Hernandezgaytan, V H (2022) The reemergence of a geotechnical, special inspection, and construction material testing firm. DEng thesis, Texas A&M University, USA.
Abstract
The following record of study documents the leadership and management efforts to re-vitalize a geotechnical, special inspection, and construction materials testing firm in Southern California. Starting in January 2020, the engineering manager assumed responsibility of a branch with recurring years of poor financial performance and struggling to remain purposeful and viable. A lack of leadership and management created an underperforming team that lacked direction, organization, structure, and accountability. Over the course of two years, performance was turned around. New leadership established guidance and direction. New management provided organization and structure. Management controls aligned employee behavior with organizational goals and objectives and established accountability. As the team began the ascent into the norming stage, a business strategy set a road map to success. A balance score card paired with an operational dashboard established a means to measure strategic progress and to accelerate decision making. Implementing process improvement and lean principles increased operational efficiency and organizational capacity. The development of training programs and investment in human capital set the conditions for long-term stability and success. Two years later, the branch rediscovered its purpose, established viability, and experienced financial success. In the search for future success, the branch continues to reaffirm its purpose and to uphold its viability.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Wolf, C M |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | accountability; materials testing; business strategy; decision making; inspection; investment; leadership; training; employee |
| Index terms: | employee behaviour, program, financial performance, decision-making, documents, business strategy, stability, accountability, process improvement, manager, testing, organizational capacity, materials testing, construction material, inspection, dashboard, efficiency, human capital |
| Subjects: | professional practice, practitioner, liability law, quality assurance, structural engineering, business analysis, building materials, data science, business, decision analysis, sociology, management, economics, performance management, software systems, professional development |
| Topics: | Information Management, Business Strategy, Roles and Professions, Human Resources, Digital Applications, Organizational Design, Engineering Principles, Risk Management, Quality Management, Legal Issues |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here