Less than 1% of major projects achieve their budget, schedule and stated benefits. Only 8.5% succeed on both cost and time. These statistics, drawn from “How Big Things Get Done” reveal a hard truth – most of our most important projects fail to deliver as promised.

The authors, Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner call this the “Iron Law of Megaprojects.” Over budget, over time, under benefits. Again, and again. Their advice? Think slow, act fast. Success starts with careful planning and the right mix of perspectives. This is where diversity of thought becomes critical.

So, what is diversity of thought?

The two major components underpinning diversity of thought in decision-making are:

1. Different perspectives: When a group is involved in brainstorming a solution, there is the potential for members of the group to contribute different perspectives.
2. A willingness to share and listen: The group’s culture is key – are the participants willing to share their ideas openly, and will others actively listen and engage?

Diversity of thinking goes further than including diverse demographics in our teams. Real diversity of thought goes beyond demographics, creating an environment where different perspectives, problem-solving and communication are actively sought and valued throughout a project’s lifecycle.

Why thinking differently matters for infrastructure

Infrastructure underpins economic growth, community wellbeing and environmental resilience. It is for everyone, and the social impact is significant. As a sector, infrastructure excels at assembling technical expertise across a range of disciplines, but this is not the same as diversity of thought.

When everyone approaches challenges the same way, blind spots emerge, outcomes can be diluted, groupthink takes hold and innovation can stall.

By embracing different perspectives, teams are better able to:

• Ask new and better questions.
• Take on board new ideas and opportunities
• Identify hidden risks.
• Explore alternative solutions.

The result of leveraging diversity of thought on our projects? Better, more robust solutions and ideas, reduced risks and more resilient, innovative outcomes that deliver benefits for all.

What we’re hearing from the sector

As the Diversity and Inclusion Partner at Building Nations 2025, Dentons asked the sector how it sees diversity of thought. The feedback was striking:

• 61% believe the infrastructure sector poorly embraces diversity of thought. While the concept is often acknowledged, it is rarely applied in practice.
• 6% said it is not acknowledged at all, with traditional thinking continuing to dominate decision-making.
• While most businesses said they consider diversity of thought when planning or implementing projects, only 13% do so consistently. Nearly half said it’s only considered some of the time, showing awareness exists, but lacks consistency in practice.

In other words, diversity of thought is often talked about but rarely considered in a meaningful way or embedded.

We also asked attendees what they thought had the potential to limit diversity of thought being applied and implemented in the infrastructure sector. Based on responses, three main challenges emerged:

• Time and delivery pressure: Tight budgets and deadlines can push teams toward tried-and-tested methods, leaving little room for fresh thinking.
• Risk aversion: A preference for certainty over experimentation and innovation can discourage new ideas.
• Lack of diverse hiring: Without varied perspectives, assumptions can go unchallenged.

Other barriers include limited scoping and too much consultation. Together, these reinforce a cycle, where projects under pressure lean on past approaches. Resorting to methods previously used limits our ability to adapt and innovate to deliver infrastructure that truly meets the needs of our communities.

Breaking the cycle, a call to action

To move forward, the sector must go beyond simply acknowledging diversity of thought, instead we need to embed it as standard practice. That means:

• Building teams that represent a genuine mix of perspectives.
• Fostering cultures where different voices are encouraged and heard.
• Resisting the reflex to fall back on “what’s always worked” when pressure mounts.

Infrastructure will always be complex. But by making space for diverse thinking, we can deliver projects that are on time on budget, and adaptable, resilient and of lasting value to our communities.

For success, we all must act individually and collectively!

This article was originally published in Issue 38, September 2025 edition of the InfraRead magazine by Infrastructure New Zealand. Click this link to read the magazine.