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Function of Engineering Management_Engineers as Managers

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
3 views22 pages

Function of Engineering Management_Engineers as Managers

Uploaded by

zaliaameera25
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Engineers as

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’ Skills and Attributes:


• Thinking logically, • Planning for future,
methodologically and taking into account
objectively
technology, productivity
• Analysing problems and
defining technologically and cost effectiveness
feasible solutions • Discussing technical
• Understanding what information with
motivates other customers
engineers
• Evaluating work with • Possessing technical
highly technological expertise that enhances
contents high quality leadership
they work as the tecnician that need to solve regarding the technologies keep moving and
need update with the new trend .
Help each of members engineers in support moral such as motivates them
Engineering
Managers

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)

Decision Making Adequate technical Fuzzy information under uncertainty (people's


information
Basis with great certainty behavior, customer needs, market forecasts)

Involvement Perform individual tasks Direct work of others (planning, leading,


organizing, controlling)

Work Output Quantitative, measurable Qualitative, less measurable, except


financial results, when applicable

Effectiveness Rely on technical expertise Rely on interpersonal skills to get work done
and personal dedication through people (motivation, delegation)
CHARACTERISTICS ENGINEERS MANAGERS

Dependency Autonomous Interdependent of others

Responsibility Pursue one task at a time Pursue multiple objectives concurrently

Creativity Technology centered People centered (conflict resolution,


problem
solving, political alliance, networks building)

Bottom Line "How" (operational) "What" and "Why" (strategic)

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

Technical Ladder Managerial Ladder


• Larger responsibility for • Larger responsibility of
programs of high technical managing people, tasks,
contents but no managerial capabilities, functions and
duty programs
• Add value by technical • Devote increasingly less time
contributions, innovations, and on technology work and more
technology applications on managerial work
• Fellows are typically well-
renowned both inside and
outside of the company for
technical expertise
demonstrated in patents,
publications and commercial
success
Higher Levels
• Executive levels, e.g. Chief Technology Officer
• Exert leadership in creating and implementing
technological strategies to realizes business
successes
• Leadership talents to be efficacious in a
collaborative setting
Factors Affecting the
Promotion to Manager

Competence

FACTORS

Good Match Readiness


Factors Causing Engineers
to Fail as Managers
#1 • Lack of political savvy

#2 • Uncomfortable with ambiguous situations

#3 • Tense Personality

#4 • Lack of willingness to take risks

#5 • Tendency to clinch on technology

#6 • Lack of human relations skills

#7 • Deficiency in management skills and perception

#8 • Not cognitive of a manager’s roles and responsibilities

#9 • Narrow interests and preparation

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