Managing for the
I
n today’s economic climate, businesses are scrutinising everything they do and making hard decisions about resources, costs and pricing. Most are aiming for a lean business to help them survive during tough times, and that might involve pay restraints, a freeze on recruitment or even restructuring and redundancies. Typically in times of recession and job cuts, those employees who still have a job are asked to take on more, and end up working longer hours or juggling new responsibilities. Such situations invariably increase stress levels, and yet many employers do little to support their highly valued staff through diffi cult times. In fact, it is not unusual for companies to slash their training and development budgets at a time when employees most need help with adjusting to new situations and responsibilities. Against this backdrop, I was surprised and impressed to
learn that the leading building services engineering (BSE) companies had decided that tackling skills shortages and staff development was a priority on their agenda. These companies, convened by the ECA and the Building and Engineering Services Association (B&ES –formerly the HVCA) under the two associations’ Joint Major Contractors’ Group (JMCG), recognised that in order to remain competitive, cope with change and improve performance, the skills needs of the sector required urgent attention. The group decided to focus in particular on management skills. There was general agreement that the BSE sector is suffering from a lack of management capability, which is preventing many companies from competing successfully and from developing as sustainable forward-looking businesses. As a result of this concern, the BSE Higher Skills project
was established. Its primary purpose was to identify and articulate the skills and competencies required for higher management roles in the BSE sector.
Establishing a framework Apart from the identifi ed need to improve managerial skills
66 ECA Today May 2012 About the author
Jeanette Purcell Jeanette Purcell is the founder and managing director of Jeanette Purcell Associates, specialists in leadership and responsible management. As an independent expert familiar with the construction and engineering industries, she was appointed to the BSE Higher Skills Project to ensure complete impartiality. Her background is as a leadership specialist in the areas of education and management. Jeanette has prior experience in designing competency frameworks for industry.
Education expert Jeanette Purcell discusses the fi ndings of research to improve management skills in the building services engineering sector, as part of the BSE Higher Skills Project
future
in the sector, there was also a desire to provide clearer career and progression paths to senior management roles. It was understood that more clarity across the industry about management jobs, functions and performance standards would help to attract and retain talent, as well as to encourage career progression. Contracting companies, therefore, supported the proposal to develop a management skills framework that would set industry standards for best practice in BSE management. A credible framework, endorsed by major contractors, would also: Provide a tool for the recruitment, development, performance management, appraisal and retention of management talent in the industry;
Contribute to improved productivity and profi tability in the BSE sector;
Contribute to the drive for professionalism in the industry; and
Support and strengthen the associations’ communications with government and other infl uential bodies on issues relating to sector skills. It was agreed that, although the framework might ultimately lead to the development of industry-specifi c qualifi cations, that should not be the initial intention of the project. The fi rst step, and the aim of the project, was to identify and articulate what managers do and what competences they need to be effective, both now and in the future.
The first phase of the project took place during the last quarter of 2011. It involved a consultation exercise with representatives of some of the major companies in the sector. Consultation interviews followed a consistent format and were designed to gather information about organisational structures, management roles and skills requirements. Those participating in the consultation were also invited to comment on some of the issues surrounding the recruitment, training and development of managers in the sector.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72