Management strategies employed by consulting engineering firms.
Loading...
Date
2012
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
There will always be a need for consulting engineering services in industry. In the engineering
consulting fraternity, employees are the key valuable assets and this study addresses how the
professional employees’ skills can be managed and structured in such a manner that they
contribute efficiently to the daily operation of the consulting engineering firms. The core
business of the consulting engineering firms is to sell or offer engineering or technical
solutions to their clients and this can be successfully recognised by integrating the firm’s
different engineering disciplines into projects teams that are able to implement specific
projects allocated to them. Leaders in these teams are expected to have proficiency to identify
individuals’ skills and talents that can be incorporated into a specific project team. At a
strategic level, firms’ mangers should consider developing skills development plans that takes
into consideration a combination of academic training, professional training and practical
employee training. As soon as a skills development plan is in place, it is easier for it to be
implemented at the operational level under the supervision of team leaders who are
responsible for the continuing professional development of individual team members. The aim
of this study was to determine the various business and technological strategies applied by
consulting engineering firms while tendering and competing for project work in the country.
The consulting engineering industry is highly competitive; managers of these firms must be
properly equipped with both technical and management skills in order that they may survive in
this industry. A probability sample of 44 engineering consultants was drawn from consulting
engineers in two areas of South Africa, namely, North West Province and Eastern Cape
Province, which have a total of 140 consultants. 22% of the respondents offered electrical
engineering services, followed by the civil engineering services that form 16.7% of the
respondents. The structural and mechanical engineering followed at 13.9% and 11.1%
respectively. Chemical engineering and architecture were both at 5.6%. Some of the findings
of this study were that managers of the consulting engineering firms must be equipped with
communication competencies as well as emotional intelligence and self-management
competencies, because, although consultants are highly technically skilled, they lack business
and human skills. Part of the recommendations are that there is a need for the consulting
engineering firm to upload a succinct synopsis of their services on their company websites,
which will help promote the value of their services to their clients.
Description
Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.
Keywords
Consulting engineers--South Africa., Consulting firms--South Africa., Engineering firms--Management., Management--Planning., Theses--Management studies.