The IKEA Effect for Contractors
D. Brown Management
October 12, 2025
The IKEA Effect goes far beyond kitting, prefab, and modularization in construction. The IKEA Effect is a cognitive bias that impacts how teams align and execute, from market strategy and business plans to processes, projects, and even succession.
leadership management productivity
Winning Work: 10 Questions to Optimize Results
D. Brown Management
September 14, 2025
Improve the quality and quantity of projects you win with these 10 questions to evaluate your strategic market choices and the progress on executing that strategy.
business development strategy
Training Value Metrics: 4 Progressive Levels
D. Brown Management
September 13, 2025
In general, training adds value, but not all training is valuable. Understanding the different levels of measuring the results of training is the first step in building effective training.
management training
Organizational Strength (Quantifying Current State)
David Brown
July 13, 2025
Quantifying organizational strength visually allows you to both see and measure current gaps and opportunities. This helps contractors better allocate resources for recruiting, training, and development aligned with their business plans.
Field Operations OrgDev Talent
Development Stages for Each Task Required by a Job Role
D. Brown Management
July 10, 2025
You can accelerate someone’s development with a consistent method for evaluating their progress from learning to consistent execution. Your growth is further accelerated by those who develop into multipliers of others.
development management talent
Project Actions Required (PAR)
D. Brown Management
June 22, 2025
Keep your project teams aligned and your projects on track with a shared Project Actions Required (PAR) list and workflow.
field productivity project management
Integrated Safety, Quality, and Production
D. Brown Management
June 8, 2025
Integrated safety, quality, and production improve all outcomes with growth. Silos force functions to fight over a “fixed pie,” driving trade-offs.
management production quality safety
Front-Line Job Role Progression (Leading Self)
D. Brown Management
June 8, 2025
Clarity around job role expectations, progression paths, timelines (min/max), and required resources is the foundation for building people, projects, and construction companies.
management Organizational Development talent
Box Breathing: The 60 Second Mental Reset Tool
D. Brown Management
May 25, 2025
Box breathing can be used to reset yourself or a team in as little as 60 seconds. Impacts include sharper focus and working memory, lowered heart rate and blood pressure, and reduced stress hormones, resulting in less anxiety and a better overall mood.
health
Building Your Target Talent Model
D. Brown Management
May 25, 2025
Talent is the most constrained resource in the construction industry through at least 2030. With the industry's growth outlook, the contractors with the best Talent Value Streams (TVS) will dramatically outperform. Sadly, there will also be failures.
business planning management talent