Function of Engineering Management_Engineers as Managers
Function of Engineering Management_Engineers as Managers
Managers
By Mdm. Noraziah Abdul Wahab
Contents:
• Engineers vs. Managers
• Career path of a Typical Engineer
• Factors Affecting the Promotion
• Factors Causing Engineers to Fail as a
Manager
• Leadership
➢ Styles
➢ Quality
➢ Attributes
Background
• Business Week (1990): Only 26% of CEOs in the
top 1000 companies had their first degrees in
engineering; about 46.7% were business majors
• Does this indicate that the engineering mindset
represent a disadvantage for top-level
managerial jobs?
• Thamhain (1990): 85% of engineering managers
surveyed believe that the development of new
engineering management talent is crucial to the
survival and growth of their companies’
businesses
Keep solving the machines to not destroying environment. Also keep
maintain the cost or make it low cost in insudtry
Engineers
Focus on the
Strategic
Focus on the Aspects
Operational
Aspects
Engineering Managers’ Tasks: take the responsibility for all
desicion
• Setting goals for the group, • Making tough decisions under
department or enterprise uncertain conditions
• Establishing priorities
• Finding the proper solution
• Defining policies and
procedures quickly from several feasible
• Planning & implementing alternatives
projects and programs to add • Doing things right the first
value time, with sense of urgency
• Assigning responsibilities and
delegating especially in site
• Coaching, teaching, and
• Attaining useful results by mentoring others
working through people • Dealing with people – handling
• Processing new information conflicts, motivation, and
and handling multidisciplinary performance correction
issues
CHARACTERISTICS ENGINEERS MANAGERS
ore to psychology and how to manage
people
Focus Technical/scientific tasks People (talents, innovation, relationships);
resources (capital, knowledge, process
know-how); projects (tasks, procedure, policy)
Effectiveness Rely on technical expertise Rely on interpersonal skills to get work done
and personal dedication through people (motivation, delegation)
CHARACTERISTICS ENGINEERS MANAGERS
Concern Will it work technically? Will it add value (market share, financial,
core technology, customer satisfaction)?
Adopted and revised from P. Morrison, "Making Managers of Engineers," Journal of Management in
Engineering, Vol. 2, No. 4 (1986)
To Manage OR Not To Manage?
Advantages: Disadvantages:
• Financial rewards • Long hours and hectic life
• Authority, responsibility and (overtime, travel)
leadership • High stress level (pressure of
• Power, influence, social status deadlines, constraints of
and prestige resources, political infighting,
• Career advancement, lack of peer cooperation,
achievement and recognition trivial personnel conflicts)
• Random circumstance • Poor family life (not seeing
family much)
• Health hazards (travel,
unhealthy foods, physical
stress)
Career Path of a Typical Engineer
Higher Level
Positions, e.g. Chief
Technology Officer
Midlevel Positions,
e.g. Supervisor,
Manager
Technical Contributor,
e.g. Process Engineer,
Design Engineers
Technical Contributor
• Tasks perform include:
➢ The application of engineering principles
➢ Know-how to specific technical problems
• Expectations:
➢ Do things right
➢ Accomplish high quality of technical work based
on:
❖Solid understanding of engineering
fundamentals
❖Efficacious application of basic principles
❖Sound technical judgment
➢ Easy to work with
➢ Exhibit strong motivation to learn and improve
➢ High degree of maturity and professionalism
Success Factors Affecting the
Career of an Engineer in Industry
Excellent
Performance
Health and
Personality
Energy Level
Ability to Make
Communication
Tough Business
Skills
Decisions
SUCCESS
FACTORS
Personal Technical Skills
Appearance and Ability
Human
Self Control
Relations Skills
Significant Work
Experience and
Assignments
Most Common Reasons for Career
Failures
Poor
Interpersonal
Skills
Workplace
Wrong Fit
Biases
CAREER
FAILURES
Lack of Focus FACTORS Unable to
Take Risks
Self-
Destructive Bad Luck
Behaviour
Midlevel Positions
Technical Managerial
Ladder Ladder
Senior
Group Leader
Engineer
Section
Consultant
Engineer
Engineering/
Development Manager
Associate
Corporate
Director
Fellow
Technical Ladder VS. Managerial Ladder
Competence
FACTORS
#3 • Tense Personality