EIM2301 Engineering Management Lecture 07 PDF

11/25/2024 EIM2301 Engineering Management Lecture 07 The Functions of Engineering Management: The Leading Function (2) 1 Outline 1 Styles of Leadership 2 Activities of Leading...

11/25/2024 EIM2301 Engineering Management Lecture 07 The Functions of Engineering Management: The Leading Function (2) 1 Outline 1 Styles of Leadership 2 Activities of Leading 2 2 1  11/25/2024 Activities of Leading 1. Deciding 2. Communicating 3. Motivating 4. Selecting People 5. Developing People 3 3 Communicating Creating understanding and resolving conflicts by talking, meeting, or writing to others. The purpose of communicating is to create understanding and acceptance of the facts, impressions, and feelings being communicated. 4 4 2  11/25/2024 Efficacious Communication (1 of 3) asking Under- standing telling efficacious communication writing listening 5 5 Efficacious Communication (2 of 3) Asking proactively request information and not wait to be told. A lack of information can prevent understanding. Open-ended questions—those that cannot be answered with “yes” or “no”—should be raised to gain new knowledge Telling transmitting information (verbally or in written form, or both) for managers to keep employees informed about matters of concern to them, for employees to inform managers about problems and pertinent development (e.g., to avoid surprises that would trigger spontaneous and low-quality decisions), and for workers to pass information to their peers. what to tell and what not to tell? need to know 6 6 3  11/25/2024 Efficacious Communication (3 of 3) Listening Engineering managers need to work on their listening skills to enhance their understanding of both the words (spoken and written) and any possible subtext Writing concise (using the least number of words to express the maximum number of concepts) logical (allowing easy comprehension), and pertinent (relevant, focusing on the impact on the business purpose at hand). Understanding The ultimate goal of communication is to promote understanding 7 7 Communication Barriers Interpretations of words and terms Emotional Selective barriers seeing Selective listening 8 8 4  11/25/2024 Guidelines for Engineering Managers Communication 1. Know what to say and say what is meant 5. Ensure retention 2. Understand the audience 6. Receive feedback 3. Secure attention 7. Get action to enhance 4. Obtain understanding communications 9 9 Guidelines for Engineering Managers Communication 1. Know what to say and say what is meant: Engineering managers should focus on key messages when communicating. Avoid noise or meaningless sounds, pointless statements, and inconclusive remarks often used by people to impress others, but not to express themselves. 2. Understand the audience: Engineering managers should tailor their communication to the receiver’s frame of reference—their beliefs, concerns from the job, background and training, attitudes, experience, and vocabulary. 10 10 5  11/25/2024 Guidelines for Engineering Managers Communication 3. Secure attention: Engineering managers should try to appeal to the receiver’s interests; anticipate and overcome emotional objections (fear, distrust, and suspicion); talk in the receiver’s terms; and lead from the present to the future, the familiar to the unknown, and the agreeable to the disagreeable. 4. Obtain understanding: An effective communication technique is to start with agreements and the statement of facts (not conclusions), use simple words (not ponderous, confusing, or abstract terms), and communicate in bursts (avoiding information overflow and knowledge digestion problems). 11 11 Guidelines for Engineering Managers Communication 5. Ensure retention: The rule of four: (1) Before trying to get an idea across, tell your receivers what you are going to say. (2) Say what you have to say. (3) Tell them what you said. (4) Get them to tell you what they have understood. 6. Receive feedback: Engineering managers need to proactively pose questions and learn to listen in order to get feedback from what was communicated. 12 12 6  11/25/2024 Guidelines for Engineering Managers Communication 7. Get action to enhance communications: Engineering managers should have the receivers take action on the just-completed communication as a way of securing its impact. This could be in the form of a commitment by the receivers to take specific steps by agreed-on dates. 13 13 Example: Communicate or not to communicate? The company decided to move its engineering center to another location, since it was running out of space. The new location was to be modern and had been planned as a showpiece for the company. Management felt certain that the employees would welcome the move. Negotiations were started with several local governmental authorities for suitable accommodation. To keep the workforce fully informed, it was agreed that the employees would be told that a move was to be made, but that as yet no site had been chosen. 14 14 7  11/25/2024 Example: Communicate or not to communicate? (cont.) This communication led to wide speculation among the engineering professionals as to the location of the new site, and various rumors circulated. Some engineers with families decided to look for alternative employment elsewhere, fearing that the new location would not be within commuting distance. Morale fell and productivity suffered. Negotiations took longer than anticipated, and no suitable location had been found after six months. By then, morale was so low that the company decided to abandon its relocation plan altogether. To overcome the space problem, the company split the engineering group by putting a smaller team into another factory site nearby. What went wrong? How would you have handled this case differently? 15 15 Example: Communicate or not to communicate?-Answer(1 of 2) To communicate or not to communicate—that was the question. It would have been better for the company management to keep the plan secret initially, negotiate for and decide on a specific site, and then have the company president announce the relocation plan in a town meeting. 16 16 8  11/25/2024 Example: Communicate or not to communicate ?-Answer(2 of 2) The announcement should have included: 1. The location of the new site, with emphasis on the advantages in transportation, health care, weather, and historical, cultural, and recreational attractions. 2. A request for the support of all engineers in making the relocation as smooth as possible. The purpose of the relocation is to provide a better facility for everyone. The company is investing x million dollars to support this move, which will allow for possible expansion in the near future. 3. The date by which relocation is to be completed. 4. A delineation of the company’s plans to fund all relocation costs and offer assistance in selling and buying homes, if the relocation is more than 100 miles away. The company will also assist the affected spouses to find jobs at the new site. 5. The description of a human resources desk that will be set up to answer specific questions. 17 17 Activities of Leading 1. Deciding 2. Communicating 3. Motivating 4. Selecting People 5. Developing People 18 18 9  11/25/2024 Motivating Inspiring, encouraging, or impelling others to take required action and creating workplace conditions to ensure work satisfaction. As leaders, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professionals’ dedication toward the project inculcates a sense of responsibility and urgency among the rest of the team. 19 19 Methods of Motivation Inspire Infuse a spirit of willingness into people to perform most effectually by way of their Suitable for own personality and leadership qualities, personal examples, and work completed professionals Encourage Stimulate people to do what has to be done through praise, approval, and help. Impel Force and incite action by any necessary means, including compulsion, coercion, fear, and, if required, punishments (such as demotion, job suspension, or termination). 20 20 10  11/25/2024 Techniques to Enhance Motivation Participation Communication Recognition Delegate Reciprocate authority interest 21 21 Activities of Leading 1. Deciding 2. Communicating 3. Motivating 4. Selecting People 5. Developing People 22 22 11  11/25/2024 Selecting Engineering Employees Choosing the right employees for positions in the organization or for specific team activities. 23 23 Selection Process Decide on Define Acquire Review and Conduct Specify jobs job needs applicants prescreen interviews candidates 24 24 12  11/25/2024 Selection Process 1. Define needs: Specify the needs of the new positions by taking into account the immediate requirements and long-term growth demands of the organization. 2. Specify jobs: Compose a job description for each of the open positions to define the roles and responsibilities of the position holders, the position grade levels, and the minimum qualifications of the ideal candidates (i.e., levels of basic training and work experience). 3. Acquire applicants: Publicize job openings in newspapers, professional publications, company websites, employment agencies, social media, and Internet job sites to solicit candidates. 25 25 Selection Process 4. Review and prescreen: Select applicants by matching personal objectives with company goals and check documents and references carefully. 5. Conduct interviews: Each applicant may be interviewed by several hiring managers. The basis of assessment is typically studying the past to predict the future. The quality of past work is a very good predictor for the future, as people are known not to change significantly for the better overnight 6. Decide on job candidates: Match the candidate’s personality, technical capabilities, work ethics, values, and other qualities with those of the company. 26 26 13  11/25/2024 Activities of Leading 1. Deciding 2. Communicating 3. Motivating 4. Selecting People 5. Developing People 27 27 Developing People Helping employees improve their knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Knowledge is the cognizance of facts, truths, and other information. Attitudes are habitual personal dispositions toward people, things, situations, and information. Skills are the abilities to perform specialized work with recognized competence 28 28 14  11/25/2024 Whom and how to Develop? Employees Successors follow the managers’ personal examples of continuous improvement in knowledge, attitude, and skills find suitable candidates within their organizations to succeed themselves coach inexperienced employees on the job enrich employees’ work experience by institutionalizing a job rotation career planning programs team assignments 29 29 15