IEE MANAGEMENT & DESIGN DIVISION: CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS

Engineer to manager — the challenging transition

J.R. Thompson, BSc(Eng), CEng., FIEE

Indexing terms: Management, Education and training, Engineering administration and management

Abstract: The paper reviews the roles of managersand the attributes required. The capabilities ofengineers are then considered in relation to thepractice of management, and the impressions heldof engineers by nontechnical people are quoted.Management education and training are seen tobe vital steps in the conversion of engineers tomanagers. Those engineers who have not receivedacademic education in management can obtainthe necessary help from on-the-job managementtraining. The IEE has a role to play in encour-aging engineers to prepare themselves formanagement posts, which they can usually filleffectively.

1 Introduction

Engineers by nature have been happy to immerse them-selves in the solution of problems, to concern themselveswith making things work and contributing to the wealthand wellbeing of their fellows by their skills in the practi-cal applications of science and technology. It is perhapsbecause of this concentration on hardware and practicalmatters that so many myths and fables have developedabout members of our profession.

It is alleged that engineers are more concerned withthings than people, they lack communication and behav-ioural skills — even social graces! Their obsession withthe use of high technology and the latest techniques intheir search for the optimum solution, irrespective ofcost, clouds their judgement. The critics would probablysay that they are not the stuff of which managers aremade. Engineers, they state, lack the inclination, educa-tional breadth and skills to become managers and, in anycase, an engineering course is no preparation for manage-ment.

The facts are of course quite different from the myths.Perhaps engineers could improve their communicationskills. Maybe they are concerned with optimum solutionsbut, as one of the leading wealth producing professions,they can and do search for the cost-effective answer. It istrue that until fairly recently the education and trainingof engineers was devoted to technical subjects to thealmost complete exclusion of so-called 'arts' topics.Nevertheless, many engineers do become involved in themanagement of projects and people and achieve con-siderable success.

Paper 4869A (M3, M4) delivered before the IEE Management & DesignDivision on the 21st October 1986Mr. Thompson is a consultant with Techint International TechnicalCompany, Via Maggio 2, 6906 Lugano, Switzerland

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Most engineers who become managers do not havethis goal in mind at the start of their careers. How oftenhas one heard young engineers say that their interest is inengineering design and development and not manage-ment and administration? It is not really surprisingtherefore that the young engineering manager is oftenhandicapped by a lack of knowledge of managementtechniques. Where successful management depends ontechnical know-how and competence, engineers makegood managers.

In the purely technical field there is a tendency for theteam leader or project manager to be an engineeringspecialist first and a manager second. In this role he willbe forgiven his lack of formal management skills and willgain the respect and confidence of his team by hissuperior subject knowledge, experience and technicaljudgement. He will be readily accepted as the team leaderor manager on this basis. When the time comes for theengineer to broaden his horizons, perhaps satisfy person-al ambitions by seeking promotion, lack of managementtraining could be a stumbling block.

2 On being a manager

Before attempting to identify the knowledge, skills andpersonality traits required for successful managementthere would be merit in considering the managementrole.

It has never been easy to define what a manager is, orwhat he does. Most definitions have been so broad as tobe virtually meaningless and the diversity of tasks under-taken by managers defies simple classification.

Instead of attempting to find definitions it wouldperhaps be better to consider the manager's job, i.e. whathe does. Cynical subordinates tend to say 'very little'!This reaction probably stems from their belief that themanager has a butterfly mind, is constantly pickingthings up and putting them down, changing directionand decisions, always on the move. Mintzberg, in hisstudy of chief executives, identified what might be calledthe 'ten minute itch', everything including desk work, dic-tation, interviews, tours of plant, seemed to occur in tenminute bursts. Does the busy executive choose to operatein this fashion or is it imposed upon him by the job?There is some evidence that many managers enjoy thehectic life style and the varied roles they play.

Rosemary Stewart in 'Choices for managers' describesthe manager's job as made up of demands, constraintsand choices. She suggests that while some jobs are mainlyabout doing what you have to do (meeting demands)others are more about deciding what to do from thebewildering array of options (making choices), both beingsubject to constraints. The individual manager has the

IEE PROCEEDINGS, Vol. 134, Pt. A, No. 1, JANUARY 1987

freedom to exercise discretion in shifting the balancebetween demands constraints and choices. He can forexample change the constraints or reduce the number ofdemands.

Mintzberg has identified ten roles for the manager:

Interpersonal roles:

Informational roles:

Decisional roles:

FigureheadLeaderLiasonMonitorDisseminatorSpokesmanEntrepreneurDisturbance handlerResource allocatorNegotiator

Charles Handy in his book 'Understanding organis-ations' suggests the rather more colloquial terms 'leading'for 'interpersonal roles', 'administrating' for 'information-al roles', and 'fixing' for 'decisional roles'.

The mix of roles undertaken by the manager will varyfrom job to job, although every job will contain some ofeach. In general the more senior the manager the largerthe proportion of leading roles. Middle managers will bemore involved with administrative roles and line mana-gers or supervisors will spend much of their time in fixingroles.

It will be appreciated that all management jobs aredifferent and contain a different mix of the specified roles.It does not follow that the ability to succeed as amanager with a certain mix of roles is evidence that thesame person will be as successful with a different mix.Some are better fixers, administrators or leaders thanothers. Success as a supervisor does not ensure success asthe managing director, or vice versa! Many successfulchief executives have started their careers as engineeringapprentices, but there have also been instances of largeand prestigious companies being brought close to col-lapse by poor quality management, by managers pro-moted from the shop floor.

Having dealt, albeit briefly, with the management roleand identified some of the problems one can sympathisewith the lack of enthusiasm among some engineers forsuch a role.

3 Motivation towards management

Design and/or development engineers discussing theirjobs and career prospects generally react against changeand certainly against involvement in management andadministration. There is a fear of being divorced from'real' engineering. They enjoy the design process, involve-ment in hardware and the laboratory/design-office atmo-sphere. They are comfortable in their relationships withfellow engineers and designers, enjoy solving the techni-cal problems. Engineers are by definition interested inthings, and how things work. The national perception isthat this is somehow different from an interest in howpeople and organisations work and that there is a greatchasm between the two interests. This is nonsense. This isnot to say that people can be treated as things ormachines, even though an organisation is just a bigmachine. Perhaps the schools are at fault in attemptingto separate their pupils into two types of people, the artsand technologists. This may explain why engineers are

wary of the administrators with their politicking,wheeler-dealing, bureaucracy and endless meetings. As agroup they do not relate easily with nontechnical peoplein the workplace, and for some reason often feel uncom-fortable with them.

Beuret and Webb in their paper entitled 'Goals ofengineering education' make a number of points relatingto the engineer's self perceptions, and contrast them withthe outsider's view of the engineer. They say that engi-neers lack confidence and do not see engineering in thebroader business context. They suggest that although theengineer's education may be technically satisfactory itequips him poorly for the broader tasks of engineeringand effectively debars him from other roles.

Perhaps more informative are the asides made toBeuret and Webb by people interviewed for their report:

(i) Engineers are inflexible, unadaptable, convergentthinkers, unable to manage people and to seethemselves in a wider context, (marketingconsultant)

(ii) I didn't realise how narrow engineers were until Itook a psychology course, with its different waysof thinking, (project manager)

(iii) They are loath to write reports, tend not to seekinformation. They don't research their argu-ments well and have not learned to use libraries,(information officer)

(iv) Engineers can't empathise. They don't see theneed to persuade. They are dismissive ofunquantifiables even if they are important,(employment manager)

(v) Sales and marketing walk all over the engineers.I get up against the whiz kid marketing peopleand since I can't argue they rip me apart, so Itend to keep quiet, (mechanical engineer)

(vi) Engineers are an insular breed who consider itunnecessary to be concerned with the profit-ability and efficiency of the organisation as awhole, (manager)

(vii) A reluctance to justify costs — it is seen as ques-tioning their expertise, (engineering accountant)

(viii) They don't understand about the decision-making process. They'd rather leave it to theexperts. Meetings are always managed bysomeone else, (commercial manager)

(ix) The gap between management and graduateengineers in this company has widened sogreatly it cannot be bridged. There is no commu-nication between the two groups. Graduate engi-neers leave, (design engineer)

Whether or not these remarks are true, it is sufficient thatthey have been made. It is not pleasant to see ourselvesas others see us, but such comments cannot be ignored.There is doubt about the engineer's suitability for tasksoutside those for which they have been trained; not onlyin the engineers themselves but among the people withwhom they work.

Should these views discourage engineers and deterthem from becoming managers? Surely not; engineersclaim to be practical people and what is more practicalthan a desire to improve ones status, standard of livingand quality of life? There is little doubt that in the man-agement stream it is easier to obtain financial rewards.The manager is likely to enjoy greater personal freedomto organise his work, is able to influence policy and deci-sion making. Many enjoy the feeling of being in themainstream, and there can be real job satisfaction. It is a

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fallacy to see engineering as being isolated from manage-ment. The engineer may design or develop an artifact butmanagers are an essential part of the team which makesthings happen and brings the product to the marketplace. Since engineers must work with managers and areaware of their activities and skills the transition fromengineer to manager need not be dramatic.

Peter Walker is a Cabinet Minister with personalexperience of management. Recently he emphasised theneed for more and better managers and added that thestatus of the engineer and the manager in this country isabsurd. There is no doubt that trained engineers can anddo make excellent managers, and the UK is desperatelyshort of such people.

It would be unwise to suggest that all engineers shouldimmediately clamour to become managers. Engineersshould, however, re-examine their attitudes and look atthe advantages and disadvantages, decide if they have thenecessary talents and interest and think about theirfuture career pattern on a different basis. It is not asimple go or no go situation because a number of factorsare involved and the decision may not rest entirely withthe individual, but it is an option worthy of consider-ation.

If, as is being suggested, there is common groundbetween management and engineering where are thedivergences? Is it an easy task to identify the skills andattributes required by managers?

4 Attributes and skills for managers

If it was possible to provide a list, acceptable to themanagers and the managed, of the attributes and skillsnecessary for good management, life would be mucheasier. Many people have strong views on what isrequired, hopefully there may be some measure of agree-ment with the following suggestions:

(i) There is no 'right' or wrong personality, althoughextremes of aggressiveness and shyness are bestavoided.

(ii) There should be a desire to manage and an enjoy-ment of the management function,

(iii) There must be an interest in people and pleasurein working with and through them,

(iv) The manager must be flexible, predictable, andconsistent.

(v) He must be an individual with his own person-ality, able, when necessary, to stand alone andkeep his own counsel.

(vi) Managers must keep up to date and be aware ofnew developments.

Decision-making is an important attribute of a managerand is at the very heart of good management. PeterDrucker has said that 'the most common source of mis-takes in management decisions is the emphasis on findingthe right answer rather than the right question'. Engi-neers would agree with this. The engineer/manager isfaced with innovations, new techniques, an ever increas-ing rate of change of technology, all of which makedemands on his precious time. But time spent in definingthe problem is well spent. Hasty decisions based on insuf-ficient investigation and fact finding can be costly. It alsohas to be appreciated that the optimum solution is oftenunobtainable and frequently a compromise decision isnecessary to enable progress to be made.

The skills required by a manager are many and wouldcertainly include the following:

(a) the ability both to communicate and to listen(b) an appreciation of the importance of human rela-

tions(c) some knowledge of psychology — but not too

much(d) social awareness(e) patience(/) self control(g) analytical skills(h) leadership skills(i) skills in problem identification and solution(j) decision making(k) self motivation and organisation.

Many engineers would claim, with justification, that theyneed most of these attributes and skills to do theirpresent job. Does this not suggest that engineers mayalready possess a number of management qualitieswithout being aware of it?

5 Management education and training

Managers who are promoted from the ranks of engineer-ing may have received no management education ortraining. If left to fend for themselves they may develop amanagement style based on experiences of managers forwhom they have worked. They may adopt styles whichreflect those of people they considered to be good andeffective managers or consciously reject the styles of themanagers they have disliked. Neither style may suit theirpersonality or their present organisation.

It is not being suggested that existing managerswithout formal management education and training areincompetent. There are many doing a superb job. Ingeneral, however, it is possible to improve managementperformance by appropriate education and training.Unfortunately training alone does not necessarilyproduce good managers any more than engineering edu-cation and training necessarily produces high qualityengineers.

It is important to distinguish between managementeducation and management training, because they arequite different.

Management education has traditionally been associ-ated with the acquisition of management concepts andtheories in an academic environment such as a university,polytechnic or business or management school.

Management training is normally job centred and isdesigned to help the manager perform a given task, or setof tasks, to certain standards or objectives. Ideally traineemanagers should be exposed to both education andtraining.

There is continuing debate as to whether or not man-agement can be taught as an academic subject. In generalthe management schools argue that it can, and that it isessentially a postgraduate, post-experience, discipline.Nevertheless, many management courses have been criti-cised for being too elementary, too theoretical andremote from practice. Management lecturers are said tobe out of touch with modern management practice andto lack relevant business experience.

The management schools are not happy with thepresent education and training position. The manage-ment colleges have sufficient students, the demand forcourses still exists, and yet the people who run them feelthey are not treated with the respect they deserve. Therewould appear to be a general malaise because industry

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and business, the Government and the students do notshare the educators' view that there should be an imme-diate and massive expansion in management education.

A recent paper by Brian Griffiths and Hugh Murray ofthe City University Business School entitled 'Whosebusiness?' proposes a radical plan to shake up businessschools. In essence the paper suggests that businessschools should change from being essentially universitydepartments run by academics with academic ideas andexpectations to market oriented, privately funded estab-lishments with staff engaged on fixed term contractsexperienced in, and motivated towards, the market theyserve. Understandably there has been an outcry fromvested interests at the suggestion that business schoolsare not businesslike. Nevertheless, from the number ofenquiries and reports in progress on management educa-tion, it is clear that not only is there a need for changebut indication that change is not far away.

It is estimated that in the USA about 60000 MBAsare awarded each year and that the UK produces about1200 MBAs each year. The UK also produces about 3000graduates in business studies and about 2500 diplomatesin management studies each year. The MBA has beenunder attack recently in the USA both from industry andthe media. The graduates are accused of being too ambi-tious, too impatient and not worthy of their high salaries.Even so there is no indication of diminishing interest inthe MBA as a business qualification, by students, mana-gers or business although the criticisms may lead tochanges in the approach, emphasis and content of thecourses.

There is also continuing debate in this country on thevalue of the MBA as a management qualification. Britishindustry tends towards a jaundiced view of the qualifi-cation, seeing it as being too academic and unpractical.There is a strongly held view that management is bestlearned on the job and not in the lecture room.

The more forward looking management schools, whilenot fully accepting this view, are in agreement that acloser partnership with industry is necessary and aninvolvement of industry in MBA programmes is desir-able. It is important that industry and managementschools should reconcile their views; there are signs thatan accommodation will soon be reached.

The amount of management education imparted is lessnow than it was say 15 years ago, largely because ofcompany cut-backs. But there has been an improvementin the quality of the courses. There is room for stillfurther improvement. Not the least important is a movefurther away from the lecture room and a greater empha-sis on project work and industrial attachments.

The British Institute of Management, in a recentpolicy statement, said that management developmentshould be a continuous career-long process built on abase of general or specialist education.

The BIM defines management development as ageneral process which includes experience in a variety ofmanagerial positions, specific management education andtraining, self development, and a variety of post-experience learning methods. The Institute confirms theneed for business schools and colleges to move awayfrom the full-time courses towards part-time, work-related courses.

Industry generally prefers short courses to full-timestudy and finds the tailor made in-house company coursebest of all. Short courses in finance for managers arereceiving greater support from industry than courses inmarketing, manufacturing or production management.

6 Availability of management education andtraining

One of the problems is to choose the most suitablecourse from the almost overwhelming range of manage-ment courses available. Probably the easiest way toimprove basic skills is by attending a course at a localcollege or by participating in an in-house companycourse. Many courses are available both from the privateand public sector. In addition to the courses at Ashridge,Henley, the Manchester and London Business Schools,several universities are offering full and part-time MBAcourses. Bradford is a noteable example.

Most polytechnics have a department of managementor are closely associated with a regional managementcentre. A variety of full-time, part-time and short coursesare available from these institutions together with generaladvice on management development.

In the present financial climate, usually only thewealthier organisations can afford to send people on longresidential courses at such institutions as Ashridge,Henley and Cranfield. Many companies can affordneither the cost nor the absence of their managers. Thistightening of the purse strings has caused schools torevise their programmes and offer alternatives to the longresidential courses. Henley, with its slogan 'for peoplewho don't have time for courses' and Cranfield with itsDistance Education Centre are both engaged in distancelearning activities.

Sir Peter Parker, past chairman of the British Instituteof Management, gave his blessing to distance learningwhen he said: 'Distance learning has opened up encour-aging new opportunities in the field of management edu-cation. For both individual managers and organisations,it provides an accessible convenient, relevant and inter-esting form of training that can improve performance andenhance career prospects.'

The Open University established a business school in1983. Since then over 7000 registrations have beenreceived. The courses are of high quality with an empha-sis on practical management skills.

The courses are designed to allow the manager towork at his own pace in his own time, and they require aminimal residential attendance, usually one weekendschool per course. No qualifications are required forentry to the courses which are essentially modular. Eightshort courses are presently available with a further twelveproposed. Each course can be taken separately with asuitable combination of courses and a project leading tothe award of an Open University Diploma in Manage-ment. Not all of the present courses are immediatelyappropriate to engineering managers but the future prog-ramme includes such topics as information systems anddesign for managers.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has intro-duced a qualification called the Diploma in EngineeringManagement. It is possible to prepare for the exami-nations by private study assisted by learning packages,tutorials and short courses organised by IMechE orattendance on courses provided by local colleges. Thediploma is in three parts covering a broad spectrum ofactivities related to engineering management. Prep-aration for the diploma provides an excellent form of selfdevelopment for engineers who are interested in manage-ment. Arrangements have been made for IEE members tostudy for the diploma; further information is availablefrom the IMechE.

In addition to the courses already mentioned there is a

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wide range of management courses offered by com-mercial training organisations. They tend to be ratherexpensive, and care and experience are necessary in sel-ecting those to attend. The British Institute of Manage-ment offers a number of high quality short courses on avariety of topics.

7 Company in-house programmes

These programmes are probably the most effective way ofintroducing management ideas and principles. They alsoprovide an excellent opportunity for the exchange ofinformation and views between company personnel.

It is now generally accepted that management lessonsare best learnt from practical experience, your own andthat of other people. The value of learning from otherexperienced managers is one of the reasons for the highrating received by US business schools. The high repu-tation enjoyed by the schools attracts the best people —staff, students and visiting experts — and results in astimulating environment.

In-house courses should be planned in conjunctionwith experienced management trainers and must be prop-erly structured. The emphasis should be on active partici-pation by the attendees rather than formal lectures. Forthe courses to be successful they must receive the fullsupport of the senior management of the company who,ideally, should take part in the courses and ensure thatreal company problems are addressed.

There is great merit in arranging for a mix of disci-plines in a company course. Engineer managers mixingwith people from commercial, financial, personnel, pro-duction, and marketing departments will begin to under-stand the problems of the other man and benefit from thedifferent approaches to the matters under discussion. It ishelpful too that all the participants are working in thefamiliar context of the same business so it is easier tovisualise the effect any proposals would have on thatbusiness. Experience has shown that with a groupworking together on an in-house course it is easier toimplement subsequently ideas and methodology devel-oped during the course.

8 The role of the IEE

Any discussion of the electrical engineer and manage-ment would be incomplete without a consideration of therole of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

Recurring subjects of debate and concern within theIEE have been the status of the professional engineer, thelay public's perception of his role and the small numbersachieving senior management positions.

Until a few years ago, management fell within theremit of the Science, Education and Management Divi-sion. Following a review of divisional structure, the IEECouncil decided that, with the increasing interest in man-agement and design, a new division embracing these sub-jects should be created. The Management and DesignDivision came into being in 1979.

The Management and Design Division has been activein a number of areas, particularly in promoting consider-ation of the engineer and management. It has set up anumber of working parties, the first on the 'Promotion ofbusiness awareness in engineering'. The report of thisworking party was submitted to Council and led to thecreation of what became known as 'The M4 roadshow'.

A group of enthusiastic members of the M4 ExecutiveCommittee, ably led by its then Chairman Mr. SidneyEmerson, gave 14 presentations to young engineers upand down the country. The presentations, which weregenerally well received, had the objective of makingyoung engineers aware of the importance of commercialmatters and encouraging them to become efficient andsuccessful managers.

A second Divisional Board working party on 'Man-agement education for engineers' is due to report laterthis year. The formation of the working party stemmedfrom the view that there are serious inadequacies in theeducation and formation of the engineers which dis-advantage them in competition for higher managerialand policy-making posts in industry and Government.The terms of reference of the group are wide and aredirected towards examining the case for the inclusion ofmanagement skills and topics in engineering courses. Ifthe case is sustainable then the group will make rec-ommendations regarding appropriate subject matter,types of course and implementation of its proposals. Itwould be imprudent to anticipate the report but perhapsone might be permitted to express some personal views.

There are difficulties in making an absolute case for oragainst the inclusion of management studies in under-graduate engineering courses. There are valid reasons fornot subjecting every undergraduate engineer to a coursein management theory. There is also much to be said forsome work experience to either precede or accompanymanagement education and training.

On the other hand there is general agreement that allundergraduate engineering courses should contain ele-ments which lead to improvements in:

(i) communication skills(ii) interpersonal relations(iii) team activities.

It is suggested that the inclusion of the above activitieswould improve a graduate's performance in the workingsituation, inculcate some of the basic skills on whichmanagement training can later be based and encouragethe young engineer to consider entering management atan earlier date. Early in his career the engineer shouldappreciate that his profession is about wealth creationand service to the community.

It is essential that barriers, real or imaginary, betweenthe engineer and business, the public and the media aredismantled and that the engineer plays a full part inpublic life and the management of the economy. A majortask lies ahead in bringing these changes about. Itrequires significant alterations in the attitudes and think-ing of engineers, academics, the public, the media andeven the politicians. It was Sir Winston Churchill whosaid: 'Engineers should be on tap, not on top.'

There can be too much emphasis on getting right tothe top. There is little need to concentrate on the futuremanaging directors; those with the desire and ability willget there, perhaps with some help and guidance on theway. The main effort should be directed towards themiddle range — the chaps who will probably not becomedirectors, let alone MDs — but who collectively are ofparamount importance because for the organisation tosucceed it must be efficient all through the main body,not just in a few good people at the top.

Professional engineers are not entitled to demandstatus, respect or even the right to manage. All thesethings must be earned having demontrated the necessarycompetence and professionalism.

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As far as the transition from engineer to manager isconcerned the Institution of Electrical Engineers can playa role. By means of management conferences, courses,learned society activities and influencing the attitudes ofacademics and industry an environment must be createdin which it will be not only natural, but expected, that theengineer with the talents and motivation will movetowards management early in his career.

The following quotation from a speech by His RoyalHighness the Duke of Edinburgh is an appropriate con-clusion to this paper:

'Science holds the keys to future development, but ahigh level of pure scientific research can only be sus-tained by successful and profitable industry. We need

all kinds of people, but, above all, we need the wholerange of specialists who can make our industry profit-able and competitive throughout the world. Thiscannot be done by technical knowledge alone, itrequires people with an intelligent concern for humancivilisation. Technology is more than a vocation, it isboth a challenge as well as an opportunity for peoplewho are capable of original thought, who have the fireof ambition in their bellies and who can learn to usetheir judgment.'

If engineers are to successfully effect the transition tomanagement they must indeed be people who are capableof original thought, who have the fire of ambition in theirbellies and have learned to use their judgment.

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