Developing emotionally competent engineers for the ever-changing built environment

Purpose: As the world experiences a rapid rise in technological advances, the engineering profession will be required to become even more socially responsible and emotionally stable to be able to display higher levels of empathy towards the society they serve. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the key emotional competencies (ECs) that engineers need to possess to thrive in the construction industry after graduation. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research approach was conducted with close-ended questionnaires developed and administered to built environment professionals such as architects, construction managers, construction project managers, engineers and quantity surveyors. Findings: The results showed that the ability to display a positive outlook on life, understand one's emotional triggers, ability to display resilience in hard times, control one's emotions and ability to show compassion to others were the highest-ranked ECs. Further analysis revealed four clusters such as self-awareness, empathy, self-regulation and self-motivation. Practical implications: Practical guidance for higher education institutions is offered in terms of revamping and revisiting their engineering education curricula to develop these ECs to produce emotionally sound engineers for the ever-changing world of work. Originality/value: As the world of work becomes increasingly dynamic and diverse, engineers will be required to possess empathy, social skills and high levels of ECs to be able to seamlessly interact with fellow professionals as well as the society they serve.