Engineering works at the intersection of scientific thought and societal demand. Engineers pursue the arenas they enjoy, and through their labors, generate profound economic and societal change. Their legacy has also been to fundamentally change how they engineer and what they produce. Thus they diffuse new technologies and propagate a series of generational changes. We now cope with techno-cultural change emanating from several generations of prior art; it is as likely that some of our work today will ripple throughout the full extent of the twenty-first century with no less profundity. This is quite amazing when one considers that strategic planning seldom looks further than 10 years down the road.
Let us be more specific and consider the work of a 28-year-old, largely self-educated. In his first published work he analyzed an existing structure hitherto conceived and prototyped by passionate experimentalists. It happened that the careers and general well-being of a community came to hinge upon the stability of this structure, and he asserted that it could now only be maintained with reason, knowledge, and law. Further, he hypothesized that as the structure matured, the creative forces of passion would inevitably turn destructive. In fact, by articulating a role for reason he was warning against the influence of subsequent iconic inventors-their motivations had to value new creations over preservation and thus the original structure could not last. (Reading such statements today, one might wonder whether the structure in discussion was a software or database design.) He could not have then known that he was also warning against what was to become his very own ascendancy. Twenty-two years later, Abraham Lincoln became the 16th president of the United States and shepherded a democratic nation, still considered experimental, through its most difficult test. He could not have fully understood the prescient content of his message, let alone how close to home it would eventually strike. We now know in retrospect that he eventually saw to the preservation of that very structure, a nation's democracy, and yet today that first orated broadcast of a country boy still rings true.
What has this to do with the management of engineering? Much. The advent of democratic society extended the role of applied technology far beyond the wishes of the warring and the curiosities of the eccentric to the activities of farming, shipping, communications, manufacturing, and even at home. Many technologies seem to have their genesis tied to the passions of fully committed inventors-veritable madmen in their day-while refinement and enhancement derived more often from the measured consideration of more disciplined followers. Thus steam power, through the occasion of several unfortunate boiler explosions, served to formalize engineering as a disciplined practice. It had become a societal need. The great circularity of this is that the society that nurtured engineering has found this discipline now a principal component in the sustenance, propagation, and evolution of both democracy and economy.
This seems like big stuff. Do we engineering managers really know what we are doing? Well, somewhat, but not completely. One can practice this profession fairly well without regard for larger implications. Faculty members have done as much. Often when I hear engineering promoted as a career opportunity I hear it billed as an opportunity to work with technical things and technical people. Of itself, that holds little lasting significance. I believe much greater opportunities and responsibilities attend the profession. The mental discipline required for professional practice is not so different from that required to uphold a democracy. One needs accurate information, the ability to understand and apply all relevant laws, to always proceed with deliberation and care, and to track the results. These attributes have given many in our profession the ability not only to sustain themselves well, but even to evolve in new directions-often at higher levels of influence and leadership. Keep in mind that this coincides with a few other sectors of society that seem to persevere with nary a disciplined thought or informed point of view. To which lot is the best future of democratic living dependent? Accordingly, I believe it remains a responsibility of ours to inspect and contemplate the activities and needs of our communities. I also believe that the opportunity exists to exert informed influence and propagate into our environment a greater respect for this use of knowledge and reason.
The substance and image of engineering offers an interesting dichotomy. Its perception as a tiresome trade does not fit with the urgency with which its ideas and products are sought. Given that image is a fickle thing and that substance is not, perhaps the profession need not change but only become more accurately understood. The profession's dilemma stems from its requisite need for disciplined thought and orderly process. Because engineers can engineer does not mean they effectively sell engineering as a profession or manage it as a business. Those that learn to set strategy, sell ideas, and lead effectively will do quite well. It is upon us to extend our reach of awareness, concern, reason, and influence. This not only presents the practice of engineering as much more exciting and relevant to society, it represents the development of managers into leaders.
Survey Response
For all of you who took the time to complete the questionnaire contained in the last issue of the Review: Your efforts are greatly appreciated, and the extent of response was surprising and strongly favorable. More important, excellent suggestions for further improvement were offered. One suggestion is the initiation of a recommended reading list. Read on.
Maybe Great Books
Engineering managers need to function effectively on numerous fronts, and currently there are few reading resources that help them span the horizon. At your recommendation we have solicited titles from various sources and are compiling a list of recommended reading which, as it unfolds, is intended to provide good reference for you across your range of responsibilities. The list contained in this issue-not yet reviewed-is the Review's first step. Commencing with the Fall 1997 issue of the Review, a handful of titles will be briefly reviewed. The great ones will stay on the list, and the others will be banished never to distract you again. The grand list of favorably reviewed books will be published annually in the Winter issue of the Review. Not only is this for your reference, it should be useful to others in your organization (e.g., new employees) seeking to expand their field of view. Tell us which critical titles we have overlooked.