1. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst.
Under-Utilization of the Nigerian Consulting Engineer in Our National Development "The Consulting Engineer as a Catalyst in National Wealth Creation"
Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst. by
Engr. Aliyu A. Aziz, MNSE

2. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
About Me
Principal Consultant - Afri-Projects Consortium
B. Eng. (Civil), M. Sc. (Struct.) - Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Professional Bodies
Member, Nigeria Society of Engineers
Member, Computer Association of Nigeria
Member, Internet Society
Contact:
November 2000
Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

3. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Objective
arm the consultant with modern strategic tools for survival in the 21st century
examine what is necessary to improve his strategic tools and allow him to achieve desired goals from
knowledge management; strategic management;
reengineering; and leadership
prepare the consultant to response to sudden, unforeseen changes, understand and overcome obstacles to success, easily collaborate with every conceivable discipline and from every conceivable source
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

4. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Topics
Introduction
The Challenge
Information Technology Infrastructure
Strategic Business Tools
Conclusion
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

5. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Introduction
Knowledge is the raw material for creating all economic wealth in the 21st century
Professional Consultants are expected to develop unique strategies and skills that will enable them to create opportunities out of challenges
Challenges in knowledge management, lifecycles, strategic management, reengineering and leadership require more urgent attention of the Consultant
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

6. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Introduction ...
Interdependence is fast replacing independence.
New power lies in the ability to
adapt
assume responsibility
have a shared vision
empower others
negotiate successful results
and assume control of one’s ethical behaviors
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

7. Introduction ...
Data Processing
Information Processing
Knowledge Processing
Knowledge Sharing & Wisdom
Project Lifecycle
Project Circle
Project Spiral
Project Dynamics
Strategic Issues
Environmental
Internal
Systemic
Management
Planning
Implementation
Control
Decision Making
Investigation
Development, Evaluation, & Selection
Implementation & Follow-up
Reengineering
Total Quality Management
Business Process Reengineering
Leadership – Vision, Values, Ethics & Culture
Table 1.0: Challenges to the Consulting Engineer in the 21st century
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

8. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Introduction ...
As catalyst in national wealth creation, we must
Rethink the nation’s needs, its problems and issues in current perspectives
State the positive outcomes the nation requires
Recommend solutions that solve the problems effectively and deliver efficient results
Show we are competent to deliver on time and within budget
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

9. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Introduction ...
We should guide the government to concentrate on its Major Goals, by assisting it to: -
Lift barriers to innovation and not to impose new obstacles
Help develop and maintain a workforce, appropriate to its needs and the aspiration of the general public
Establish a stable environment for research and innovation, without governmental direction
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

10. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
The Challenge
The Goal - Knowledge
A knowledge-driven information network that will help solve many kinds of business problems effectively
Challenges
Knowledge Management
Project Cycle
Strategic Management
Reengineering
Leadership
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

11. Challenges: Knowledge Management
A managerial discipline that treats intellectual capital as a managed asset
The primary tools applied in KM are
organisational dynamics
process engineering
technology
It is important that engineering consultants equip themselves with the proper incentives and tools to share knowledge as well as design solutions with specific business problems in mind
November 2000
Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

12. Challenges: Knowledge Management
Information is derived from data processing, knowledge from information processing.
Wisdom can only be gleaned from knowledge management.
Data
Information
Knowledge
Processing
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

13. Challenges: Project Cycle
The project life cycle defined:
The four sequential phases in time through which any project passes, namely:
conception; development; implementation; and termination
Circle
Spiral
Systematic explanation
Evolutionary explanation
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

14. Challenges: Strategic Management…
A technique for evaluation and measurement often employed at the highest management level. It addresses jugular issues touching the heart of business entities with grave implications on their future.
Competition and competitiveness
Customer/Supplier power
Government and legal regulation
Barriers to entry
It eliminates conflict between long-term development and short-term profitability.
It focuses on the complexities of the total business environment, with well-defined aims, well-developed means to achieve them, and by pursuing viable opportunities wherever they can be identified, which may be regardless of the current operations.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

15. Challenges: Strategic Management…
Requirements
Focus
Strategic management
Goals
Values
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

16. Challenges: Strategic Management…
Relies heavily on a continuous supply of information about the environment.
Main features of strategic management
External
Internal
Systemic
Internal
external
System
Level 0
Level 2
Level 1
Level 3
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

17. Challenges: Strategic Management…
Main components of strategic management
Environmental issues
Planning direction
Planning strategy
Implementing the strategy
Planning direction
Environmental issues
Planning strategy
Implementation
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

18. Reengineering and Leadership
Conventional thinking
firms assume that variables are stable in their marketplace, that boundaries (industrial, geographical, etc.) are clearly articulated, that the endgame is known or predictable
Reengineered thinking
four drivers that enable firms to be focused and accountable
leadership
governance
competencies
technology
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

19. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Challenges: Reengineering and Leadership…
Research found six distinct leadership styles, each springing from different components of emotional intelligence.
Emotional Intelligence:
Self-Awareness
Emotional self-awareness: the ability to read and understand your emotions as well as recognise their impact on work performance, relationship, and the like.
Accurate self-assessment: a realistic evaluation of your strengths and limitations.
Self-confidence: a strong and positive sense of self-worth.
Self-Management
Self-control: the ability to keep disruptive emotions and impulses under control
Trustworthiness: a consistent display of honesty and integrity
Conscientiousness: the ability to manage yourself and your responsibilities.
Adaptability: skill at adjusting to changing situations and overcoming obstacles.
Achievement orientation: the drive to meet an internal standard of excellence.
Initiative: a readiness to seize opportunities.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

20. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Challenges: Reengineering and Leadership…
Emotional Intelligence:
Social Awareness
Empathy: skill at sensing other people’s emotions, understanding their perspective, and taking an active interest in their concerns.
Organizational awareness: the ability to read the currents of organizational life, build decision networks, and navigate politics.
Service orientation: the ability to recognize and meet customers’ needs.
Social Skill
Visionary Leadership: the ability to take charge and inspire with a compelling vision.
Influence: the ability to wield a range of persuasive tactics.
Developing others: the propensity to bolster the abilities of others through feedback and guidance.
Communication: skill at listening and at sending clear, convincing, and well-tuned messages.
Change catalyst: proficiency at initiating new ideas and leading people in a new direction.
Conflict management: the ability to de-escalate disagreements and orchestrate resolutions.
Building bonds: proficiency at cultivating and maintaining a web of relationships.
Teamwork and collaboration: competence at promoting cooperation and building teams.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

21. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Challenges: Reengineering and Leadership…
The six styles of leadership
The leader’s modus operandi
Underlying emotional intelligence competences
The style in a phrase
When the style works best
Overall impact climate
Coercive
Demands immediate compliance
Drive to achieve, initiative, self-control
“Do what I tell you
In a crisis, to kick start a turnaround, or with problem employees
Negative
Authoritative
Mobilizes people toward a vision
Self-confidence, empathy, change catalyst
“Come with me”
When changes require a new vision, or when a clear direction is needed
Most strongly positive
Affiliative
Creates harmony and builds emotional bonds
Empathy, building relationships, communication
“People come first”
To heal rifts in a team or to motivate people during stressful circumstances
Positive
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

22. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Challenges: Reengineering and Leadership…
The six styles of leadership
Coaching
Develops people for the future
Developing others, empathy, self-awareness
“Try this.”
To help an employee improve performance or develop long-term strengths
Positive
Democratic
Forges consensus through participation
Collaboration, team leadership, communication
“What do you think?”
To build buy-in or consensus, or to get input from valuable employees
Pacesetting
Sets high standards for performance
Conscientiousness, drive to achieve, initiative
“Do as I do, now.”
To get quick results form a highly motivated and competent team
Negative
The leader’s modus operandi
Underlying emotional intelligence competences
The style in a phrase
When the style works best
Overall impact climate
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

23. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Challenges: Reengineering and Leadership…
Getting Molecular: The Impact of Leadership
Styles on Drivers of Climate
Flexibility
Responsibility
Standards
Rewards
Clarity
Commitment
Coercive
-.28
-.37
-.02
-.18
-.11
-.13
Affiliative
.27
.16
.31
.48
.37
.34
Democratic
.28
.23
.22
.42
.35
.26
Pacesetting
-.07
.04
-.27
-.29
-.20
Authoritative
.32
.21
.38
.54
.44 35
Coaching
.17
.08
.39
.43
Overall impact
on climate
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

24. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Challenges: Reengineering and Leadership…
Six distinct leadership styles:
Coercive leaders – demand immediate compliance
Authoritative leaders – mobilize people toward a vision
Affiliative leaders – create emotional bonds and harmony
Democratic leaders – build consensus through participation
Pacesetting leaders – expect excellence and self-direction
Coaching leaders – develop people for the future
You’ll agree with me that most engineers belong to the last two groups. We, therefore, need to move up the ladder, to the most strongly positive authoritative leadership style for effective performance and results
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

25. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Information Technology Infrastructure
The empires of trade and nations are fast giving way to the imperishable empire of knowledge and leadership.
Information Technology (IT) is providing the currency of immeasurable value to aid this new empire
The new IT is a combination of all available information media, including computer, telephone, data networks, cable television, satellites, fiber optics, and software.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

26. Information Technology Infrastructure ...
Primary objective: To develop an economy-wide network that can support an ever-growing range of business processes, within and between corporations.
Computer companies and leading telecommunication carriers allied themselves with transnational enterprises. These alliances were based on the axiom that corporate capital’s ownership and control of networks should be beyond dispute or discussion.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

27. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Information Technology Infrastructure ...
Over the last five years the reliability, speed and security of the internet have improved.
Internet offers a splendid new medium through which to transact business.
It has become the primary platform for essential business / government activities.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

28. Information Technology Infrastructure ...
What stops our banks from joining the bandwagon?
FEAR FEAR FEAR - Fear of the unknown, precipitated by lack of understanding security issues, among others
This phobia will also apply to consultants. If we continue to fear to participate in present day B2B Exchanges, it will be impossible to remain competitive.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

29. Information Technology Infrastructure ...
What do we do?
We need to expend heavily on training and reorientation, adopt new technological tools and study how the society affects technology, and not the other way round.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

30. Strategic Business Tools
Hot technologies for Consulting Engineers:
use the Internet both inside and outside our firms as the common networking infrastructure
use the World Wide Web itself as the development environment for most of our application interfaces
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

31. Strategic Business Tools
Smart Cards
Digital Certificates
XML
JAVA
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

32. Strategic Business Tools: Smart Cards
Smart card is an intelligent ID card with the ability to store information and perform transactions.
It can be in the form of plastic card, a ring, a watch or anything you carry around.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

33. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Strategic Business Tools: Digital Certificates.
A digital certificate enables two entities to establish each other’s identity for electronic commerce transactions.
It can be stored on smart cards and in computer systems.
It certifies the authenticity of the person performing the transaction.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

34. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Strategic Business Tools: XML
“XML” Stands for Extensible Mark-up Language
It is the basis for storing and shipping data on the web
Rapidly becoming the lingua franca of electronic commerce.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

35. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Strategic Business Tools: JAVA
The hottest programming language.
Programs written in JAVA take less time to produce, because it is much less error-prone.
JAVA will run on any platform, from TV, to a cell phone, to a web site without modifications.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

36. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Conclusion
In today’s interdependent, hyper-competitive environment, the professional engineer needs the power of vision, people, knowledge, strategic business tools and technology to overcome obstacles and easily collaborate with every conceivable discipline to deliver projects
November 2000
Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

37. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Conclusion ...
In the near future, what will drive success is the ability to initiate, sustain and profit from interdependent relationships. The outcome will be innovative products, creative services and possibly new technology. To get there, however, we will have to develop our leadership intelligence. Why leadership? Because leaders hold the key to success.
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Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst

38. Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst
Thank you
The End
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November 2000
Challenges of the 21st Century and Strategic Tools for the Catalyst