Skills for Success as a Frontline Supervisor: Focus Group Results

Frontline supervisors (FLS), commonly referred to as foreman/person, play a critical role in the construction industry; they direct craft laborers and oversee production at the workface. They are generally responsible for ensuring that specific construction scopes are completed on time, safely, and with appropriate quality. For the purposes of this paper, a FLS is defined as, “a person that is competent in their trade and leads a team of craft personnel and directs them in their day-to-day activities.” This paper elucidates the key skills and experience required for success in this position based on a thematic analysis of 15 job postings provided by a focus group of five people who understood this definition. Analysis indicates that more than 60% of the postings required job-specific experience and construction knowledge, while about half of the postings required the soft skills of leadership and communication. These insights contribute to the workforce development and construction management bodies of knowledge by explicitly documenting the skills and experience required for success in this rarely discussed role. Based on these findings, construction organizations can self-assess whether they are seeking appropriate skills when advertising FLS positions. Educators can also use these findings to ensure their offerings yield marketability as an FLS.