Skills for the 21^st Century: What Constructors Need to Know

Introduction

As the world prepares for the twenty first century, the construction industry can look back and consider its progress. Remarkable advances in management, technology and engineering have let us touch the sky with buildings, harness the power of rivers, tunnel beneath the sea, and bridge the widths of impassable waters. Globally, our built environment bears testimony to the constructor's ability to move people, information, and technology.

Over the last century, the building business in the United States has witnessed a remarkable expansion. Isolated from foreign competitors and fueled by a burgeoning population, the American building business has grown steadily.

According to the National Research Council, "Construction of housing, other buildings, civil works, and the utilities accounts for about 10 percent of the world's total output of goods and services, and well over half of total domestic investment. Buildings and other constructed facilities influence the efficiency of a wide range of economic and social activities, and the productivity of nations." In 1992 the construction business contributed over 3 92 billion dollars to our national income, and provided jobs for over 5.5 million people. Construction in the United States accounts for about twenty five percent of the world's total construction activity. (National Research Council, 1988)

Future Forces

Some of the forces which will drive change over the next decade include: (National Research Council, 1988)

-Globalization: With the passage of NAFTA, and the easing of trade restrictions with the eastern rim, and Europe, construction services, materials and equipment are suddenly a global commodity. This means new markets for American firms, but increased competition here and abroad.

-Management and Finance: Global competition brings increased capacity to the United States construction industry. To stay competitive, managers will continue to flatten organizational structures. To expand into new world markets, companies will realign through joint ventures and acquisitions. Firms with the ability to package and assist with project financing will have a competitive edge in the future.

-Environmental Impacts: Increased awareness of the environment will create demand for remediation services, pollution control equipment and energy conservation. Building products will come under increased scrutiny by regulators. Waste disposal problems mean increased emphasis on waste minimization and recycling. Increasingly, contractors will need an awareness of risk management and environmental liability.

-Technical Forces: Advanced information technology is revolutionizing the construction business. New materials and processes will improve building performance and enhance construction productivity. A diminishing skilled workforce will foster the development of robotics and off site fabrication techniques.

Construction Managers

At the managerial heart of this changing business is the constructor or construction manager. Often called enlightened generalists, today's constructors must have a solid background in building technology, planning, business management, verbal and written communication, and people skills. Given the diverse technical components of building, and the scores of personalities involved, constructors must be knowledgeable technicians, adept problem solvers, and most of all solid communicators.

Construction professionals with this unique blend of knowledge are in high demand. A recent study by the American Institute of Constructors projects that 10,000 construction managers will be needed each year to fill the future management needs of the industry (Dorsey, 1992).

Construction Education

Over the past two decades, construction firms have looked to college level construction management and construction engineering programs to fill this demand. Unfortunately, there is evidence that these programs are having problems keeping up with the change that surrounds us. Limited funding, cumbersome bureaucracies, and accreditation restrictions prevent educational programs from making dramatic shifts. A report on construction education by the Business Roundtable notes: "Many barriers, including faculty strengths and preferences and university structure make changes difficult... Furthermore the desire to acquire or maintain accreditation by the appropriate industry makes sharp shifts in curriculum difficult. Changes will be very difficult to achieve in the short run." (Business Roundtable, 1982).

Given these problems, how can construction education keep up with a rapidly changing world and meet the demand of the industry it serves?

Objectives

One proven technique for achieving future objectives is strategic planning. With effective planning construction educators can forecast future trends and develop new curricula which will meet the needs of the industry. As such, the objectives of this study were:

-To assess the work skills which entry level construction managers will need to manage effectively in the next five to ten years.

-To prioritize those skills in terms of importance.

-To recommend actions, which will help educators, deal with a changing future.

Methodology

For the past thirty years, Delphi studies have been used widely as a forecasting tool. As such, they provide an accurate way of looking at the future. This investigation used a modified Delphi study to predict how these trends will affect what future constructors will need to know.

In its simplest form, the technique uses one on one interviews or questionnaires, which are distributed to individuals who are considered experts in the field. In turn the responses are summarized and organized into another survey instrument, which is again circulated to each of the panel members. The process continues until a consensus is reached. (Linstone, 1978)

Round One Interviews

During round one of this study, a panel of thirty experts was assembled. These panel members, who had significant industry experience, were asked to identify changes within the construction industry in the next five to ten years. Additionally, they were asked to identify the skills, which would be most important to entry level constructors in the next five to ten years. At the end of the interview process, their responses were summarized and the frequency of each response was noted.

A questionnaire was then developed which briefly described each skill noted by the panelists. Panelists were then asked to rank the skills in terms of importance from 1-10. The responses were collected and then analyzed statistically using a computer generated statistics program (SPSS).

Population

Panelists were selected from the "constructor level" membership of the American Institute of Constructors, a construction professional organization. To achieve the constructor level, a member must have a construction degree, seven years of professional experience, and complete a professional profile. Thirty constructors were identified who were associated with a broad range of commercial, industrial, and institutional construction firms.

Generally, these "experts" averaged 20 years of experience with a wide variety of commercial building projects. The size of the panelist's firms ranged from small to large, with an average yearly volume of 120 million dollars. Panelists represented geographically diverse regions of the United States.

How the Experts See the Future

The first round interviews produced a wide range of responses and addressed over twenty different competencies. For the purposes of this study the ten most frequently mentioned competencies were selected for further study. (See Table 1)

Some of the expert's comments were particularly revealing, as indicated in the following:

On Communication:

"Constructors need to know who is lying, and how to dig and scratch to get at the truth"

"I spend two thirds of my time on the phone or writing letters. Good communication is the essence and the future of construction management."

On Business Management:

"Companies are becoming leaner. As compared with two years ago, our business is completing 20 percent more work with half the staff. We need people who can run construction companies more efficiently"

"Entry level people need business sense. They need to know contract law, and how to contribute to the bottom line. Particularly from the office side, construction is more business than technical.

On Leadership:

Construction management is not construction administration. Empower people to teach others leadership by example, and teach leadership at the college level."

On Field Experience:

"We will need people who know how to put work in place. There are few true builders left because everyone has become a construction manager."

"Nobody wants to get their shoes dirty anymore. My biggest need is for good project superintendents, and I see the situation getting worse."

On Technology:

"Builders in the future will need to know more about electrical, mechanical and data processing side of building, including communications and life safety."

"The data superhighway will change the way we do business. Future constructors will need to know the systems that move information electronically."

On Construction Law:

"Future builders will need a thorough understanding of the legal side of things, including AIA contracts, environmental matters, substantial completion, lien laws and bonding."

Round Two Survey

The second round questionnaire listed the ten skills mentioned most frequently during the first round, and asked the panelists to provide a numerical rank for each of the skill in terms of importance. A brief description of each skill, compiled from the comments of the panelists was included. A graphic representation of the results of the first round was attached as structured feedback from the first round interviews. A cover letter summarized the study and encouraged support.