In the article changes in competencies of engineering staff were presented. The key element of the competencies is metallurgical knowledge. After restructuring process the scale of competencies was widened. Particular changes after restructuring were characterized. Competencies were identified from a broad range of literature and then rated by 101 respondents, managers in terms of importance to jobs of engineers The background for the case study was Human Resources data from ArcelorMittal, Poland

B. Gajdzik

K. SzczepańsKa-Woszczyna

English

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271METALURGIJA 55 (2016) 2, 271-274K. SZCZEPAŃSKA-WOSZCZYNA, B. GAJDZIKCOMPETENCIES OF ENGINEERING STAFF IN STEELWORKS AFTER THEIR RESTRUCTURINGReceived – Primljeno: 2015-03-11Accepted – Prihvaćeno: 2015-10-10Review Paper – Pregledni radISSN 0543-5846METABK 55(2) 271-274 (2016)UDC – UDK 669.18:338.93:313.1:65.011:438=111K. Szczepańska-Woszczyna, The University of  Dąbrowa Górnicza, Faculty of Management, Informatics & Social Sciences, PolandB. Gajdzik, The Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, Faculty of Materials Science and Metallurgy, PolandIn the article changes in competencies of engineering staff were presented. The key element of the competencies is metallurgical knowledge. After restructuring process the scale of competencies was widened. Particular changes after restructuring were characterized. Competencies were identified from a broad range of literature and then rated by 101 respondents, managers in terms of importance to jobs of engineers The background for the case study was Human Resources data from ArcelorMittal, Poland.Key words: steel enterprise, restructuring, engineering staff, knowledge transfer, networkINTRODUCTIONThe sustained competitive advantage of companies derives from the competencies of their human resourc-es. This is increasingly true in organizations where hu-man resources are treated as strategic asset and knowl-edge workers are in majority. An engineering profession is such a field where engineers are required to have competencies that can be strategically employed for the firm’s competitive advantage [1]. The development of individual and organizational competencies has emerged as a consequence of the continuous search for sources of performance and improving performance of employees. Since D. McClleland [2] and R. Boyatzis [3] defined the assumptions of the concept of compe-tencies, their importance as a factor of success and a source of competitive advantage of the organization is still growing and is of interest to both the theory and practice of management. Metallurgy is an industry that requires great precision and professionalism. In this in-dustry, the quality of the final product, in addition to factors such as technology and materials, is significant-ly affected by people employed. Activity of steelworks is largely based on the work of suitably qualified em-ployees and their competencies. Therefore, in the cur-rent conditions of the functioning of companies it is important to pursue the personnel policy based on staff competencies, and to identify specific skills and behav-iours that are actually related to measures of effective-ness in this organization. The following question is ad-dressed: What are the generic competencies that engi-neers require for their work as engineers in the metal-lurgical enterprise? THE CONCEPT OF COMPETENCIES IN THE LITERATURE The concept of competency-based human resources has gone from a new technique to a common practice for 40 years since D. McClelland (1973) first proposed them as a critical differentiator of performance [2]. Compe-tency is defined as an essential, fundamental characteris-tic, which results in effective and/or better fulfillment of professional duties. Professional competency represents the potential, an ability to perform something [3]. An in-dividual set of competencies reflects the capabilities of a person – competencies are identified with qualities of a person who really does a good job. These include mo-tives, personal qualities, skills, the image of oneself or one’s social role, knowledge which a person uses, and a person can be aware of the existence and possession of these qualities or not. The idea of competency can go beyond skills, knowledge and standardized behaviours [3]. Competencies could also be understood as “manag-ing a complex professional situation”, i.e. dealing with a problem that often occurs unexpectedly [4]. In this con-text, dealing with uncertainty, i.e. non-routine activities that require professionals to search for ways to achieve emerging goals [5], is a challenge always present in the daily engineers’ work. Competencies emerge as a need to fulfill spaces of uncertainty, answering the question “What to do when no one says what should be done?” In this regard, competency development becomes a strate-gic issue for organization. It is essential to function ef-fectively in professional life and pursue the objectives assigned to positions, particularly in response to dynamic changes in processes and technologies used [6].COMPETENCIES REQUIRED FOR ENGINEERING WORKIn steelworks, the easiest skilled trade jobs are dis-appearing and the content of jobs already existing is en-272K. SZCZEPAŃSKA-WOSZCZYNA et al.: COMPETENCIES OF ENGINEERING STAFF IN STEELWORKS AFTER THEIR... METALURGIJA 55 (2016) 2, 271-274riched. Consequently, the scope of professional tasks in the case of a large number of positions is significantly extended. A division into blue-collar, low-skilled posi-tions and white-collar ones, usually occupied by people with higher qualifications has become obsolete. A trend noticeable in the industry in the steel sector is multi-skilling. This trend results from shortened production time, shorter production cycles and the need for a com-pany to adapt to changing demand quickly [7]. In the metallurgical industry, changes in the demand for the development of specific skills is observed. Technologi-cal change, including automation and computerised production lines, requires a workforce with increased professional qualifications. In addition to technical competencies in one’s area of specialization i.e. knowl-edge of fundamental principles and theoretical founda-tions of processes, procedures, and equipment, articula-tion of professional thoughts and presenting them at professional forums, and creative thinking skills that become a basis for out of the box solutions for signifi-cant problems [1], non-technical content is becoming essential in engineers’ work, for example, communica-tion, teamwork, personal/ attitudinal skills and attri-butes, problem solving and the ability to learn, attitudes and behaviours that support the project-based work model, social and environmental awareness and ethical principles. The need to enhance workers’ qualifications and competencies in the steel sector has been the sub-ject of research for a number of years in the USA, Eu-rope and also in Poland (by i.a. S. A. Male et al. [8], C. Bodmer et al. [9], Spinks et al. [10], B. Gajdzik [11]; S. Kluska-Nawarecka et al., [12]). The importance of human capital for sustainable future of the steel sector has been emphasised by the main representatives of steel workers’ interests: the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF) and the European Metalworkers’ Fed-eration (EMF). They have highlighted the need to invest in education, training and skills improvement [4]. The capacity to maintain skilled and secure workforce may be the only key to the success of the sector. Engineering competencies that are particularly important include: versatility and flexibility (the ability to go beyond their own narrow specialization areas), independence and problem-solving skills, self-assessment skills and the ability to analyze their own mistakes and those made by co-workers, logical thinking skills and imagination, the ability and courage to make decisions within their com-petence, intrinsic motivation, the ability to work under stress and cope in a crisis situation, as well as job-relat-ed competencies such as the ability to read the docu-mentation, the ability to estimate and price information contained in projects and knowledge of programming basics, as well as practical knowledge of information technology. The optimal profile of engineering compe-tencies should be as follows: openness to new experi-ences, stress management skills, analytical and concep-tual thinking skills at the operational and strategic lev-els, innovation, creativity, project management skills, decision-making skills, working with a multicultural team, the transfer of knowledge, motivating others, a division and supervision of work and evaluation, change management. It is important to seek to improve the quality of products, manage innovation and take care of customer service [13].IDENTIFICATION OF COMPETENCY ITEMSThe purpose of the study was to explore the perceived competencies that are critical in engineers’ work in met-allurgical enterprises. The study was conducted among the managers of top, middle and operational management level in companies related to the metallurgical  industry operating in the Province of Silesia (Poland). The re-search was conducted by means of a direct survey. The instrument of data collection was questionnaires. The questionnaires consisted of questions with a mixture of a five-point Likert-scale, multiple choice and closed-ended questions where one answer was developed. Competen-cies that might be desirable in engineers were identified in literature on competencies. The quantitative sample of analysing the competencies contained 101 respondents. The data were collected in April and May 2014 and first analysed using basic statistical techniques. Data analysis was accomplished using IBM SPSS Statistics 21. The competencies can be broadly classified into technical, non-technical and attitudinal. In the first part, the re-spondents rated 25 categories of knowledge and skills to be ranked on the Likert scale. The score for all 25 ranges was between 2,3 and 4,4 and for the top 5 the weighted average score ranged from 4,0 to 4,4. The managers ranked applicable knowledge and the ability to apply theory in practice as the most important (mean score of 4,44; 91,1 % of the respondents rated it highly and very highly, 5,4 % on the average level, only 3,5 % as poor). Technical knowledge in one’s area of specialization (4,25; 83,8 %/12,3 %/4,0 %) as well as the understanding of new technologies is the basis for success for an engi-neer (the efficient use of operating systems, the ability to work in computer networks, the ability to select the hard-ware and software configuration, the ability to use pe-ripherals) (4,38-4,09). Engineers are expected to have the ability to solve problems (mean score of 4,26; 83,5 % of the respondents rated it highly and very highly) and the ability to transfer knowledge (60,3 % rated it highly and very highly). Thinking in global terms (3,29) and nego-tiation skills (3,19) are less important (3,19). Non-techni-cal content is also essential in engineers’ work.. The re-search findings show that  the application of technical knowledge in practical life requires a set of non-technical skills along with technical ones. These non-technical skills (interpersonal and social skills and specific quali-ties, attitudes and behaviours) refer to the capabilities that do not particularly relate to the field of engineering a per-son works in, but are required when one has to work in teams. Honesty and responsibility are the core require-ments with highest weighted score, while leadership 273K. SZCZEPAŃSKA-WOSZCZYNA et al.: COMPETENCIES OF ENGINEERING STAFF IN STEELWORKS AFTER THEIR...METALURGIJA 55 (2016) 2, 271-274thematic areas. The first area concerns metallurgical (job-related, technical) knowledge. The second area in-cludes organizational and administrative competencies. The third area is special competencies e.g. environmen-tal protection, safety and health etc. The four area is managerial competencies. For each such type, the num-ber of training hours completed in 2013 is also given. Before restructuring, an engineer was primarily equipped with expertise in the areas of metallurgy or machinery operation. Engineering posts (staff with higher education qualifications) were reserved for ex-ecutives.Production engineers occupied the positions of  con-trollers. Their duties included supervising the produc-tion. Currently, engineers work directly in production and are members of said teams. The position of an engi-neer has become more popular. Employees who did not have engineering qualifications completed them during the period of economic transition. Also, the position of engineering manager is something of a novelty. Prior to restructuring, management knowledge was attributed to executives; after restructuring engineers are graduates of technical universities, including management gradu-ates [15]. It should also be highlighted that a modern engineer should know at least English metallurgical terms. Figure 1 shows the level of foreign language skills amongst metallurgical staff.skills are the least important. Employers expect engineers to have the ability to consolidate and motivate teams to work creatively rather than to be charismatic leaders. En-gineers are expected to be systematic (4,51), willing to learn, to focus on self-improvement (4,39), to be inde-pendent (4,36), to have the ability to work in a team (4,35), to be creative (4,30).THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE ENGINEERING STAFF COMPETENCY PROFILE AFTER RESTRUCTURINGThis case study was based on Human Resources data from ArcelorMittal, which has been operating in the Polish steel market for 10 years (under its current brand name). The company employs more than 12 thou-sand workers, with the majority of them engineering and technical staff. Steelwork is a predominantly male trade, which was redefined during restructuring. During this process, attention was focused on the template of a modern engineer, who is able to combine knowledge of the area with compatible areas, in addition to having technical competencies (knowledge of metallurgy). Through training (32,4 training hours per employee) workers acquire new skills and competencies. Figure 1 shows the pyramid of the scope by personnel structure [14]. Competency profiles have been divided into four Figure 1 A competency profile of metallurgical staff  [14]274K. SZCZEPAŃSKA-WOSZCZYNA et al.: COMPETENCIES OF ENGINEERING STAFF IN STEELWORKS AFTER THEIR... METALURGIJA 55 (2016) 2, 271-274CONCLUSIONSEngineers require strong technical capabilities in their respective disciplines as well as a very balanced blend of soft skills including but not limited to interper-sonal skills enabling them to interact with people at all levels, communication and coordination skills, the abil-ity to articulate complex ideas in presentations, to come up with out of the box solutions and to bring other peo-ple on board. Engineers are expected to have  a blend of hard core engineering skills as well as a great number of soft skills to transform an engineer into a well sought out professional, capable of delivering projects which are technically superb and satisfying for clients. Com-petencies were identified from a broad range of litera-ture and then rated by 101 respondents, managers in terms of importance to jobs of engineers. The results indicated that non-technical, attitudinal and technical competencies were perceived to be important. 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Competencies of engineering staff in steelworks after their restructuring

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