By Dean Thompson
In August of 2015, I presented a hypothesis to the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) Board of Directors that a potential constraint to growth and consumer satisfaction in the flooring industry is a serious shortfall in the quantity and quality of installers. Since then, this subject, now referred to as the “installation crisis,” is echoing stronger than ever throughout the industry. The challenge, however, is that while there continues to be much chatter about the issue, there is also much hand-wringing about how to mitigate this problem. I do recognize that some organizations are working hard to train and develop installers but even so, we have yet to address this issue from a true strategic perspective.
As a member of the Floor Covering Leadership Council (FCLC), I repeatedly emphasized that the one issue common to all is installation. FCLC leadership agreed that we must place this issue at the top of our list and have done so. But, putting it at the top of the list is only a start — we must take action.
Challenges to tackling any industry-wide issue are the wide variety of stakeholders, a wide variety of points of view and yes, even many very strong opinions. It has long been my experience that any major issue is best served by first developing a common understanding of the problem, based on comprehensive data generated through extensive research.
The truth of the matter is, we know from repeated research that installation is indeed a serious problem, but beyond that, little work has been done to strategically address this issue. Developing a common understanding is essential if we are to make progress. And, that understanding has to embrace the depth and scope of the issue, including its financial impact now and in the five to 10 years that lie ahead, as well as understanding potential solutions and barriers. Well-developed research is fundamental for drawing conclusions and making inferences based upon sound interpretation and analysis of data that will inform future decisions on this issue.
I’ve learned over the years that we all are impacted by three domains of knowledge: the things we know we know; the things we know we don’t know; and, most importantly, the things we don’t know we don’t know. I believe significant progress will be made on this issue when we are open to realizing there is a lot we don’t know we don’t know about this issue.
As the FCLC leadership team recently reported, a research initiative is now underway through The Blackstone Group, a highly-recommended Chicago-based firm. During the 2017 October RFCI Board of Directors meeting, I again reviewed this topic. I agreed that manufacturers do not play a direct role in the recruiting, training and retention of installers, but since installation does significantly impact their businesses, I emphasized that having a vested interest to ensure this issue is being strategically addressed is important. The RFCI Board of Directors agreed with the FCLC proposal and committed funding for the research.
My hope is that others will follow and agree to a funding sponsorship level when asked to do so. FCLC members are currently in full swing with the fundraising. Funding is being coordinated by Phil Zolan at WFCA who can be contacted at pzolan@wfca.org or 229-220-4974.
Dean Thompson is the president and CEO of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI).