Construction Week’s Conference on Sustainability in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi, United Arabs Emirates that I attended last had a major theme that collaboration as in integrated project delivery or integrated delivery process. This view was expressed by contractors, consultants, designers, and even government officials.

The message was loud and clear, the only way to maximize results is through a concerted effort of collaboration from all the experts. Sustainability is a complex issue involving many disciplines and no one has all the answers. However, with a collaborative effort it is possible to obtain incredible results.

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The housing industry has experienced a depression the last few years. This is certainly not good for those in the housing industry, but it’s also not good for the nation. The housing industry is one of the engines of our economy, so when it’s down our economy will struggle.

Some look for quick fixes, but they never really help. They provide a slight jump in housing starts, but the numbers quickly return to prior levels or even worse after the stimulus is removed. The answer is fundamental structural changes are needed within the housing industry to correct the problems and create a vibrant industry again.

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One of my radio guests, Harvard professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter, wrote an interesting article several years ago titled “Leadership and the Psychology of Turnarounds.” The article focused on what it takes to turn around an individual company, but it seems fair to conclude the recommendations could be applied to an industry or nation. Kanter identified several behaviors within an organization in need of a turnaround, including secrecy, blame, isolation, avoidance, passivity and a feeling of helplessness. These traits are often observed in both the construction industry and in our overall society, so why is anyone surprised at the difficulty we are having in dealing with today’s challenges?

More: Communication, Collaboration and Mutual Respect

The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates the infrastructure backlog is approaching $2.5 trillion. Yet with deficits that are out of control, little is being done to resolve the problem. Face it; the federal government is broke. State governments are broke. City governments are broke. They can’t just print money because that will be worse in the long run.

More: Jump-Starting the Construction Industry