Research On Human Resource Management Of International Engineering EPC Project Based On Partnering

With the “Going Global” strategy and the “Belt and Road” initiative,Chinese companies have experienced rapid growth in international engineering business,in which EPC projects account for an increasing proportion.To implement an EPC project,the general contractors undertake the design,procurement and construction tasks.They need to establish a partnership with the project stakeholders to solve problems of insufficient capacity and talent shortage of their own personnel.However,research in the open literature was focused on resource management within the organization,lack of that on the optimal allocation of human resources among organizations.Moreover,existing research lacked research on the mechanism of influence among various aspects of human resource management activities,especially systematic empirical research.Therefore,this research builds a theoretical model of human resource management for international engineering EPC projects based on partnering.The data were collected and analyzed through questionnaires,interviews and cases,and the theoretical model was verified by PLS-SEM.The main conclusions are as follows:1)The model reveals the mechanism of stakeholder partnership on human resource management and project performance,including Path 1: “partnership?human resource allocation ? training and learning ? competency ? project performance” and Path 2: “partnership ? human resource allocation ? performance assessment ? training and learning ? competency ? project performance”.2)The effects of partnership on the human resource allocation of the project are markedly positive.The partnership between the general contractor and other participants facilitates human resources sharing among all parties,so that the shortage of talents and insufficient staff capacity can be solved.3)Human resource allocation has a significant positive impact on training and learning.A team with reasonable staffing can pass and share knowledge and experience through formal training and informal learning,thereby improving training effectiveness.4)The influences of human resource allocation on performance appraisal are apparent.A wellorganized team can mobilize the enthusiasm of the staff and retain talents by effectively exerting the incentive effect of assessment results.5)Performance assessment has a significantly positive impact on training and learning.Quantitative assessment of one personnel's ability helps to effectively identify his short-term capability,so that more targeted training programs can be developed.6)Training and learning has a significant positive effect on competency.Effective training and learning can develop all kinds of international talents on a large scale and effectively improve personnel capabilities.7)Competency has a significant positive impact on project performance.The general contractors need to strengthen staff capabilities in terms of EPC project technology and management capabilities,coordinating capabilities,team building capabilities,communication and solidarity,learning and analytical skills,and execution,which can help to achieve project goals.8)Based on the theoretical analysis and the case studies of three international EPC projects,the paper puts forward several suggestions for general contractors to improve human resource management: establishing trust,fair and win-win partnership with stakeholders;emphasizing international human resources allocation;establishing assessment and incentive mechanism to adapt to the international market;emphasizing training and development to enhance the competency of personnel.