Site Supervision and Leadership
Leading people on a construction site, from the superintendent's role and the move from the tools to supervision to leadership styles, trust and psychological safety, setting expectations, motivation, recognition, feedback and accountability, leading subcontractors through influence, start-up meetings, manpower commitments and escalation, clear communication with read-backs, radio protocol and plain language for multilingual crews, meetings and action logs, daily and weekly planning, crew sizing, earned hours and the effects of overtime, structured problem solving and decision making, conflict, negotiation and difficult conversations, supervisor duties under provincial OHS law and Criminal Code section 217.1, harassment and fitness for duty, mental health and suicide prevention, developing apprentices and a supervision plan, following one invented mid-rise project throughout.
CON-305 Year 3 3 credits 12 lessons · 5 h 24 min
Offered by HSM University · Construction Management
This is the Canadian version of this course. See the American version.
What you'll learn
- Describe the roles, authority and responsibilities of superintendents, assistant superintendents, foremen and lead hands, and how site supervision divides work with the project manager.
- Manage the transition from trades worker to supervisor, including relationships with former peers, delegation at appropriate levels and management of time and interruptions.
- Select leadership styles to suit people and situations, and build trust and psychological safety on a construction crew.
- Set clear expectations, motivate crews, give recognition and feedback, diagnose performance gaps and hold people accountable fairly.
- Lead subcontractors and trades the supervisor does not employ through influence, start-up meetings, manpower commitments and step-by-step escalation.
- Communicate effectively on site using appropriate channels, clear instructions, read-backs, radio protocol, active listening and plain language for multilingual crews.
- Plan and run effective site meetings, including huddles, weekly coordination and owner meetings, with action logs that drive follow-through.
- Plan daily and weekly work with readiness checks, size crews, track productivity with earned hours and evaluate the effects of overtime and fatigue.
- Solve site problems with a structured cycle and root cause tools, make decisions under uncertainty, recognize decision biases and escalate appropriately.
- Manage conflict between trades, negotiate using interests and objective criteria, and conduct difficult conversations and de-escalation.
- Explain supervisors' professional, ethical and legal duties in Canada, including OHS supervisor duties, due diligence, Criminal Code section 217.1, harassment prevention and fitness for duty.
- Support crew and personal wellbeing, develop apprentices and future supervisors, and prepare a supervision plan with staffing checks and performance indicators for a phase of work.
Course content
12 lessons · 5 h 24 min total · final exam
- 1 The superintendent and site supervisor 30 min · quiz
- 2 From trades worker to leader 28 min · quiz
- 3 Leadership styles and building trust 26 min · quiz
- 4 Leading crews: expectations, motivation and accountability 28 min · quiz
- 5 Leading subcontractors and trades you don't employ 26 min · quiz
- 6 Communication on site 27 min · quiz
- 7 Meetings that work 26 min · quiz
- 8 Daily and weekly planning and managing productivity 27 min · quiz
- 9 Problem solving and decision making 27 min · quiz
- 10 Conflict, negotiation and difficult conversations 26 min · quiz
- 11 Professional conduct, legal duties and ethics 27 min · quiz
- 12 Capstone: wellbeing, developing people and a supervision plan 26 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Requirements
Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.
Description
Leading people on a construction site, from the superintendent's role and the move from the tools to supervision to leadership styles, trust and psychological safety, setting expectations, motivation, recognition, feedback and accountability, leading subcontractors through influence, start-up meetings, manpower commitments and escalation, clear communication with read-backs, radio protocol and plain language for multilingual crews, meetings and action logs, daily and weekly planning, crew sizing, earned hours and the effects of overtime, structured problem solving and decision making, conflict, negotiation and difficult conversations, supervisor duties under provincial OHS law and Criminal Code section 217.1, harassment and fitness for duty, mental health and suicide prevention, developing apprentices and a supervision plan, following one invented mid-rise project throughout.
Part of the Construction Management stream, typically taken in year 3.