Transforming Construction Network Plus webinar discusses uncertainty in project management

The Transforming Construction Network Plus held its third webinar on Wednesday 13 May. Addressing the question of uncertainty in project management, the webinar featured Professor Tyson Browning, Professor of Operations Management in the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University, and Dr Alicia Hennig, Associate Professor of Business Ethics at the Department of Philosophy at Southeast University in Nanjing, China.

The webinar considered the unknown-unknowns in project management – the critical surprises that have not been, and could not have been, imagined or anticipated. Bringing in their perspectives, first from an Operations perspective, and then from Eastern thinking, the speakers discussed how to reduce and address these unwelcomed surprises.  

Building on the article Reducing Unwelcome Surprises in Project Management, Professor Browning first defined the unknown-unknowns or unk-unks, the uncertainties that aren’t predicted and can’t be determined using a basic risk management approach. Introducing the concept of direct recognition, he explained that it is possible to identify some unknown-unknowns:  

‘Some of the unknown-unknowns are actually knowable and we can do something about them if we know where to look and if we invest appropriately.’ 

To frame 36 areas worth closer investigation, he identified six domains where unk-unks might reside and discussed six factors that make them more likely to emerge. Finally, Professor Browning outlined 11 tools which can help to detect unknown-unknowns, distinguishing Project Design approaches and Behavioural approaches.  

Drawing on the article Yin-yang thinking – A solution to dealing with unknown unknowns?, Dr Alicia Hennig introduced the concept of yin-yang, a different logic to structure and perceive the world. She offered an historical background of the Chinese philosophy and discussed this pragmatic and holistic ‘philosophy of life’. 

Considering the roots of yin-yang logic, she demonstrated how this concept can be helpful in the context of uncertainty and defined three key principles originating from it. She highlighted the distinctly different understandings of time within Western and Eastern thinking, and suggested that we should learn to think ‘circular, rather than linear’. Illustrating that change happens constantly, she also argued that we should accept change as natural, which would increase our resilience and coping ability. Finally, Dr Hennig considered the concept of co-existence, describing opposites as complementary and co-existing, and certainly not contradictory. 

She concluded by applying the following three principles to the project life-cycle: 

 ‘Yin-yang can help you with coping with change because you are better mentally prepared, clear headed in real difficult situations, and more resilient.’

The webinar concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Professor Jan Godsell. 

This event was the third of four international webinars from the N+, which is part of the Transforming Construction Challenge. The N+ is funded by UK Research and Innovation through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The N+ is uniting construction’s academic and industrial communities to create a new research and knowledge base, dedicated to addressing the systemic problems holding back the sector.