Engineering Management Overview

The Functions of an Engineer

• Engineers provide solutions to various challenges faced by humanity
• Engineering roles include:
  • Research
  • Design and Development
  • Testing
  • Manufacturing
  • Construction
  • Sales
  • Consulting
  • Government
  • Teaching
  • Management

Engineering Management History

• This section focuses on the history of Engineering Management.

Engineering Management

• Engineering involves applying science and mathematics to achieve human aspirations
• Management is a problem-solving process encompassing planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational resources to achieve goals
• Engineering Management combines technical knowledge with the ability to organize and coordinate resources like people, materials, machinery, and money.
• Engineering managers possess both technical expertise and organizational skills.

Management

• The work of creating and maintaining effective working environments (Albanese)
• The process of achieving desired outcomes through efficient resource utilization (Bedeian)
• Reaching organizational goals through collaboration and resource management (Certo)
• A set of organizational activities directed toward utilizing resources to achieve goals (Griffin)
• The process of managing organizations through coordinated human efforts (McFarland)
• Acquiring and combining resources to produce goods or services for society (Pringle, Jennings, and Longnecker)

Management Levels

• First-line managers
  • Directly supervise non-managers
  • Titles like foreman, supervisor, or section chief
  • Implement plans and objectives set by higher management
  • Create short-term plans, assign tasks, supervise work, and evaluate individual performance
• Middle managers
  • Titles such as plant manager, division head, chief engineer, or operations manager
  • Develop intermediate-range plans to achieve long-term goals
  • Establish departmental policies
  • Evaluate subordinate work units and their managers
  • Integrate and coordinate short-term activities to achieve long-term goals
• Top managers
  • Titles like chairman of the board, president, or executive vice president
  • Define the organization's character, mission, and objectives
  • Establish criteria for and review long-term plans
  • Evaluate departmental and senior management performance

Skills Required versus Management

• This section discusses the correlation between skills required of managers and their respective management levels.

Matrix Organization

• Disadvantages:
  • Dual chain of command can lead to confusion and frustration
  • Conflict between divisional and functional interests
  • Meetings and discussions often dominate over action
  • Requires extensive human relations training for key employees and managers
  • Tendency for power dominance by one side of the matrix

Span of Control

• Refers to the number of subordinates a supervisor is responsible for
• Also known as span of management
• Key considerations:
  • Subordinate training
  • Nature of jobs supervised
  • Rate of change in activities and personnel
  • Clarity of instructions and delegation
  • Staff assistance

Organizational Culture

• Encompasses an organization's expectations, experiences, philosophy, values, and the guidelines for member behavior
• Expressed in member self-image, internal operations, external interactions, and future expectations
• Based on shared attitudes, beliefs, customs, and written and unwritten rules developed over time
• Includes the organization's vision, values, norms, systems, symbols, language, assumptions, beliefs, and habits
• "The way things are done around here" (Deal & Kennedy, 2000)

Guidelines to Culture Change

• Formulate a clear strategic vision
• Display top-management commitment
• Model desired culture change at the highest level
• Utilize change agents to communicate new values
• Modify organizational systems, policies, procedures, and rules to align with new values
• Select and socialize newcomers and terminate deviants who don't align with the new culture
• Provide training to help employees understand new processes, expectations, and systems
• Develop ethical and legal sensitivity to identify obstacles and resistant employees
• Acknowledge and reward employee progress to encourage continued change and involvement

Staffing

• A significant management function involving staffing the organization through effective selection, appraisal, and development of personnel
• "Putting people to jobs"

Staffing Process

• Human Resource Planning
  • Forecasting future human resource needs
  • Determining how existing resources can meet those needs
  • Activities include: analyzing current manpower, creating future manpower forecasts, developing employment programs, conducting training programs, and implementing evaluation and control measures
• Recruitment
  • Searching for potential employees and encouraging them to apply
• Selection
  • Choosing the best candidate for a position from within or outside the organization
  • Steps include: receiving and screening applications, conducting preliminary interviews, administering tests, investigating previous history, checking references, and final selection
• Introduction, Training and Development, Performance Appraisal, Employment Decisions, and Separation

Induction and Orientation

• This section provides an overview of induction and orientation processes within organizations.
• It is important to ensure new employees are properly introduced to the workplace.

Training and Development

• Training focuses on improving performance on the current job
• It also contributes to overall personal development

This quiz explores the various functions of engineers and the historical context of engineering management. It delves into the roles engineers play, from research and design to teaching and management, emphasizing the integration of technical and organizational skills. Gain insights into how engineering management combines these aspects to address challenges faced by humanity.