Wu W, I R (2013) Impacts of BIM on talent acquisition in the construction industry. In: Smith, S D and Ahiaga-Dagbui, D D (eds.) Proceedings of 29th Annual ARCOM Conference, 2-4 September 2013, Reading, UK.
Abstract
Building information modelling (BIM) is rapidly reshaping the construction industry. Profound transformations have taken place in organizational structure and business operation in construction companies when adapting to BIM implementation. During the transition, companies are facing an essential question: how to align intellectual preparation with the challenges and business opportunities associated with BIM and stay competitive in the market? Efficient talent acquisition seems to be among the list of priorities. Use of dedicated BIM job titles and the emergence of the “BIM department” as an independent functional unit in organizations justify the need for a closer scrutiny of the current strategies for talent acquisition in the construction industry. This research investigated the impacts of BIM on key aspects of talent acquisition, including: identifying (gap analysis of talent shortage and needs), profiling (job description), qualifying (job requirements), sourcing (intellectual pool), recruiting (candidate screening and interviews) and retention/management. Conclusions were drawn from the data gathered via an online survey. The survey findings suggest that the construction industry is still at the beginning stage of formulating holistic strategies for BIM talent acquisition, in comparison with a boom in global BIM adoption and market demand for BIM talent. This research has exposed some fundamental issues companies are facing or will face in BIM talent acquisition. It is also intended to initiate critical thinking among the professional community to adapt existing talent acquisition strategies to the BIM context. Last but not least, the research suggests that enhanced collaboration between industry and academia should significantly improve the education, cultivation and acquisition of BIM talent.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building information modelling; talent acquisition; technology innovation; transformation |
| Index terms: | implementation, construction industry, critical thinking, emergence, technology innovation, collaboration, academia, strategy, face, construction company, survey, acquisition, transformation, screening, building information modelling, interview, gap analysis, retention, organizational structure |
| Subjects: | automation and robotics, management, performance measurement, industry analysis, information systems, systems engineering, educational institutions, sociology, specialized education, data collection methods, business, organization, contractual arrangements, psychology |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Procurement, Human Resources, Digital Applications, Education, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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