Engineering Organizations Research Articles

“Can’t Remember What I Forgot:” Investigating Organizational Forgetting Within a Project-Based Organization

This article is based on the study of an engineering organization that is experiencing major difficulties on its first new project in 10 years. It contributes to the literature on organizational forgetting in project-based organizations, examining how this phenomenon can be perceived and assessed. The analysis of the data provides a better understanding of the conditions under which a situation of accidental forgetting can be (mis)identified. The case reveals that, due to five sources of ambiguity linked to the identification process—latency, novelty, multiplicity, complexity, and credibility—the forgetting phenomenon may be underestimated or the subject of contradictory assessments within the organization.

Potential Applications and Ethical Considerations for Artificial Intelligence in Traumatic Brain Injury Management

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems have emerged as promising tools for rapidly identifying patterns in large amounts of healthcare data to help guide clinical decision making, as well as to assist with medical education and the planning of research studies. Accumulating evidence suggests AI techniques may be particularly useful for aiding the diagnosis and clinical management of traumatic brain injury (TBI)—a considerably heterogeneous neurologic condition that can be challenging to detect and treat. However, important methodological and ethical concerns with the use of AI in medicine necessitate close monitoring and regulation of these techniques as advancements continue. The purpose of this narrative review is to provide an overview of common AI techniques in medical research and describe recent studies on the possible clinical applications of AI in the context of TBI. Finally, the review describes the ethical challenges with the use of AI in medicine, as well as guidelines from the White House, the Department of Defense (DOD), the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), and other organizations on the appropriate uses of AI in research.

Use of Focus Groups and Reflexive Thematic Analysis to Uncover the Essential Conditions for UK Built Environment Degree Apprenticeships

ABSTRACT Degree Apprenticeships within UK Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) organizations present a raft of unprecedented opportunities. However, little is understood on precisely how AEC Employer Organizations (EO’s) truly engage with Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) in order to create “meaningful” Built Environment Degree Apprenticeships. Understanding this challenge and minutia of this engagement forms the starting trajectory of this work. To do this, and informed by Boundary Object Theory, an interpretivist approach was used to capture qualitative data from transdisciplinary focus groups – representing domain experts from AEC/HEI sector bodies. Primary data was evaluated using reflexive thematic analysis. An integrated inductive/deductive approach was used to examine nuance, subjectivity, understanding and meaning. Research findings culminate in the form of a thematic map, highlighting four essential conditions to support the delivery of UK AEC DA’s; specifically, the need for: (i) Onboarding, (ii) Structure (iii) Cooperation, and, (iv) Infrastructure. These findings identified that the knowledge needed to support engagement goes beyond existing acknowledged boundaries – ergo, that the corollary impact of these essential conditions require much deeper understanding than first thought. These findings form part of a wider study, the results of which will be reported in later works.

Hydraulic Design Concept of 6.60MLD Water Treatment Plant

Abstract: The design and construction of a 6.6 million liters per day (MLD) water treatment plant (WTP) in Belpada Village, Odisha, aim to meet the increasing water demand while ensuring public health through effective water treatment processes. The plant, which sources raw water from the Tel River, follows a well-structured treatment process that includes aeration, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. This journal outlines the hydraulic design, treatment schemes, and structural components of the WTP. Design calculations, based on CPHEEO standards, are also discussed, focusing on the hydraulic detention times, surface loading, filtration rates, and sludge management techniques.The design of water treatment plants (WTPs) plays a crucial role in delivering safe drinking water, especially in areas with high population density and industrial growth. The 6.6 MLD WTP designed for Belpada Village in Balangir District draws water from Tel River and utilizes a cascade aeration system for the removal of contaminants. This paper discusses the hydraulic and process design, focusing on flow rates, detention times, and surface loading parameters that meet the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organization (CPHEEO) standards.

The impact of diversification on the balance of cash flows of an engineering organization

The impact of diversification on the balance of cash flows of an engineering organization

Challenges and practices of deep learning model reengineering: A case study on computer vision

ContextMany engineering organizations are reimplementing and extending deep neural networks from the research community. We describe this process as deep learning model reengineering. Deep learning model reengineering — reusing, replicating, adapting, and enhancing state-of-the-art deep learning approaches — is challenging for reasons including under-documented reference models, changing requirements, and the cost of implementation and testing.ObjectivePrior work has characterized the challenges of deep learning model development, but as yet we know little about the deep learning model reengineering process and its common challenges. Prior work has examined DL systems from a “product” view, examining defects from projects regardless of the engineers’ purpose. Our study is focused on reengineering activities from a “process” view, and focuses on engineers specifically engaged in the reengineering process.MethodOur goal is to understand the characteristics and challenges of deep learning model reengineering. We conducted a mixed-methods case study of this phenomenon, focusing on the context of computer vision. Our results draw from two data sources: defects reported in open-source reeengineering projects, and interviews conducted with practitioners and the leaders of a reengineering team. From the defect data source, we analyzed 348 defects from 27 open-source deep learning projects. Meanwhile, our reengineering team replicated 7 deep learning models over two years; we interviewed 2 open-source contributors, 4 practitioners, and 6 reengineering team leaders to understand their experiences.ResultsOur results describe how deep learning-based computer vision techniques are reengineered, quantitatively analyze the distribution of defects in this process, and qualitatively discuss challenges and practices. We found that most defects (58%) are reported by re-users, and that reproducibility-related defects tend to be discovered during training (68% of them are). Our analysis shows that most environment defects (88%) are interface defects, and most environment defects (46%) are caused by API defects. We found that training defects have diverse symptoms and root causes. We identified four main challenges in the DL reengineering process: model operationalization, performance debugging, portability of DL operations, and customized data pipeline. Integrating our quantitative and qualitative data, we propose a novel reengineering workflow.ConclusionsOur findings inform several conclusion, including: standardizing model reengineering practices, developing validation tools to support model reengineering, automated support beyond manual model reengineering, and measuring additional unknown aspects of model reengineering.

A model linking financial well-being and burnout in a South African engineering organisation

Orientation: This study investigates a model linking financial well-being (FWB) and burnout of employees in a South African engineering organisation.Research purpose: To investigate how personal financial resources and burnout are interrelated, focussing on the roles of satisfaction with remuneration (SWR), personal financial efficacy (PFE), and financial interference (FI).Motivation for the study: This model could help management, human resources, and employees understand the complex dynamics of these phenomena and reduce burnout by implementing targeted interventions.Research approach/design and method: Purposive sampling (N = 515) was used. Structural equation modelling (SEM) with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural paths were employed.Main findings: The study found that SWR positively impacts positive personal financial well-being (PPFW) and negatively impacts negative personal financial well-being (NPFW). Personal financial efficacy positively affects PPFW and negatively affects NPFW. However, SWR did not significantly impact FI. Negative personal financial well-being strongly contributed to FI, which in turn increased burnout. Contrary to expectations, PPFW did not significantly reduce FI. Additionally, SWR indirectly reduced burnout through NPFW and FI in sequence.Practical/managerial implications: Organisations should ensure competitive and equitable reward and remuneration strategies to enhance employees’ financial well-being and reduce burnout. Financial self-efficacy can be improved through interventions focussing on PFE and integrated financial well-being programmes to mitigate the risk of burnout and its demands on human and organisational resources.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the limited research on financial well-being and burnout, highlighting the importance of fair remuneration and personal financial resources in promoting employee well-being and reducing burnout.

‘I think it's probably one of the most important skills we could ever know’: insights from early-career engineers on the preparedness of undergraduate degrees for the aerospace industry

ABSTRACT Engineering education has evolved significantly in recent years, however, engineering graduates continue to encounter challenges during their transition to the workplace. There is a need to identify graduates’ needs and gather their input regarding engineering education programs to enhance the preparation of engineering students for the workplace. This study examined how early-career engineers perceive their undergraduate engineering programs in preparing them for the workplace. Additionally, it investigated what domains the engineers identify for improvement in engineering programs. In this multiple-case study, we interviewed 26 early-career engineers from seven organisations in the Aerospace and Defense industry across the U.S. We employed open coding to examine their responses and derive common themes. The findings showed that early-career engineers view technical knowledge and skills, persistence, and personal development instilled through their programs as valuable takeaways. However, they also highlighted the need for teaching professional skills, fostering collaboration between different engineering departments, promoting lifelong learning, and enhancing collaboration between academia and industry. The findings highlight areas in which engineering education and organisations can collaborate to better prepare students for the workplace.

Impact of AEC project organizational design on the mental health of project management practitioners (PMPs) in Australia

PurposeDesign of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) project organizations expose project management practitioners (PMPs) to poor mental health due to the influence of project organization designs on project management activities assigned to the PMPs. The AEC project organization design comprises the integration of permanent organization, project organization and external environment layers. In spite of the link between project organization design and mental health, limited studies have examined the impact of permanent organization factors, project organization factors and external environmental factors on mental health management practices. Therefore, this study aims to examine the interactive relationships between permanent organization factors, project organization factors, external environment factors and mental health management indicators.Design/methodology/approachFour organizational theories: institutional theory, agency theory and resource-based theory were integrated to develop a theoretical model guiding the aim of the study. Eighty-two survey data were collected from PMPs in AEC firms in Australia. Structural equation modelling was used to test the relationships between the constructs.FindingsThe study found that mental health management indicators are predicted by the interactive and direct effects of permanent organizational factors, project organizational factors and external environmental factors. The results of the interactive effects of the factors and mental health management indicators revealed that 20 of 26 proposed hypotheses were supported. Based on the established hypotheses, economic factors, technological factors, environmental factors, legal factors and organizational culture positively correlated with mental health management indicators. Likewise, human resources management (HRM), corporate governance, project governance and integrated project delivery (IPD) positively impact mental health management indicators. However, political factors, social factors, knowledge management and project management skills negatively impact mental health management indicators. Moreover, political factors, economic factors, technological factors, environmental factors, legal factors and organizational culture are positively related to corporate governance. Additionally, organizational culture positively impacts corporate governance, project governance and HRM, whereas project governance positively correlated with IPD and knowledge management.Originality/valueThe findings provide guidelines to AEC firms on achieving positive mental health management indicators through concentration on project organization design.

Gender equality in STEMM: the legitimisation of existing inequalities through “resistance talk”

Purpose Despite some recent progress, gender inequality remains a persistent problem in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) organisations. This article seeks to better understand resistance to gender equality (GE) in this context with the aim of shedding light on the workplace-based impediments to equality and unlocking remediation opportunities.Design/methodology/approachThe article draws on in-depth interviews with 20 STEMM leaders to examine how they talk about the problem of gender inequality in the organisations they lead. Because resistance is rarely expressed directly, we adopt an in-depth, granular approach to examining what we call STEMM leaders’ “resistance talk” by decoding expressions of GE resistance that may appear, ostensibly, as something else.FindingsWe found various ideas, arguments and other discursive practices which function to legitimate or justify the status quo. These are both described by leaders in relation to what they are dealing with in their own organisations and expressed themselves. While similar “legitimating discourses” operate in other gender-segregated workplaces, our findings show how they manifest specifically in STEMM contexts.Originality/value Our results provide much-needed granular level evidence of the discursive tactics deployed to legitimate the status quo and obstruct progress toward GE in STEMM. This extends understanding of barriers to GE in STEMM and, importantly, highlights where attention might be directed to both counter resistance and harness potentially changing attitudes to expedite the necessary change required for GE in STEMM.

Decision Making in Engineering Organizations: A Soft Action Research

Decision Making in Engineering Organizations: A Soft Action Research

Reflective learning: a new leadership development framework driving engineering innovation

ABSTRACT Innovation is an organizational learning process that demands a reflexive perspective to take on uncertainties and question deeply held assumptions, propelling leadership and organizational structures forward. Discussions on the relationships between innovation and reflexivity predominantly focus on individuals rather than considering it a shared capability within an organization. This study elucidates the impact of reflexive-learning-based leadership development on promoting collective reflexivity, navigating its implications for organizational leadership and structures in innovation. A reflexive-learning-based leadership development program is a set of collective actions comprising four fundamental steps: acknowledging problems, reassessing assumptions, thinking of alternatives, and developing new perspectives. This study demonstrates its effectiveness in developing collective reflexivity within an engineering organization by repurposing the After-Action Review (AAR) as reflexive learning training. The findings underscore reflexive learning, making leaders exhibit the traits of ambiguity tolerance and interdisciplinary knowledge that favor innovation. This research contributes to an academic framework, opening avenues for future investigations into organizational development from a reflexive perspective and providing a proven managerial practice to improvise an effective solution to overcome those uncertainties in real-world innovations.

Prevention of flash floods in the town of Kokrajhar through efficient drainage network design

Flash floods are common in the town of Kokrajhar in north-eastern Indian state of Assam. Many areas in the town of Kokrajhar are submerged in water almost every year due to floods during rainy season. These floods cause heavy damage to roads, agricultural production and halt the progress of major infrastructural development projects. Hence, prevention of floods has become an important concern in the town of Kokrajhar. This study investigated the causes of floods and offered a solution for their elimination. The investigation showed that inadequate and inefficient network of storm drains was the reason for the flash floods. A new drainage network for the town of Kokrajhar has resulted from studying the shortcomings of the existing network of storm drains. The new network is designed in accordance with the recommendations stated in the “Manual on storm water drainage systems” prepared by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organization in 2019.

Generating, Grading, and Ghosting: How Organizing Experts Shapes Expertise

AbstractExperts increasingly refine their expertise into specialties as they labour in and around organizations. Yet, previous research assumes that experts are organized in the workplace in ways that passively accommodate or mirror pre‐existing specialties and focuses on organizational structures that codify the content of experts’ knowledge as an encroachment. Drawing on a qualitative field study in an aeronautical organization's engineering unit, this paper examines the organizational structures that chart the area of experts’ knowledge, i.e., their specialties. The findings show that organizational structures are generative, defining the contours of existing expertise and catalysing the formation of new ones (generating). However, organizational structures also encode criteria that implicitly rank some forms of expertise over others, thereby reinforcing status hierarchies (grading), and misalignment across organizational structures renders some forms of expertise invisible (ghosting). By showing the active role of organizational structures in shaping expertise rather than simply housing it, this paper contributes to our understanding of expertise development as well as status dynamics and access to resources among experts. Further, the paper reveals how misalignments across multiple organizational structures may impact the management of knowledge and human capital.

Locational Suitability of Paschim Boragaon Landfill Adjacent to Deepor Beel Wetland, Assam

Deepor Beel, situated in the lower Assam region of Brahmaputra Valley, is a significant wetland that holds immense importance and is classified within the biogeographical region of the Burma monsoon forest. The beel acts as a crucial reservoir for storing water in Guwahati, aiding in mitigating the effects of flash flooding. The beel is endowed with luxuriant aquatic flora and fauna and maintains a well-balanced ecosystem. Nevertheless, the presence of the Paschim Boragaon Landfill in close proximity to the beel has raised concerns about the fragility of the biodiversity and ecosystem. The study was conducted to evaluate the appropriateness of placing a waste disposal site near a wetland and also how effectively did the Paschim Boragaon landfill adhere to the criteria specified in the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Central Public Health and Environment Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO). The landfill's establishment has disregarded the prescribed regulations imposed by the relevant governing body, posing a significant threat to the soil, water, and environment. This situation flagrantly violates the Wetland Rules of 2010, leading to detrimental effects on the diverse features and biodiversity of the beel. The landfill's close proximity has directly or indirectly disrupted the beel's heterogeneous characteristics. Hence, an urgent relocation of the entire landfill is imperative to protect the beel and uphold the internationally renowned Ramsar wetland's biodiversity.

ИНЖЕНЕРНО-ТЕХНИЧЕСКОЕ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЕ АПК В ПРОВИНЦИИ ХЭНАНЬ КИТАЙСКОЙ НАРОДНОЙ РЕСПУБЛИКИ

For the successful conduct of agricultural production, a modern system of its engineering and technical support is needed, performing the material equipping of farms with machines, operational materials, providing high-quality technical service, promoting innovations and providing personnel and information support for production. Similar systems in agriculture in developed countries and Russia have a similar structure and set of functions, and their management mechanism is based on market principles and free relationships with business entities. (Research purpose) The research purpose is analyzing the features of the organization of agricultural production and the system of its engineering and technical support in Henan province, identifying the main differences between the analyzed system and foreign analogues, showing the results of its activities and development prospects. (Materials and methods) Applied analytical and excursion methods, used materials from specialized papers, Internet sites and observations during the excursion and visiting the exhibition. (Results and discussion) It was noted that agriculture in Henan is the basic industry, leading in terms of wheat and rice production in the country. In the region, the current level of mechanization of crop production processes does not exceed 72 percent. It was determined that Chinese specialists are solving innovative tasks to further increase the level of mechanization, automation and intellectualization of production, as well as to reach the world's leading positions in the field of "smart agriculture" after 2035. They showed the organization of engineering and technical support for agricultural production in the province on the basis of territorial agricultural clusters, current achievements in the field of unmanned agricultural machinery. (Conclusions) The economic effect of the organization of the engineering and technical support system is to increase the level of mechanization, in the mass distribution of process automation systems, in the introduction of serial samples of unmanned agricultural machinery.

Assessing the components of water governance in Qom province within the framework of sustainable development.

One of the most important issues and challenges for Iran, particularly in hot and arid regions such as Qom province, is the current water crisis. Research has shown that good governance is directly linked to sustainable rural development. Therefore, the present study aims to design a water governance model in rural communities of Qom province to achieve sustainable rural development. The research population comprised 163 water experts from the Agricultural Engineering Organization of Qom province and 130 experts from the Water Organization of Qom province. Based on Cochran's formula and considering the population size, a sample size of 170 individuals was calculated and selected using simple random sampling. A questionnaire was used as the main research tool for data collection, which had been validated and confirmed for its reliability. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (partial least squares method) and confirmatory factor analysis. According to the results, it was determined that in the research model for measuring sustainable development in Qom province, three factors, namely government effectiveness, participation, and technical factors, are recognized as components of sustainable development. Additionally, for measuring the factors influencing water governance, technical, economic, social, institutional, legal, and customary factors are recognized as identified factors. Previous studies have not considered the role of water governance in rural development. This study, however, has placed greater emphasis on the role of water governance in sustainable rural development through a review of various theories and perspectives on this matter.

THE PROBLEM OF RELIABILITY OF GEODESIC NETWORKS

Nowadays, the theory of reliability is widely used in the construction industry, and it is also used in the field of geodesy. By abstracting its position, it can be successfully transferred to systems that, it would seem, are not in a dynamic state. Let's take, for example, the points of the polygonal (leveling) network in the city. It would seem that such a network is in a static state, but over time it undergoes changes, that is, it is in imperceptible dynamics and its reliability gradually decreases.
 Reliability in the broadest sense of the word means the ability of a technical device (system, network) to operate without interruption (failure) for a given period of time under certain conditions. Such a period of time is usually determined by the time of execution of some task, which is carried out by the device or system and is part of the general operational task.
 Currently, the problem of reliability is becoming one of the central problems of engineering and management organization. Ensuring the reliable operation of all system elements is of primary importance.
 The modern interpretation of the term "reliability" in geodesy is associated with Baard's reliability theory, according to which reliability is defined as "the ability of the network to self-monitor against gross errors [1]. One of the indicators of reliability is the minimum amount of gross error that can be detected after statistical analysis of the corrections obtained after equalization. On this path, many difficulties arise, most of which remain unsolved, namely the impossibility of localizing a gross error, quantitative assessment of reliability, methods of designing reliable geodetic networks. The unsatisfactory state of reliability theory limits its practical application, but at the same time, the problem of product reliability is the main one in modern production and its importance is growing all the time. In this regard, there is an acute problem in highlighting new views on solutions to this problem in the field of designing and creating geodetic networks.
 A new scheme for constructing the theory of reliability of geodetic measurements is proposed. Its basis is a probabilistic determination of reliability, a system of tolerances, and methods of localizing gross errors. Reliability is defined as a probabilistic measure of the homogeneity of measurements that have passed control. Quantitative reliability is estimated by three indicators: differential, integral and the minimum gross error. The Neumann-Pearson criterion is recommended for establishing tolerance. This theory makes it possible to design geodetic networks with a given reliability.

The impact of digital technologies on knowledge networks in two engineering organisations.

The management and exploitation of knowledge can contribute to the competitive advantage of an organisation and hence can be a driver of its value. This paper examines knowledge management practices within two engineering organisations with an emphasis on barriers to its effectiveness and the influence of current and anticipated deployment of digital technologies. Two methods were used to gather research data across both organisations by combining a series of semi-structured interviews with a quantitative social network analysis. Examination of the acquired data provided insights into the relationship between the knowledge management culture in both organisations and their adoption of digital tools. Hudson's evolutionary model of safety culture has been modified to describe the culture of knowledge management in an organisation and the acquired data used to locate the two organisations on their knowledge management journey. It is proposed that social networks could be used as an indicator of the stage of evolution of knowledge management in engineering organisations more generally with low network densities and dispersed networks representing higher stages of evolution.

Studying the Role of Workplaces Layout on Employees Health: Sick Building Syndrome

Background and Objectives: Workplace architecture is one of the most important factors influencing employees' health and wellbeing. Therefore, it is necessary to study the role of workplace design on the emergence of various types of health problems among employees. The present research aims to study the prevailing conditions at the case studied workplaces and to identify the role of factors influenced by interior layout (location-ergonomics, lighting, indoor air quality (IAQ), temperature, noise, design style, and cleaning) on the emergence of Sick Building Syndrome among employees.
 Methods: In the present study, three administration buildings (roads and urban development office, construction engineering organization, and airport) in Urmia, Tabriz are investigated as case studies and a total of 226 employees working in these buildings are selected as samples. Then, they are asked to fill out a questionnaire to collect the required data. The reliability of the questionnaire is confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient.
 Results: The findings indicate that despite the advantages of open plan layout for the organization of work environments, it still has many negative consequences such as too much noise and distraction, lack of ergonomics, congestion, reduced privacy, and the lack of personal control of environmental conditions. In general, it is not considered an efficient layout design for the workplace.
 Conclusion: The results indicate that to effectively deal with the emergence of sick building syndrome and provide a healthy work environment, it is necessary to establish a balance between various parts in the workplace layout design including private office space, shared workplace, and/or open plan according to the nature and type of work while taking into account the factors and parameters influenced by the layout design and environmental properties.