5 minute read
From Saudi Arabia to running a Finnish construction company – One woman’s story
Katariina Komulainen is in a unique position as the Managing Director of a large construction company. The male-dominated industry has long rooted stigmas with female leaders. We asked Katariina to give her insight on the experience of leading in a time of change, paving the way for future female leaders.
How did a young woman, such as yourself, end up as the head of a construction company?
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It was a sequence of fortunate events. I moved from Saudi Arabia - where I had worked as an entrepreneur in the software industry – back to Finland, where my networks brought me to where I sit today. Before this, I used to work in the oil and gas industry in Czechia, and did some marketing and recruitment in the Baltics. I was born to a construction oriented entrepreneur family, so entrepreneurship and leadership has always come naturally to me. The “sisu” and tenacity I got as a birth gift help handle the constant problems the construction industry comes with. In the end, the move to the construction industry seemed very natural.
Have you faced challenges based on stereotypes, and how have you solved them?
Clearly, there are strong stigmas against young female leaders in particular – especially in relation to competence. I too have encountered the assumption that as a woman I cannot automatically know or understand certain things. In the role of the underdog, there is a daily struggle against these stigmas. The best way to combat prejudice is to let your work speak for itself. Of course, there are also positive stereotypes, such as women’s ethics and responsibility as business leaders.
How do we support women aspiring to become leaders in the construction industry?
If no one gets angry, nothing changes. This industry is not for everyone, regardless of gender. You must be able to anticipate, communicate and manage risks very well. An entrepreneurial background and clear role models help to cope with challenges and manage the pressure of management positions. My entrepreneurial family taught me to spot even exceptional solutions, and the ability to solve problems is the most useful skill in the industry.
Traditional work is in a stage of revolution.
What challenges will future work methods bring to the construction industry?
The construction industry is in transition due to work practices, legislation and technological development. My own work is built around these changes and challenges. Legislation is slow to wake up to new, trendy working methods, and the general atmosphere in the construction industry does not encourage entrepreneurship or innovative working methods. There are many reasons for this, but changes in attitude must happen quickly so we don’t fall behind the rest of the world.
How can we prepare for future working methods in the construction industry?
New ways of working do not loom in the future, they are here today. Have you seized the opportunities and utilized them in your business? Get information and talk to your workers, and you will understand the trends and their effects. The world changes, and habits change. If you cannot keep up with the trends, you will notice your company’s competitiveness decrease. For example, against most expectations, artificial intelligence offers interesting new options even for the construction industry.
How do you take future working methods into account in your leadership?
As a leader, I try to encourage innovation and resource efficiency. In the construction industry, innovation is not considered a prerequisite, but ingenuity contributes to competitiveness. Combined with smart resource utilization, out-of-the-box thinking maximizes effectiveness, and in the end, profitability. Focus and the freedom to work on your own terms shine through in my leadership. |
Work culture is changing: violations, flexibility and traditional entrepreneurship
Afew years ago, a takeover by light entrepreneurs took place at construction sites. Now light entrepreneurship is prohibited in accordance with the recommendation of the Construction Association. The ban aims to prevent hidden human trafficking and the evasion of employer obligations. Foreign workers were left in a particularly vulnerable position as light entrepreneurs.
The desire to work more freely and internationally has clearly grown. The rush of light entrepreneurs into construction sites explains this phenomenon well. A certain kind of anti-bureaucracy mind set seems to drive the change. It has already become clear in legal practice that light entrepreneurship is not a marker of being an entrepreneur in the construction industry, and the upcoming change to the Employment Contracts Act will enhance the concept of the employment markers to clarify misconceptions.
THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY is currently coughing for economic reasons, and the allergy to light entrepreneurship has been confirmed. As a result, the number of new sole traders grows, as the same invoicing services have packaged their old service into a new outfit. This new business model is offered as a solution to the light entrepreneurs who got kicked out of sites, and don’t really understand why – little do they know, they are stepping from one problem into another. The construction industry is blind-folded, and the risk profile of these so-called entrepreneurs is not yet understood.
The situation has put classic Finnish entrepreneurship in a disadvantageous position. Construction companies have been pressured to choose only traditionally employed workers, and entrepreneurs are seen as a threat in a state of ambiguity. Fortunately, there are, too, still operators who value entrepreneurship – hopefully soon a lot more. |
Euro Work is a reliable and financially stable member-owned cooperative in the construction industry since 2007. As a cooperative entrepreneur, you practice entrepreneurship more safely among your peers, but on your own terms. The cooperative focuses on ensuring stability for your work and management of the legal obligations where you focus on your own work, grow as a professional and practice entrepreneurship with less risk.
Read more at eurowork.fi/en
