Bruce Maisel, HR director at TRC Cos., said the role of human resources management is to "operationalize" a company's culture. At TRC, HR managers have been working with corporate leaders to tie incentive compensation to the firm's safety culture.

Smetona said managers needed to be more influential in growing new leaders. Only 28% of respondents said they review leadership development "action plans" annually.

"Three years from now, recruiting will be the number one priority over growth," said John Prutsman, HR vice president at Terracon. "It will become harder to find people than clients."

Ted Lower, senior consultant for EFCG's HR practice and a former engineering firm president, urged the HR directors to communicate more strongly to corporate chiefs the need to link employment incentives and HR investment to improved company growth and profitability. "Use the data and have courage," he said.