Chapter 17
Achieving Effectiveness as an Engineer
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
17-1. Q: How should Fayol’s 1916 “Advice to Future Engineers” be modified to better fit the world 80+
years later?
17-2. Q: Suggest some ways in which newly graduated engineers can “make their mark” in early
assignments on the first job.
17-3. Q: The text urges you to choose your boss carefully. How can you try to accomplish this practically?
A: There is no clear-cut answer to this question. Any professional must continually evaluate his or
17-4. Q: Your job exists because your boss has more work than one person can do. What does this tell you
of your priorities?
17-5. Q: If someone in an outside group declines to provide the support services you need, despite your
most tactful requests and explanations, what do you do next?
17-6. Q: For each of the eight ‘career fields’ described under “Charting Your Career” tabulate the skills,
interests, and special preparation that might assist in starting such a career.
A: One could respond to this question at great length -only some initial thoughts are provided below:
(2) Research and design careers: A continuing interest in participating in the advance of science and
(3) Engineering management careers: Engineers motivated more by the desire for power, influence,
(4) Entrepreneurial careers: The entrepreneur combines the motivations of an engineering manager
(5) Consulting careers combine many of the same skills and interests of the entrepreneur with the
(7) Academic careers require a PhD and an interest in students and ability (or willingness to work at
(8) Other careers: Engineers may find their careers turn in unexpected directions due to chance
17-7. Q: How do the ‘career stages’ of Super and/or those of Dalton and Thompson fit your concept of
your own career?
A: This question has no single answer, but is intended to encourage the professional to think through
17-8. Q: Pick a specific engineering activity or project and identify the information input and output
involved (see Figure 17-1).
17-9. Q: Pick an engineering job and outline the communication requirements involved in it.
17-10. Q: You must meet with your staff of 20 engineers and technicians to introduce them to a demanding
new program they will all be involved in. (a) Discuss how you will prepare for this oral presentation.
(b) What precautions will you take during this talk? (c) Why might you prepare a written
communication in addition to the oral presentation?
17-11. Q: Take a fresh look at a report you have written sometime in the past. How might you have made it
more useful to the busy reader?
17-12. Q: Define and use the words in each of the following frequently confused pairs: (a) moral/morale;
(b) personal/personnel; (e) principal/principle; (d) affect/effect; and (e) capital/capitol.
A: This short list of word pairs is frequently misspelled/confused by students of management (which
last they also ought to be expected to spell correctly). The sentence below illustrates usage; the
17-13. Q: Prepare three or four frames suitable for photocopying as viewgraphs or slides for use in an oral
presentation on making effective oral presentations (or other assigned topic).
17-14. Q: Discuss how the engineer who moves into managerial work can nonetheless stay up to date.
A: Staying up-to-date requires deliberate effort, since the manager is not working in technology day-
17-15. Q: As the new vice president for R&D in a high technology firm, you are concerned about the
increasing technical obsolescence of your professional staff. Discuss the actions you might take and
the programs you might support to reduce this problem.
A: The section on “Methods of Reducing Obsolescence” emphasizes effort by the individual (who,
17-16. Q: What are the regional and national sources of continuing education in your specialty? (Include
courses offered through your employer if applicable.)
A: Courses, seminars, workshops, etc. offered by professional societies, trade associations,
17-17. Q: What are the significant primary and supporting professional societies in your area of
professional interest, and how do they fit into Weinert’s four groups?
17-18. Q: Discuss the extent to which professional registration and/or certification is useful in your broad
field of professional interest.
A: In most civil engineering design or construction assignments and some other consulting
17 -19. Q: What is the percentage of women in the freshman class and in the last graduating class in the
school of engineering at your university? Compare it with national trends.
17 -20. Q: Repeat Question 17-1 for each underrepresented minority, and compare this with the percentage
of minorities in the population and high schools from which your school primarily draws students.
17 -21. Q: What is the percentage of women and underrepresented minority among the graduate assistants
and the faculty in your school of engineering? If it is low, what might be done to increase it?
A: The drop-off from B.S. to M.S. to Ph.D. of women and of minorities in engineering as a percent
17-22. Q: For a company with which you are familiar, identify (a) any inhibitions that exist to equal
opportunity for female and black professionals, and (b) any deliberate programs to increase such
opportunity.
17-23. Q: The “dual career ladder” concept was developed to offer technical professionals an equal
alternative to a management career, but often proves less successful than hoped. Why do you
think this is so?
A: This question may lead to discussion. Badawy [Developing Managerial Skills in Engineers and
17-24. Q: Gee has listed attributes of researchers that indicate a potential for management. What would you
include in a similar list for engineers involved in design or manufacturing?
A: The eight attributes listed in the first paragraph under “Preparing for Managerial Responsibilities”
17-25. Q: You are an experienced engineering manager in a growing organization, have just selected several
capable engineers for promotion to their first management positions, and are responsible for guiding
their growth into their new responsibilities. (a) What are some of the skills your new managers will
need to acquire, and (b) what advice will you give them about the new problems they will face?
A: (a) Skills listed by a graduate class included delegation, coaching, interviewing and evaluating
17-26. Q: As owner of a company making roller conveyor systems, you must appoint a new manager for
your customer service group, which is made up equally of engineers, technicians, and clerical
personnel. One candidate is an engineer who has designed many of your systems but has had no
management responsibility; the other is a business administration graduate now heading your public
relations effort. Discuss the pros and cons of appointing each of these.
A: This question is primarily to initiate discussion. Clearly, there is insufficient information. Has the
17-27. Q: In what ways are master’s programs in business administration (M.BA) or in engineering
management deficient as preparation for a management position?
17-28. Q: Select a specific aspect expected in tomorrow’s world (from this chapter or from other sources),
and discuss its impact on engineers and engineering managers.
17-29. Q: Record your expenditure of time about every hour in 10áminute segments. At the end of the
week, categorize your use of time for their contribution to A-, B-, and C-quality objectives. Report
briefly on your findings.
17-30. Q: Identify the top several “time wasters” in your life (from the “top 10” in the chapter and any
others you identify). What might you do to reduce their effect?
17-31. Q: Estimate how your personal energy level varies throughout the day. How might you use this
information in planning your activities?
A: Each individual should ‘know thyself.’ The author is quite aware that he is least effective at 8-