Time to love thy neighbor or raise the draw bridge?

Press Release: August 15, 2011 Time to love thy neighbor or raise the draw bridge? A/E/P Experts have mixed feelings on when to share information and if it’s always beneficial. FAYETTEVILLE, AR (August 9, 2011) – Is success achieved through cooperation or competition? A recent survey held by the editors of The Zweig Letter reveals the “survival mode” economy has split the issue into two opposing camps. The results were detailed in an August 15 article. When asked if architects, engineers, and constructors should work collaboratively and share information for the benefit of all, Frank Dudek president of Dudek, an environmental and engineering firm in Encinitas, Calif., offered a strong “yes.” “Because if you don’t (cooperate) you may survive, but you’ll likely fail to thrive in this economy. Uncooperative fiefdoms within companies are self-destructive, breeding resentment and hoarding of work,” he said. “Sharing and trust lead to more sharing and better profits for all (provided there is competence all around).” Dudek also believes the future of the A/E industry lies in more cooperation – both with firms in the same sector of the industry or in different sectors. The increased complexity of many projects has created the need for more than one knowledge set to design and construct appropriately. New technologies and approaches such as the cloud and integrated project delivery are aiding in these efforts. “Projects are now and will be in the future more multi-disciplined and require collaboration by various types of professionals,” Dudek said. On the other side of the issue, some experts believe a rough economic situation increases the need to fight and beat out competing firms. Kevin Phillips, president and CEO of FPM Group Ltd., an engineering consulting firm in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., believes that collaboration can be beneficial, but “collaboration only occurs when firms are teamed together on a successful project. Outside of that there is a healthy business distrust between firms even when they don’t share markets, even between large and small business’." Phillips doesn’t believe recent difficult times have fostered a more congenial approach to business. “No I don’t think collaboration has increased,” he said. “ If anything, I think that because there is less work out there competition has cause less collaboration. Many firms that have lost work don’t want to show that they are smaller and weaker now and there is a cloak of protectionism within the industry.” For more information on The Zweig Letter visit www.zweigwhite.com/trends/thezweigletter Press Contact: Christina Zweig christinaz@zweigwhite.com www.zweigwhite.com