PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT
Chapter 1:The Environment in which Technical People
Work
Hester Jackson
The Environment in which Technical People Work
Learning Outcomes
• Define what an engineer, technologist, and scientist is;
• Explain the role of engineers in society
• Engineering skills and knowledge
• Engineers as (project) managers, executives and supervisors
• The organizational and other life cycle
• Characteristics of the environment in which as engineer work
The Engineer, Technologist & Scientist defined
Engineer : a person who designs, builds, or maintains engines,
machines, or structures.
According to The Engineering Council of the South Africa);
Engineering is the practice of science, engineering science and
technology concerned with the solution of problems of economic
importance and those essential to the progress of society.
The Engineer, Technologist & Scientist defined
Technologist : somebody who uses or applies technology. Technology is needs
driven, whereas curiosity and speculation about the natural world usually drives
science.
The aim of technology is:
• To create and improve artefacts and systems that will satisfy human needs or
aspirations.
• Success is judged in terms of, for example, performance, efficiency, reliability,
durability, cost of production, ecological impact, safety-and end-of-life
disposability
The Engineer, Technologist & Scientist defined
Scientist: Scientists generally aim to produce theories that can be
tested experimentally in the public domain and valued according to
criteria such as simplified elegance, comprehensiveness and range of
explanatory power.
The role of Engineers in Society
Many roles can be assigned to engineers. They may include
• Guardians of new innovations,
• Creators of technological change,
• Driving force behind prosperity of a nation,
• Raise living standards and bring benefits to society as a whole.
Engineers are entrusted with difficult and dangerous projects; they are called on to
make ethical decisions; they provide needs, fulfils aspirations, generate the driving
force behind prosperity, builders of dreams and fantasies of a nation.
Skills and Knowledge
• Engineers need some non-technical skills and knowledge to be
successful in the business environment and.
• The wide range of skill used by engineers is one of the reasons why
engineering is such an exciting and challenging profession.
• Engineers often have to combine technical skills with various nontechnical skills and knowledge.
• Technical skill-and creative talent are not enough for an engineering
practitioner to survive in today's business environment.
Skills and Knowledge
• Engineers need some non-technical skills and knowledge to be
successful in the business environment and.
• The wide range of skill used by engineers is one of the reasons why
engineering is such an exciting and challenging profession.
• Engineers often have to combine technical skills with various nontechnical skills and knowledge.
• Technical skill-and creative talent are not enough for an engineering
practitioner to survive in today's business environment.
Communication
Systems Thinking
Problem defining
Project
Management
Skills and Knowledge
Professionalism
Quality Control
Law and Contracts
Problem Solving
Human issues
Ethical behaviour
Innovation
Entrepreneurial
Marketing
Technical Skills
Team
work
Engineers as Executives, Project Managers,
and Supervisors
• Engineers not only generating ideas and design objects, They also
manage projects, administer budgets and direct others to implement
their ideas.
• It is especially for the execution aspect of their ideas that engineers
need management knowledge and skills.
• Many engineers spend much or their working lives managing rather
than directly practicing their engineering specialization.
• Within 10 years of starting their careers, many engineers
• take on leadership and management roles.
Challenges of Engineering Managers
• Engineering managers have responsibilities in many different areas.
To manage a team, they must have a clear, deadline-driven vision for
every project.
• Learning how to make strategic short- and long-term plans, manage
time, deal with stress and set goals can help new managers succeed.
• Developing a schedule for regular check-ins with team members is
important for effective team performance.
Challenges of Engineering
Managers
• An essential skill that can be tricky for new managers to master is
how best to motivate their teams.
• Managers who take the time to learn what motivates each team
member — and provide that motivation to the best extent possible —
can increase collaboration and overall productivity. While
transitioning to a new career is always a challenge, assuming a new
role in engineering management can be easier with proper
preparation.
Organizational life cycle
• All successful organizations are started al some point and tend to
become larger and more complex over time.
• A number of researchers have proposed that the changes that take
place during the life of an organization follow a certain pattern, called
the organizational life cycle.
• lt is important to note that the same methods and knowledge
(project management body of knowledge) that is used to manage the
initial project for establishing a facility such as a plant or factory can
also be applied to manage some of the activities that take place
during the operational stages of such facilities.
Organizational life cycle
Characteristics of Environment in which
Engineers work.
• Social Environment
Management is a social science. One definition of management is 'to
get things done through people’.
The success of a business depends largely on bow well management
can get employees to work together.
Social responsibility of Engineering profession is commitment to place
public safety and interest ahead of all considerations.
It means that engineer takes into account and show due regard for the
consequences of their conduct for wellbeing of others as well as the
impact of their work on society.
Characteristics of Environment in which Engineers
work.
Social Environment
• An ethical business environment will ensure that workers are not
exploited and that engineers can be trusted by society. Technology is
neutral but can be used in constructive or destructive ways by
people-.
• Technologies such as nuclear fission can for example be used
constructively to generate electricity (assuming that the nuclear
waste can be stored safely) or destructively to develop nuclear
weapons that can be used to destroy life and habitats.
• Society expects engineers to have the right values. Nobody wants to
be killed or injured in a collapsing shopping mall, soccer stadium or
on a badly designed road.
Characteristics of Environment in which
Engineers work.
Economic and international Environment
Organizations impact negatively on the physical environment when
they release high concentrations of harmful chemicals into water
bodies, the air and soil.
Such acts of pollution can impact negatively on people living in the
vicinity.
Management Practices deals with environmental legislation;
management of the design of products and processes to minimise its
impact on the environment; and how an organization could contribute
towards sustainable development.
Characteristics of Environment in which
Engineers work.
The institutional political environment
Economics rule our lives to a large extent. People, companies and even
governments are restricted by limited resources and have to do the
best with the resources they have.
The political environment can pose a risk to companies in the form of
higher taxes, tougher legislation, changing legislation and even the
nationalization of companies.
Characteristics of Environment in which
Engineers work.
The technological environment
The technological environment is influenced by the level of scientific
and technological development in society.
The changing technological environment, and the way an organization
adapts or pre-empts these changes, could have a significant impact on
the success of an organization.
Engineering Council of South Africa
• The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) is a statutory body established in terms of
the Engineering Profession Act (EPA), 46 of 2000.
• The ECSA's primary role is the regulation of the engineering profession in terms of this
Act. Its core functions are the accreditation of engineering programmes, registration of
persons as professionals in specified categories, and the regulation of the practice of
registered persons.
• Consequently, the ECSA is the only body in South Africa that is authorized to register
engineering professionals and bestow the use of engineering titles, such as Pr Eng, Pr
Tech Eng, Pr Techni Eng, Pr Cert Eng, on persons who have met the requisite professional
registration criteria.
Why register with ECSA
• Peer Recognition - By registering you receive recognition from the ECSA’s committees
that you meet the minimum requirements expected of a professional person. This
recognition extends to colleagues, as well as all other practitioners in the profession.
• Public Confidence - The professional recognition you receive by becoming a member of
the ECSA instils a sense of confidence in the mind of the public, since they can be
assured that your competence has been assessed by other professionals (knowledgeable
in your field of expertise).
• Membership of Certain Voluntary Associations- Many institutions, for example the SA
Institute of Industrial Engineering (SAIIE), requires that you be registered as a
Professional Engineer before you can be granted corporate membership.
Why register with ECSA
• International Recognition - The ECSA is a co-signatory to the "Washington Accord" – an agreement
in which the registering bodies of countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom
and Ireland recognize each other’s accredited university degrees in engineering. This not only
confirms that your academic qualification is internationally acceptable, but also enhances your
marketability.
• Marketability - More and more employers are requiring registration with the ECSA as a
prerequisite for appointment to certain engineering positions. If you do not register, you will find
it increasingly difficult to find employment in responsible engineering positions.
Why register with ECSA
• Exclusive Use of Reserved Names - When you register, the Act entitles you to use a particular
name (and abbreviation), describing your particular type of registration - such as Professional
Technologist (Pr Tech), Professional Engineer (Pr Eng). Using any of these reserved names or
abbreviations, if you are not registered with the ECSA, is a criminal offense.
• Statutory Empowerment - The Engineering Profession Act, 2000, (Act 46 of 2000) as well as other
Acts, provide for the reservation of work of an engineering nature for the exclusive performance
by registered persons.
Conclusion
• Engineers and engineering managers need both technical and nontechnical skills.
• Technical skills arc self-evident and some of these non-technical skills are
discussed in this chapter:
• Engineering is a holistic discipline that does not focus on a single objective,
such as the design and construction of a technical workable product.
• lt should also focus on whether that product fulfils societal needs.
• It can therefore be argued that a holistic approach should be followed in
the education of engineers, while at the same time taking educational and
time constraints into consideration.
References
• Nel, W., 2007. Management for engineers, technologists and
scientists. Juta and Company Ltd.
• https://www.ecsa.co.za
• https://www.ihaveapc.com/2013/07/when-engineers-fail-ethicscourse-funny/