CHALLENGES AND IMPERATIVES OF SKILL SPECIALIZATION BY THE REGISTERED QUANTITY SURVEYOR

A paper presented at the 2013 Annual Conference of Registered Quantity Surveyors on 26-‐27 September 2013 at Reiz Continental Hotel Abuja by Olorunfemi Balogun DipProjMan(RICS),

MBA Construction (Reading), MBA Tech Mgt., FNIQS, RQS.

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CHALLENGES AND IMPERATIVES OF SKILL SPECIALIZATION BY THE REGISTERED QUANTITY SURVEYOR

Olorunfemi Balogun DipProjMan(RICS), MBA Construction (Reading), MBA Tech Mgt., FNIQS, RQS Abstract Skill specialization by the registered Quantity Surveyor has been examined generally through the historical perspective of specialization in the economic theories and specifically in the built environment professions. Using the specialization maturity model hand-‐in-‐hand with the plan, plot and ploy strategy, the challenges and imperatives of skill specialization are identified and recommendations are proffered for a guided and value-‐driven skill specialization initiative in the quantity surveying profession in Nigeria. Keywords: skill specialization, quantity surveying, cost management, craftsmanship, professional practice, strategy. Introduction The discussions and debates on generalist-‐specialist dichotomy are very old and could be traced to Adam Smith, the political economist, who published his magnum opus The Wealth of Nations in the 18th century. The increasing need to satisfy the demands of the industrial revolution puts a lot of pressure on the ability and efficiency of artisans to deliver the much needed resource inputs. The observations and the experiments of Adam Smith became the foundation of the economic theory of division of labour both at the micro level as seen in individual firms and at the macro level as seen in the theory of comparative advantage in international trade and competition. Somewhere along the continuum of the micro and macro are the operations of the multinational companies that seek to maximize profit in the context of efficiency and effectiveness in their global operations by specializing operations and products in countries with specific capacities and identifiable advantages. Of recent however, the built environment professions, albeit with individual pace and conviction, are taking cursory looks at the relevance of the generalist-‐specialist dichotomy and how it affects the efficiency and effectiveness of the practitioner. For example in the architecture profession, landscape architecture has been carved out as a distinct and specialist area of mainstream architecture and it has developed a distinct and recognizable structure based on the generalist-‐specialist conundrum. And of recent, mainstream architecture seems to spin interior architecture off as a distinct and gradually independent specialization (UoW, 2013). Though arguable, another area of specialization in architecture is urban planning. If architecture that operates only on building related physical infrastructure is embracing specializations, it is therefore a surprise that quantity surveying, which seeks to operate in all building and engineering infrastructure, is still very undecided on the route to specialization.



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Like architecture, the civil engineering profession has recognized and established the need to specialize in the various branches of the civil engineering profession by recognizing the key specialist areas of structure, highways and transportation, water resources and, environmental engineering. Each of these specializations has developed established and independent curriculum and clear and definitive areas of practice and research focus. The quantity surveying profession appears to be lagging behind in discussing specialization probably because it has spent a greater part of its existence in struggling to be recognized to practice the total cost management of all construction and engineering projects (Bowen, 2009). The quantity surveying profession in Nigeria therefore appears to perceive, as it seems, that any idea of specialization could deal a negative blow on the critical efforts of the profession at being recognized for total cost management. Whether this mindset is right or wrong is arguable and this paper will seek to examine this position based on the specialization maturity model laced with other concepts. The Nature of the Quantity Surveying Profession The quantity surveying profession has been defined as, “the practice of the art of engineering science using in-‐depth knowledge… to ascertain the costs of construction…. e.g. building, engineering and infrastructure projects” (NIQS, 2011, p.21). Within this definition is the latent intention to appropriate all cost management functions of the construction, engineering and infrastructure projects delivery into the profession of quantity surveying. In accordance with the popular saying that money is the lifeblood of any business, cost management could therefore be seen as the heart of any project delivery. No wonder therefore that the competition for the recognition of who is most fitting and qualified of all the built environment professionals to take over the cost management function is a very fierce one. It appears to have therefore resulted into the balkanization of the cost management functions along building, highway, mechanical, electrical, process engineering, etc., with the Quantity Surveyor holding a tight grip only in the building specialization while the Engineers dominate all the other engineering specializations. This wide division is made clear if one considers the various forms of contract. Lets examine two of these contracts as a taster. The JCT Contracts understandably recognize the Quantity Surveyor for the cost management functions in building projects (JCT, 2011). Particular sections that deal with cost management are sections 4 and 5, which relate to payments and variations. If one looks at the Federal Ministry of Works adaptation of JCT 1963 then, clauses 13 and 30 would be the relevant clauses. However, the new public procurement system in Nigeria (PPA, 2007), which derives its origin from contract conditions of the multilateral financial institutions of the Bretton Woods conference, clearly recognizes only the Engineer for the cost management function of all Government works procurement. There is therefore no mention of the Quantity Surveyor anywhere in the PPA 2007 document. As PPA 2007 is now a law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, its status presents enormous challenge to the operation of the Quantity Surveyor as total cost manager unless it is amended.



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The Quantity Surveyors Decree of 1986 now CAP 383 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria has not really helped matters as it has failed in the two critical areas of professional identity: defining who a Quantity Surveyor is and where a Quantity Surveyor should work. These two identity crises are the major challenges of skill specialization by the registered Quantity Surveyor. Some may argue that legislations are not necessary for the professional Quantity Surveyor to operate because clients would engage professionals based on ability to deliver and add value rather than based on legislation. This argument may be plausible, but if one is not allowed to practice in the first place how does one acquire the relevant experience that will put one in good stead? It goes back therefore to the riddle of the chicken and the egg. Which one comes first? For instance, Etteh Aro and Partners designed the multi-‐billion naira ten-‐lane expressways from Zuba to Abuja; does anybody know who the Quantity Surveyor is? If a Quantity Surveyor is not involved then one wonders about the opportunities for experience that is being lost on the quantity surveying profession on the one hand and the ability of the project to benefit from appropriate cost management competencies of the Quantity Surveyor on the other. The Practice Environment of the Quantity Surveying Profession Hostile/Conducive Environment The practice environment of the quantity surveying profession in Nigeria is therefore characterized by hostile competition, identity crisis, lack of political muzzle and a failure to develop recognizable body of knowledge. Although much effort has been expended by the present and preceding administrations of both the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) and the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN), much of these efforts appear rather reactive than proactive. We tend to react to the strategic plans of our competitors rather than putting our competitors on the run through our strategic thinking. I am eternally grateful to Sun Tzu who provides the 10 principles for competitive success, ”Learn to fight; Show the way; Do it right; Know the facts; Expect the worst; Seize the day; Burn the bridges; Do it better; Pull together and; Keep them guessing” (Krause, 1996, p.7). Otherwise, where were the Quantity Surveyors when the Public Procurement Act 2007 was being prepared? Even the little known purchasers and suppliers made representations and were recognized accordingly in the Act. To successfully specialize in a hostile and highly competitive environment will require a deliberate strategy. The Plan, Plot and Ploy Strategy Our strategy should be, as opines by Mintzberg (1994), a deliberate plan, plot and ploy towards achieving predetermined objectives in the future. Figure 1 is a plan, plot and ploy strategy while Figure 2 is indicative of how the smart Quantity Surveyor should strategize to prevent being swallowed up. We should be able to foresee what will happen in the next five or ten or twenty years from now and then create a drama for such future, set the stage and control the actors, if we are to become relevant.



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To have a plan is to identify what and where we want to be professionally in the future in the form of a blueprint document. It shows our vision on professional competence, leadership, ethics and training for the advancement of the profession. Luckily the NIQS has recently updated its Strategic Action Plan document as a compass for the future. I commend the present administration for this singular act but, for value to be acquired, the successive administrations must appraise it and use it as a benchmark and guiding light for development. A plot has the trappings of a military action without necessarily using force. The more reason why the military calls it coup plotting. Nigeria has had its own fair share of it but this paper is advocating professional plot instead. In the professional context for quantity surveying, a plot involves getting more Quantity Surveyors into Government positions as Local Government Chairmen, Commissioners, Ministers, Senior Special Advisers, Senators, Governors, and even President so that we can influence Government policy makers and make them sympathetic to our course as registered Quantity Surveyors (El-‐Rufai, 2012). NIQS should do this as a deliberate action through an informal system that consciously seeks and supports interested registered Quantity Surveyors for political offices. Luckily, the incoming President of NIQS is a highly respected politician that we can place our trust upon. It is not adequate to be professionally sound; you need to be politically expedient too “because politics trumps everything” (El-‐Rufai, 2012, p.3). The third leg of my proposed strategy is a ploy. It is an act of maneuvering which wise animals have been using to survive the attack of predators over thousands of years in the wild. You can be very busy working on competitive issues while giving your competitors the impression that you are doing nothing. You are busy working hard on your strategy while your competitors think that you are sleeping. Once you are through with what you are doing, you release the result with a bang and it will be too late for competitors to respond. In the context of specialization in quantity surveying, it could mean that NIQS and QSRBN commence work on the body of knowledge for the various specializations and keeping it as close secrets to be released only when interested members have been fully trained and ready to exploit the market. Professional intelligence is an act of ploy because it enables us to know our competitors inside-‐out so we can strike at the weakest point at the right time (Figure 2) The present state of affairs for the registered Quantity Surveyor appears to be a very long haul. The chasm between our potentials as professional cost managers and the space we are presently allowed to operate-‐in is very wide and calls for concern from every Quantity Surveyor.



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FIGURE 1: PLAN, PLOT AND PLOY STRATEGY. After (Mintzberg, 1994)

FIGURE 2: THE SMART QS FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL. (Facebook, Author Unknown)

Plan

Plot

STRATEGY

Ploy



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Areas of Specialization There are no agreed areas of specializations in the quantity surveying profession to date however, RICS (2013b) asks candidates for its assessment of professional competence in quantity surveying to specialize in one of the areas indicated in Figure 3. Recent preliminary report by the NIQS Professional Development Committee on Quantity Surveying Academy had also proposed the specializations shown in Figure 4. It therefore appears that more areas of specialization in quantity surveying may become emergent in the foreseeable future depending on the business climate and the ability to create niche markets. For instance, the ability to act as fund providers and project initiators, which is currently being dominated by Accountants, Bankers and Economists, is another area of specialization waiting for registered Quantity Surveyors to embrace.

FIGURE 3: RICS ACCEPTED QUANTITY SURVEYING SPECIALIZATIONS (RICS, 2013b)

QUANTITY SURVEYING

BUILDING

CIVIL ENGINEERING

RAILWAYS

PETRO-‐CHEMICALS

OIL/GAS INSTALLATIONS

MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL

INSTALLATIONS



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FIGURE 4: NIQS PD&L COMMITTEE PROPOSED QUANTITY SURVEYING SPECIALIZATIONS Professional Craftsmanship Mills (1959) discusses the issue of professional craftsmanship albeit from the point of intellectual craftsmanship. He opines that craftsmanship is related to excellence in skill acquired over a very long period of practice as against the application of only abstract principles. The quantity surveying profession could therefore be said to be a craft if seen from the categorization of the levels of competence recognized by the different professional bodies. RICS (2013a, p.6) recognizes three levels to professional competence: “ level 1 -‐ knowledge and understanding, level 2 -‐ application of knowledge and understanding, and level 3 -‐ reasoned advice and/or technical knowledge”. The three levels therefore complete the professional training of a Quantity Surveyor but it is believed that the ability to operate at the third level (reasoned professional advice) could be equated to professional craftsmanship.

QUANTITY SURVEYING

Building Works

Project Management and Dispute Resolution

M&E Engineering Services

Civil Engineering Works

Oil and Gas Installations



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The tools of professional craftsmanship are not in the codes, guidelines and other forms of explicit knowledge. It is predominantly tacit in form and nature and consequently resides in the head of the professional craftsman (Polanyi, 1966; Mann 1998). This perhaps makes it very difficult to replicate. At the same time it presents a challenge to developing those skills by people who do not have the opportunity to study the art/practice under a professional craftsman or who have not practiced it long enough to have developed to the level of professionalism and craftsmanship through the method of “experiential learning” (Kolb, 1976; Mann, 1998; Nonaka and Takeuchi, 2005). Until recently when a few Quantity Surveyors were involved in oil and gas projects, the Engineers have predominantly developed the body of knowledge of cost management in the oil and gas sector. This presents a formidable challenge to the intent of the Quantity Surveyor in developing professional craftsmanship in oil and gas as a specialization. This appears to be a typical scenario in all aspects of cost management of engineering projects outside building. Imperatives of Specialization Professional craftsmanship is buoyed by specialization (Mills, 1995) as professionals seek to concentrate on an identified and established module within the total professional discipline. And as Adam Smith opines in The Wealth of Nations, specialization brings about excellence because dissipated energy and resources are now concentrated on a specifically carved out area of operation. With a field as broad as quantity surveying, it appears that skill specialization could offer a potent way of bringing about professional craftsmanship in cost management. This could be achieved through the ability to develop proficiency in the specialized cost management practice and through deepening of knowledge and the development of flexibility in carrying out innovation in practice. It could also present a competitive advantage to the Quantity Surveyor in the significantly unregulated environment of the Nigerian construction industry. Challenges to Specialization From the foregoing, the challenges to skill specialization in the cost management profession could be seen in two folds: enabling environment and the development of specialized body of knowledge. The operating environment for cost management in Nigeria appears to be hostile to the Quantity Surveyor because the enabling laws are skewed against the Quantity Surveyor particularly in the other engineering specializations (PPA, 2007). Secondly, there appears to be heavy bouts of lethargy on the zeal of the Nigerian Quantity Surveyor towards the development of body of knowledge for the profession in general and for each specialized skill specifically. The absence of a well researched body of knowledge could perhaps be responsible for the inability of the Quantity Surveyors Decree of 1986 now CAP 383 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria to be able to give an identity to the Quantity Surveyor. A profession without a body of knowledge is only behaving like a dinosaur and its end is just a matter of time.



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Specialization Maturity Model Figure 4 is a model that seeks to determine when a skill specialization is matured and ready to spin off from the main profession as a product in its own right. It borrows from the process maturity model and is characterized by three concurrent stages: Initial Stage, Defined Stage and Optimized Stage.

FIG 4: SPECIALIZATION MATURITY MODEL. After (Process Maturity Model of Vetch Solutions India Private Limited. Retrieved 20 September 2013 from http://vetchsolutions.com/compliance1.html) Initial Stage At the initial stage, specializations are unpredictable, reactive and poorly organized. Most of the things done are by trial and error and practitioners do exclaim once a while, “Oh, I just did that and it appears to be appreciated by the client as been done well. Perhaps, I should do this type of thing more often”. The practitioner is gradually recognizing that he has the potential to excel in a latent competency but the problem is that there is no structure and well grounded body of knowledge to follow. This challenge therefore makes it a one-‐off activity with its attendant problems of lack of continuity and inability to build a repository of knowledge. Practice therefore becomes adhocracy, very unreliable and unmarketable. Skill specialization in quantity surveying presently in Nigeria appears to be at the top end of this stage

Initial Stage

Delined Stage

Optimized Stage



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Defined Stage When more than a few professionals begin to recognize their competency in a latent specialization, it therefore becomes the profession’s flavor of the moment. Gradually, it builds up momentum until a critical mass is achieved. This position sets the stage for the professional body like NIQS to begin to put the body of knowledge into a repository. The lower end of this stage involves unfocused research, forum meetings and discussions and, business comments from potential clients. The top end of this stage involves focused research, organized focused workshops, roundtable forms and the setting up of a special purpose committee to synthesize the available knowledge into a repository. This appears to be the next stage for the quantity surveying profession in Nigeria even though some of its competitors are already well advanced into this stage. Optimized Stage At the optimized stage, the body of knowledge is published, workshops are organized for the members who would like to specialize in the area of practice, practice and ethical issues are streamlined and, a framework for continuous improvement and innovation is established. Finally, the professional body engages in marketing the specialization to the public. Neither the quantity surveying profession nor its competitors in Nigeria are yet at this stage. This lack of presence is tantamount to the lack of professional craftsmanship in most areas of cost management of engineering projects in Nigeria. Conclusion and Recommendations The generalist-‐specialist dichotomy, which has been proved to be a business issue, has shaped economic decisions over the centuries. Professions generally and the quantity surveying profession in particular are looking at ways of driving value into practice and improving the employability of its members through skill specialization. Evidences show that these aim and objectives could be achieved provided that the challenges are identified and addressed in a structured way. The plan, plot and ploy strategy could be employed as a deliberate strategy that could ensure the achievement of the stated aim and objectives. The specialization maturity model is provided as a veritable framework to guide this process to a successful completion for the quantity surveying profession. It is recommended that specializations should be fully embraced in the quantity surveying profession as it enhances professional competence and offers avenues for NIQS and QSRBN to provide new opportunities for registered Quantity Surveyors. For specialization to be sustainable, the plan, plot and ploy strategy is further recommended whereby the NIQS Strategic Action Plan should be a live document and concerted effort should be made to encourage registered Quantity Surveyors to join politics and occupy positions in Government where the interest of the profession could be protected. It is further recommended that a framework should be put in place jointly by NIQS and QSRBN to continuously



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scan the external environment towards developing new specializations in response to the market needs. For example, new frontiers and opportunities in public private partnerships are awaiting Fund Managers and Project Promoters and these are areas in which the Quantity Surveyor has basic competencies. References Bowen, B. (2009). The Quantity Surveyor: Missing in Action in the USA. Proceedings of the Third International Congress on Construction History, Cottbus, May El-‐Rufai, N. (2012). The Professional and Politics: Myth, Misnomer and Musts. A paper presented at the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors Mandatory Leadership Development Programme Seminar. Abuja: NIQS JCT. (2011). Standard Building Contract With Quantities 2011. London: The Joint Contracts Tribunal Limited Kolb, D. (1976). Management and the Learning Process. California Management Review. XVIII, 3, 21-‐31

Krause, D. G. (1996). Sun Tzu The Art of War for Executives. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Mann, P. (1998). Trust to Your Tacit Knowledge. Times Higher Education Supplement. Research, VII, 17 April.

Mills, C. W. (1959). On Intellectual Craftsmanship: Appendix to the Sociological Imagination. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 22 September 2013 from http://archivingthecity.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/mills_on_intellctual_craftmanship.pdf Mintzberg, H. (1994). The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning. London: Prentice-‐Hall. NIQS. (2011). The Constitution of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors 2011 as Amended. Abuja: Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors Nonaka, I & Takeuchi, H. (2005). The knowledge Creating Company. New York: OUP. Polanyi, M. (1966). The Tacit Dimension, Reprinted, Gloucester, Mass: Peter Smith. RICS. (2013a). 2006 Assessment of Professional Competence Requirements and Competencies. Version4/July. Retrieved 20 September 2013 from http://www.rics.org/Global/APC%20requirements%20and%20competencies%20guide.pdf



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RICS. (2013b). Quantity Surveying and Construction Pathway: Assessment of Professional Competence. London: Royal Institution of Quantity Surveyors. Retrieved 20 September 2013 from http://www.rics.org/ng/join/pathway-‐guides/construction-‐pathway-‐guides/quantity-‐surveying-‐and-‐construction/ UoW. (2013). Postgraduate courses in Architecture: University of Westminster. Retrieved 20 September 2013 from http://www.westminster.ac.uk/courses/subjects/architecture-‐and-‐interiors/postgraduate-‐courses

CHALLENGES AND IMPERATIVES OF SKILL SPECIALIZATION BY THE REGISTERED QUANTITY SURVEYOR

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