Empathy urged in civil works
A new study has found a link between empathy and the success of complex civil engineering projects.
The study looks at how a human-centred perspective can improve the delivery of infrastructure initiatives.
In his dissertation, civil engineer Guus Keusters from Delft University of Technology explores the impact of empathic abilities on project outcomes across cost, time, quality, safety, and stakeholder satisfaction.
After 30 years in the field, Keusters says he was driven to research “why so many projects fail, despite best efforts”.
“It turned out to me that, time and again, people are the key to success: connecting, listening, and knowing each other’s interests,” he said.
Civil infrastructure projects – from bridge upgrades to urban tunnels and climate-resilient water systems – are becoming increasingly complex.
This is due to a range of interrelated factors: rapid urbanisation, the rehabilitation of ageing infrastructure, and mounting sustainability demands such as climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation.
These projects now require the integration of multiple disciplines, government agencies, and community voices. But as Keusters’ research found, traditional engineering skillsets are falling short in this new environment.
“Empathy is an important competence,” he says.
“And it is precisely on this that they [civil engineers] do not score high, even lower than average.”
Using a combination of interviews, case studies, and empathy testing across project teams, Keusters established a strong correlation between high empathy levels and project success.
Teams with more empathic individuals were better able to integrate diverse perspectives, manage interfaces between disciplines, and avoid costly misalignments or redesigns.
“Within our sector, this outcome was sometimes confrontational, but it also felt logical and recognisable. We have to do something with this,” Keusters said.
His study makes three key recommendations:
- Increase gender diversity: “More gender diversity is going to help us make the industry more empathic,” Keusters argues, noting that women tend to score higher on empathic traits, especially affective empathy
- Train for empathy: Empathy can be developed through training, particularly by teaching managers and engineers how to listen actively and withhold judgement during collaborative processes
- Reform education: Engineering curricula should incorporate collaboration and integration skills, preparing graduates to operate in dynamic, stakeholder-rich environments
While empathy has been seen as peripheral in engineering, Keusters’ research positions it as a core driver of performance.
With infrastructure delivery under increasing scrutiny – and megaprojects facing rising costs and delays globally – the message is timely.
“Empathy stimulates collaboration, trust, and openness,” he writes.
“It can help us succeed better in achieving our goals.”
