call to action”), good ventilation would greatly decrease the airborne transmission risks, facilitating a return to the workplace and some sense of normalcy for businesses and staff. 

 

According to the author, directing State investment towards commercial buildings “would accelerate the adoption of critical technologies – many are commercially available, but are at the front end of the adoption curve – and generate a large number of jobs”. 

 

Aamidor points to specific opportunities for the State in funding buildings that are healthier, less costly to operate, and “prepared to deliver a work and living environment of the future”, including partnering with energy efficiency companies that finance the capital costs of installation or retrofitting upfront, which is then repaid through ongoing energy savings. Another key opportunity he outlines is around future skills training and innovation in smart building technology that drives wider industry adoption, thereby supporting new innovators into the local/domestic market. 

 

The overall impacts of such a stimulus plan would help building occupants to be productive and healthy, while greatly reducing the carbon footprint over the lifecycle of the building.

 

About McKeon Group:

Established in 1950, this year marks the 70th anniversary of McKeon Group, which remains a family business. ISO certified for more than two decades, McKeon Group offers expert construction, fitout and building services. The Group delivers projects, services and maintenance across a range of sectors for State, local authority, FDI and private clients. For more information, contact: www.mckeon.ie

 

McKeon Group & Hereworks are delighted to announce that we have been approved as a Registered Training Provider with Engineers Ireland and are now offering our exciting and thought provoking CPD titled “Innovate Together”. This live online or in-person problem solving collaborative experience enables participants to apply key creativity and innovation concepts to real world engineering problems and opportunities. Each CPD offered shall be tailored to a specific audience based around the key themes of Design Thinking, Lean Startup and Business Model Innovation to frame a specific problem or opportunity on the given engineering domain or area of interest. McKeon Group & Hereworks worked closely with Fergal Brophy (Entrepreneurial Specialist at UCD Innovation Academy) to develop and prove concept of this CPD. CPD hours & Cert shall be available upon completion.

 

We are looking forward to bringing this CPD to our large range of clients and colleagues in the construction industry.

 

 

 

Taking place on Wednesday, November 25th, at the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin

 

It has been a strange few months for the industry. Even during the period of shutdown, the McKeon team and most of our peers and supply chain were exceptionally busy making the necessary changes to projects, building schedules, work processes and to our physical sites. There was no quiet time, when activity stopped, planning, preparation, re-imagining and re-engineering took hold. But, there is nothing quite like a crisis to bring out the best and while this has always been true for construction, the past six weeks back on non-essential building sites have proven the resilience and ingenuity of the industry once again.  

 

It is important to celebrate this resilience, ingenuity and industry expertise so McKeon Group is  delighted to announce sponsorship of the Fit Out Awards 2020, for the fourth year. 

 

Launched back in 2012 – another chaotic time for our industry – the Fit Out Awards recognise and celebrate excellence in this specialist sector. Ireland-based fit out teams have earned a reputation for world-class delivery.

 

After months of working in isolation and socialising virtually, we are looking forward to getting together with industry colleagues and peers on Wednesday, November 25th, at the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin. Every year, this Awards Gala is attended by Ireland’s top fit out professionals and, as one of the few social events to take place this Autumn, the 2020 Fit Out Awards is set to be an unmissable occasion.  

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Recognition of excellence is always important, however, this year, the networking, the celebration and the coming together of respected peers is especially welcome. 

 

For the McKeon team, there has never been a more critical time for us, as an industry leader, to show support to clients and colleagues in this important sector. We hope that you will consider applying for the Awards (https://www.fitoutawards.ie) and attending on the night. Best of luck to all involved!

 

About McKeon Group:

Established in 1950, this year marks the 70th anniversary of McKeon Group, which remains a family business. ISO certified for more than two decades, McKeon Group offers expert construction, fitout and building services. The Group delivers projects, services and maintenance across a range of sectors for State, local authority, FDI and private clients. For more information, contact: www.mckeon.ie