S01E03: Construction Worker Skills through Ethnography

What can we learn about construction skills by actually trying to acquire them ourselves? In this episode of the ARCOM Construction Management Research Podcast, host Dr. Selçuk Çidik (University College London) is joined by Dr. Richard Brett (Anglia Ruskin University) to explore craftsmanship, construction skills and the value of ethnography as a research method. Drawing on his own experience of enrolling in a basic leadwork training course, Richard reflects on what it means to study construction work from the inside. His research examines skill not simply by observing or interviewing craftspeople, but by entering the setting, participating in the work and experiencing first-hand the frustrations, failures and gradual breakthroughs involved in learning a traditional craft. The conversation begins by asking what ethnography can contribute to construction management research. The discussion then turns to tacit knowledge. Skilled physical work can be difficult to explain in an interview because practitioners often know more than they can easily put into words. By participating in the work, researchers can encounter aspects of skill that might otherwise remain invisible. Leadwork provides a particularly revealing case. While construction research often focuses on digitalisation, automation and efficiency, much construction work (like lead work) is still ultimately carried out by people using their hands, judgement and accumulated experience. Richard and Selçuk also discuss what happens when opportunities to develop those abilities are removed. If construction processes continue to depend on human labour, should the industry be doing more to enable workers to become genuinely skilled at what they do? Finally, Richard reflects on the tension between young people struggling to find good work while the construction industry simultaneously reports persistent shortages of skilled workers. Chapters 02:02 – Why Studying Leadwork? 03:09 – What Ethnography Contributes to Construction Research 16:20 – Learning by Doing: Failure, Practice and Thick Description 20:24 – Implications for Construction Management Research and Practice 24:34 – The Future of the Skilled Construction Workforce Guest Dr. Richard Brett Anglia Ruskin University

Host Dr. Selçuk Çidik University College London Resources Brett, R and Netter, M (2026) It is in the Blood: Learning to Work Lead. In Chow, V, and Neilson, C (Eds). Working Paper presented at 43rd Annual Conference of Construction Management Researchers, Loughborough, UK.

About The ARCOM Construction Management Research Podcast brings construction management research to life through conversations with researchers from the ARCOM community. Each episode explores theories, research methods and perspectives shaping the field of construction management, connecting academic research with the wider challenges facing the built environment. Whether you are a researcher, student or construction professional, join us as we explore recent and thought-provoking research from the construction management community.