by Site Staff
December 20, 2005
With more than 35 years of experience at one of the leading companies in the construction industry, James Mitnick, senior vice president of Turner Construction Company, has a keen eye for creating the type of partnerships that will bring value to the business. In fact, the purpose of his technology-based learning brainchild, Turner Knowledge Network (TKN), is to create collaboration between all divisions of the company, as well as subcontractors and others who contribute to that company’s success.
The initiative was developed to capture the expertise of hundreds of veteran managers before they reached retirement age, while simultaneously offering recruiting and onboarding benefits to roughly 1,000 new engineers.
TKN is responsible for spreading learning, knowledge and information to more than 40 business units that operate around the globe. Mitnick partnered with numerous vendors to create a competency model for TKN and build a system that was integrated with Turner’s existing development appraisal system. Successful implementation of this complex learning and development entity brought learning, knowledge management and collaboration together in one online solution that is available to users all over the company, at any time, in any location. Any skill gaps that were discovered were filled with learning content.
TKN has eased collaboration and smoothed work-flow processes and procedures company-wide, but it’s greatest impact has been on Turner customers, who’ve been direct beneficiaries of quicker project evaluation and assessment, and exposure to the expertise of qualified professionals around the organization who can more quickly identify safety and building variables and then create solutions to reduce or mitigate them completely. TKN’s extensive web of information is available to subcontractors, owners, architects and all members of the construction industry to promote industry-wide improvements, making it a creative well of learning from which all manner of interested allies can draw benefit.