Blythe's spirit

There was a time when visitors to the CIOB's head office in Ascot could expect a good bottle of wine with a long lunch. Not anymore. Now visitors attending all-day meetings are expected to stick to lemonade or water.

Banning alcohol is just one of the radical measures that CIOB chief executive Chris Blythe has made in his first year in charge. The move symbolises a refreshing new attitude to the management of the CIOB. Gone are the days when the organisation felt like the country cousin of a gentlemen's club. Instead there is an air of professionalism that you don't often expect when visiting the offices of a professional institute.

Shot into the black
The figures back Blythe up. In his first year, the CIOB shot into the black, recording a profit of around £500,000, and Blythe is on the verge of masterminding a deal where the Major Contractors Group – a group of the top 23 UK contractors - will use the CIOB to assess the competency of all the managers employed by the contractors. The assessment will lead to NVQs and Construction Industry Skills Cards for all – a key part of the contractors' plans to improve safety.

If the deal is approved (it was due to be presented to the MCG board as Construction Manager went to press), it will represent a huge leap in recognition for the institute. In the same way that all practicing architects are members of the Royal Institute of British Architects, at least 50% of construction managers will have their skills assessed by the CIOB. "We hope that they will all become members too," adds Blythe. That would fit in with his plans for expanding the institute. Blythe has dropped the target of his predecessor, Keith Banbury, who wanted to double the CIOB's membership by 2005. Now, says Blythe, the aim is to have 50,000 members. Current membership is around 37,500, which according to the CITB comprises about 30% of the total number of construction managers in UK industry.

Despite all the progress that has been made under Blythe, dark clouds are gathering on the horizon. Keith Banbury, sponsored by the Institute of Civil Engineers, has produced a report that says all of the professional bodies in construction, including RIBA and the Chartered Institute of Building Service Engineers, should join together to form a single, unified federation – something like an Institute for the Built Environment.

Banbury argues that an Institute for the Built Environment would eliminate duplication of effort, present a unified lobby to the government and advance the partnering ethos that is developing in the progressive part of the industry. The government supports the view, as do some of the biggest construction companies Blythe disagrees with Banbury. A super- federation would undo all the good work done in the past year at the CIOB and would not achieve anything, says Blythe. "Duplication of effort is not an issue," he says. "We work together with organisations on an issue-by-issue basis if there is something to be gained. For instance, we work with the ICE. We have a joint awarding body for management NVQs.

"We work with the RICS on joint continuing professional development programmes. These are decisions taken at branch level. It allows people to see the issues up close and then act on them if it is right," he adds. "A superbody would make us more remote from our members when we are trying to get closer."

www.constructors.org.uk
Building rapport with members and letting them see how the management processes of the institute work is an issue close to Blythe's heart. He cites two examples of this spirit: the new strategy document for the institute is published on the web (www.constructors.org.uk) for all members to see; and overseas members are being cared for. "We have 4500 Chinese members, and now they have representation through an overseas board. We have developed a new web-based newsletter specifically for overseas members, and we are going out to lobby government on behalf of members in places like Hong Kong," he says.

Blythe is keen to take care of the details in managing membership feelings. He has changed the procedure for simple services like issuing membership certificates. He claims that when he arrived, it took four months for members to receive their certificates after gaining chartered status. Now they process takes under a month. "I found that the delay was because we were saving 20p on the price of calligraphy. I think it is more important to keep members glowing. They get a glow when they pass and we don't want that to subside," he says.

But Blythe's leadership is not all about being "touchy feely"; he also has some ideas that will frighten members. He wants to stiffen the rules on continuing professional development. At the moment CPD is required, but Blythe wants to make it compulsory that members undertake a minimum of 35 hours of CPD every year. He is careful to soften the blow, saying that the requirement would not mean attending 35 hours' worth of seminars every year in your own time. It can just as easily be fulfilled by reading books, preparing business plans and implementing new procurement strategies. Quite where this leaves retired members is unclear.

Retired members
A question posed to Blythe by Construction Manager reader John Cormack is, "What can the CIOB do for retired members?" Blythe says the question is more one of what retired members can do for the CIOB. "We welcome their contribution, and they have bags of experience to contribute," he says. But, he adds, "we have to be mindful of the relevance of their current competence". So if you keep your skills up to date, Blythe welcomes your contributions.

Blythe also adds that if members tell him what they want, he can set about delivering it. He says that the CIOB is developing a series of regional dinners for fellows which should help them keep in touch and contribute ideas.

DS Courten, another Construction Manager reader, asks, "What is the CIOB doing about raising the profile of construction managers?" Blythe responds that profile-raising needs to be focused in the areas where the public has an interface with construction managers. "One of the areas we intend to focus on is housebuilding," he says. "We want the names and qualifications of construction managers on site boards." Blythe is also keen to introduce customer service tutoring in the training of construction managers.

After a year in charge, Blythe is still shaking things up and still enthusiastic. "When I took this job I knew it was worthwhile, but now that feeling has increased tenfold," he says. Blythe's spirit is driving the institute forward as it embraces modern management methods.