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According to the flyer for Supply Chain Sustainability School upcoming webinar: “it’s the foundation of high-performing teams, effective collaboration, and successful workplaces, especially in complex industries”, such as construction.

Construction projects are complex, fraught with possibilities for misunderstanding and miscommunication. The involvement of many contractors and subcontractors and thousands of deliverables is often combined with transient relationships and fragmented processes, all of which undermine the building of trust.

Clients aren’t always confident that main contractors will deliver what was promised, while subcontractors can be left in the dark about what exactly is required of them, and when – or indeed if – they will be paid for their work.

What do we mean by trust? And how do we build it to help address these deep-seated issues? This month Martyn Jones examines two widely acknowledged ingredients of trusting relationships: transparency and authenticity

And then going onto argue that both these are bolstered by the new safety regime, the Building Safety Regulator’s process and its 3 Gateways.

What is trust? Put simply, I am willing to work with you because I think you have the competency to create value that we can both benefit from. And if we try it and it results in the value outcomes we expected, then we are more than likely to do it again, building mutual trust.

Transparency can build trust through open and honest sharing of information between the parties involved – employees, partners, customers, and stakeholders. This openness can foster accountability and build stronger connections.

It involves being open about business practices and performance, including pricing, sourcing, and the challenges being faced. It’s about speaking honestly, staying professional, disclosing information, asking questions, providing constructive feedback, and being realistic.

Clearly, it has been work in progress on all too many construction projects, with the desired outcomes of the works often unclear and those involved not sure what they should be doing at any given time. Failing to address this lack of clarity and transparency leads to on-site confusion, quality issues and reworks, project delays, budgets being exceeded, and damaging our reputation as an industry.

Alongside transparency, authenticity is another key ingredient of trust. It’s about being honest with oneself and others, taking responsibility for one’s actions, and living in accordance with one’s true self. It’s being able to honestly assess one’s strengths and weaknesses without denial or self-deception. And acting in ways that are consistent with one’s values and beliefs, even when it may be difficult or unpopular.

When we are authentic, we are more likely to form deeper, more meaningful connections with others, and at a personal level it’s often associated with greater happiness, life satisfaction, and a stringer sense of purpose.

What role is the Building Safety Act playing in building trust? Well, it promises to bring greater accountability and transparency to the industry and improve building safety. The Building Safety Regulator aims to improve building safety standards, oversee the performance of buildings, promote the competence of professionals, and restore public trust in the built environment sector.

In the new safety regime, Clients have a duty to investigate and declare the competency and authenticity of the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor and other parties.

Projects cannot progress beyond Gateway 2 (building control approval) until the design is complete, transparent and understood by all the parties. That it meets the functional requirements of the building regulations, and there is robust construction control and change control plan in place, agreed and approved.

And there’s achieving the Golden Thread – a single source of truth recording all work done is to the agreed standard, verified, information captured and securely stored for use throughout the whole life cycle.

Embracing this new way of working – or culture – will increase transparency, provide one version of the truth, breakdown silos, and foster greater authenticity and trust.