Managing Engineering Talent in Organizations: A Qualitative Systematic Literature Review on Engineering Talent Management

Swetha Nittala; Brent K. Jesiek

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Conference: 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Publication Date: June 23, 2018
Start Date: June 23, 2018
End Date: July 27, 2018
Conference Session: Career Development for Engineering Professionals
Tagged Division: Continuing Professional Development
Page Count: 13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--30785
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/30785
Download Count: 1175

Paper Authors

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Swetha Nittala Purdue University, West Lafayette (School of Engineering Education)

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Swetha is currently a PhD student in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue. Her current work includes identifying and developing leadership and technical competencies for early career engineers and managers. She integrates her research in Engineering Education with prior background in Human Resource Management and Engineering to understand better ways to manage technical talent in organizations.

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biography

Brent K. Jesiek Purdue University, West Lafayette (College of Engineering)

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Dr. Brent K. Jesiek is an Associate Professor in the Schools of Engineering Education and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. He also leads the Global Engineering Education Collaboratory (GEEC) research group, and is the recipient of an NSF CAREER award to study boundary-spanning roles and competencies among early career engineers. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Tech and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Science and Technology Studies (STS) from Virginia Tech. Dr. Jesiek draws on expertise from engineering, computing, and the social sciences to advance understanding of geographic, disciplinary, and historical variations in engineering education and practice.

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Abstract

It is widely accepted that the engineers employed by many companies are an invaluable resource, and that effective management and development of this human resource can enhance a company’s vitality and competitive position. Nonetheless, one of the key challenges for many technical organizations today is the effective management of their engineering resources. It could be argued that talent management emerged as a field to address challenges associated with talent management in general, and that much of the research on talent management is not focused on any specific kind of talent. Yet there is evidence to suggest that the strategies and processes associated with managing and developing engineers are significantly different from managing other types of talent, and very little scholarly research has addressed the specific issues involved with managing engineering talent. As engineering educators, we need to build a framework to better understand and contribute to the continuous development and learning of engineers in the workplace. The goal of the paper is to provide a holistic understanding of previous research on talent management for engineers. In this context, we aim to synthesize the existing literature on talent management to address two basic questions: 1) what specific strategies have been proposed regarding talent management for engineers?, and 2) what challenges associated with managing engineering talent have been identified as most prevalent in organizations?. To address the aforementioned questions, a qualitative systematic review was conducted, with 26 total articles selected for analysis. The search was conducted through multiple databases to include literature from both the management and engineering disciplines, identified using the keywords “talent management”, “talent development”, and “engineer”. This paper aims to inform engineering managers, engineering educators, and industry affiliates about current issues, challenges, and strategies associated with managing engineering talent. It could also provide a coherent framework or foundation for further research on developing engineering talent in organizations.

Citation
Format

Nittala, S., & Jesiek, B. K. (2018, June), Managing Engineering Talent in Organizations: A Qualitative Systematic Literature Review on Engineering Talent Management Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--30785

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - It is widely accepted that the engineers employed by many companies are an invaluable resource, and that effective management and development of this human resource can enhance a company’s vitality and competitive position. Nonetheless, one of the key challenges for many technical organizations today is the effective management of their engineering resources. It could be argued that talent management emerged as a field to address challenges associated with talent management in general, and that much of the research on talent management is not focused on any specific kind of talent. Yet there is evidence to suggest that the strategies and processes associated with managing and developing engineers are significantly different from managing other types of talent, and very little scholarly research has addressed the specific issues involved with managing engineering talent. As engineering educators, we need to build a framework to better understand and contribute to the continuous development and learning of engineers in the workplace. 
The goal of the paper is to provide a holistic understanding of previous research on talent management for engineers. In this context, we aim to synthesize the existing literature on talent management to address two basic questions: 1) what specific strategies have been proposed regarding talent management for engineers?, and 2) what challenges associated with managing engineering talent have been identified as most prevalent in organizations?. 
To address the aforementioned questions, a qualitative systematic review was conducted, with 26 total articles selected for analysis. The search was conducted through multiple databases to include literature from both the management and engineering disciplines, identified using the keywords “talent management”, “talent development”, and “engineer”. This paper aims to inform engineering managers, engineering educators, and industry affiliates about current issues, challenges, and strategies associated with managing engineering talent. It could also provide a coherent framework or foundation for further research on developing engineering talent in organizations.

AU  - Swetha Nittala
AU  - Brent K. Jesiek
CY  - Salt Lake City, Utah
DA  - 2018/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Managing Engineering Talent in Organizations: A Qualitative Systematic Literature Review on Engineering Talent Management
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/30785
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--30785
ER  -