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Few other industries have had so much attention paid to them by government, associations, and specialist bodies. It seems almost unfair that construction has come under such scrutiny, and been on the receiving end of so much advice about how it should do things better. In many ways, BSj's Secrets of Success conference proved to be an opportunity for those in the building services sector to have their voice heard – to say what they think of the recommended ways of working, and the problems they face in trying to be champions of innovation. Delegates also got their chance to ask for exactly the kind of help they'd like to have.
Those attending Secrets of Success came to learn about the best way to adopt partnering and supply chain management techniques to their businesses. Speakers at the conference included leading exponents of partnering: Kevin Thomas of GlaxoSmithKline; Claire Sneyd of Boots; and Colin Goodwin of Sainsbury's Property all gave insights into their approach to partnering and the benefits gained by their businesses. Rick Edmonson of Waterloo Air Management also gave a manufacturer's view of how partnering has brought greater efficiency and profitability to his company.
But this wasn't simply a case of listening to speakers talk about how they do it. Delegates took part in intensive workshops to identify the real problems they have in kick-starting partnering in their organisations, and to work out from discussion with others, how they could tackle these problems back in the working environment. Here, we highlight some of these problems, and their possible solutions.
The first problem with partnering is that it's very difficult to agree on what it is. Firstly, to companies along the supply chain, partnering means different things, and they have different goals in pursuing it. For example, a manufacturer may feel that they are being pushed down on price, when potential clients might say the supplier is being given an opportunity to develop their products, and win long-term business.

<B>Looking for a single view</b>
Secondly, it doesn't help that there are many agencies promoting partnering, yet they don't have a single view of what it is either. There is a lot of information coming out of organisations such as Movement for Innovation, Construction Best Practice, BSRIA and various government reports. But as one delegate pointed out: "Construction is a massive, fragmented and disorganised industry with no common voice and a plethora of institutions and bodies, each with its own vested interests."
Solutions suggested for what is a major stumbling block on the road to partnering included a call for associations to sing from the same hymn sheet – to develop a common definition of partnering and to use this as the basis for all their advice. This would also go a long way to reduce the number of 'initiatives' which bombard building services companies, and give them a chance to focus on one method of achieving better working practice.

<B>Common tools and quick wins</b>
It was also suggested that common tools would be very helpful. Rather than being a single list of instructions, this could take the form of common methods for moving into the partnering way of working which would be applicable to companies operating anywhere along the supply chain. Delegates also said that current advice takes a very process-based approach to talking about partnering. As one person commented: "We want to know what partnering looks like. We'd like to see more examples."
Another issue with partnering is that it's not a quick fix solution by any means. Delegates pointed out that in business, quick wins are important to encourage people to buy-in to new ideas. One manufacturer said that with partnering, they could spend a disproportionate amount of time getting consultants to look at products and understand the manufacturing process. If this didn't lead to further business, trying to set up a partnering arrangement could be to the detriment of time spent with 'traditional' customers. Again, the solution to this problem centred very much around supply of information on partnering – demonstrations of quick wins that would enable partnering champions within organisations to persuade higher levels of management that they will see payback for investment of time and resources quite quickly. Buy-in to partnering at all levels of an organisation is vital, so training is required for everyone in the business.
It was very significant that the highest barriers to partnering are seen as cultural. A massive level of change of attitude and practice is required by a business moving into partnering. And there are of course vested interests for whom the 'old ways' are much more comfortable. For anyone who wants to see their organisation change, this level of resistance is very difficult to overcome, particularly if you're not at the top of the business hierarchy. The call for good business information, demonstrating the financial benefits of partnering, and showing other companies who have benefited from this talking about their success. Partnering has to be a business decision, based on facts like any other.
If changing minds within an organisation is difficult, then persuading other organisations that you can partner with them is even harder. The entire culture of construction has come in for the greatest criticism – confrontational, aggressive, risk-averse. To join up with others in the spirit of cooperation and sharing seems almost impossible. However, it has been done. Experience shows that trust between businesses comes out of excellent communication and an open attitude to sharing information.
In spite of the barriers to partnering, it's clear that many in the building services sector see it as the way forward for better business, and better buildings. But it's also ironic that an industry which has shown resistance to discussing cultural issues (such as managing change, creating new ways of thinking, building trust) now sees its major problems as largely cultural. There are those in this industry who will be resistance to change, however, they won't be around forever.
Anyone who wants to be a champion of partnering needs to start now. ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Services Journal will be working with the ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Services Best Practice team (now part of Constructing Excellence) to run a series of articles on how to overcome the barriers to partnering discussed here. We would encourage anyone with any questions, or comments to write in to BSj and share their experiences, both good and bad. And if you have a specific question we will work with the ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ Services Best Practice team to provide you with comprehensive answers.