An Industry/Academia Challenge
By LTG John W. Morris
United States Army, Retired
0
VER the last couple of years, a continuing dia-
logue has been occurring throughout the United States
about "more construction for the money." This is the
result of the work done by The Business Roundtable in
evaluating problems in the construction industry.
Many recommendations from these evaluations relate
to better leadership, safety, scheduling, and manage-
ment. This brings us to the basic question: "Where do
managers come from to oversee today's investment of
billions of dollars in construction?"
There are 325,000 people who manage construction
projects and the majority have learned or are learning
on the job. Many are good solid managers. A basic
concern, however, is the cost paid in mistakes, correct-
ing errors, climbing the steep learning curve, and, to a
lesser degree, from a narrow perspective due to con-
tinued association with a specific type of work, often in
the same location.
Interestingly, there is no shortage of school-trained
business managers. The formal education systems in
the United States and throughout the world have long
produced bachelors and masters of business adminis-
Many CEO's and other top managers of design and con-
tration. This is not the case with construction engineer-
struction firms come from the military ranks. The assign-
ing and management. Prior to 1960, management
ment and promotion system moves young men and wom-
courses relating to engineering and construction were
en from job to job and then into the managerial ranks. The
rare and, conversely, engineers were rarely found in
Engineer Officer's Basic Course at Ft. Belvoir is often the
management.
start of just such a career in construction management.
In the absence of academia as a source, one of the
principal fields for training engineer managers has
been the military. The assignment and promotion
time, our Chief of Engineers' policy was for 95 percent
systems within the military move young men from job
of the Engineer officers to have bachelor degrees and
to job to management. Consequently, he learns-and
one-half to have graduate degrees.
expects to learn-to manage people after on-the-job
In selecting courses for our officers to attend, we
experience. Perhaps this is why so many chief execu-
looked for civil, electrical, and mechanical. We consid-
tives or chief operating officers of large firms come
ered industrial and construction engineering as pe-
from the military.
ripheral and not mainstream types of education. This
concept continued for some years, so the problem was
not only a shortage of educational institutions which
Changes in Academia
provided training in management, but the profession
The situation in education began to change in the
itself was not too concerned about the value of this
mid-1960's. Courses in industrial engineering began to
training.
appear and Stanford University started a construction
Recently, however, changes have begun and today
engineering program and offered a degree. These
60 universities include construction engineering man-
agement courses in their curricula. Of these, 44 have
events were regarded with some curiosity. In the late
1950's I was responsible for the assignments of Engi-
courses at the graduate level; however, most of them
neer officers below the grade of Colonel; and, at that
offer no degree program. Universities offering degrees
582
THE MILITARY ENGINEER, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1986
G-l
Previous Page
