NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Department of Electronic Engineering

Engineering Management [TEE 3255]

9: Engineers as
Managers/Leaders
 Lesson Outline

• Introduction
• Career Paths of a Typical Engineer
• Why Engineers Fail as Managers
• Leaders and Managers
• Leadership Styles, Qualities & Attributes
• Leadership skills for the 21st Century
• Unique Engineering Managers’ Contributions
• Conclusion
Introduction
 Introduction

• Engineering managers lead teams, groups, units,

or enterprises to generate highly technical
products and services.
• Technical talents are important prerequisites for
becoming leaders, as most engineering
professionals do not readily accept superiors with
weak technical credentials.
 Introduction

• Engineering education trains engineers for certain

managerial functions and empowers them to:
• Think logically, methodically, and objectively while making unemotional
decisions based on facts and data
• Analyse problems and define technologically feasible solutions
• Understand what motivates other STEM professionals
• Evaluate work with highly technological contents
• Plan for the future, address the company’s needs in technology,
productivity, and cost-effectiveness
• Discuss technical information with customers
• Possess technical expertise that supports high-quality decision-making
 Introduction

• Only 26% of CEO’s in the top 1000 companies had

their first degrees in Engineering (more in foreign
countries)
• Only 10% of university presidents are engineers
• Few engineers are in Congress
• President Jimmy Carter was the only engineer,
but he did not get re-elected
 Introduction

• Engineering mind-set and attitude not compatible

with management work?
• Education preventing engineers from becoming
great leaders?
• Strengths in engineering have become
weaknesses in management?
• Differences in work done by engineers versus that
by managers?
Career Path of a Typical Engineer
 Career Path of a Typical Engineer

Executive
Positions
Midlevel
Positions
Technical
Contributor
Engineering
Student
 The Engineer as Technical Contributor

• The engineer does high quality, technical work

based on a solid understanding of engineering
fundamentals, effective application of basic
principles, and sound technical judgment.
• The engineer needs to be easy to work with.
• The engineer must exhibit strong motivation to
learn and improve, a high degree of maturity and
professionalism.
 Midlevel Positions

• On the technical career path, the engineer may

assume greater responsibility for highly technical
projects.
• The expected key contribution is to add value
through technological leadership related to new
technology products and processes by invention
and unique application of emerging technologies.
 Midlevel Positions

• Not everyone wants to become a manager

because of:
• Long hours and hectic life (overtime, travel)
• High stress level (pressure of deadlines,
constraints of resources, political infighting, lack of
peer cooperation, trivial personnel conflicts)
• Poor family life (not seeing family much)
• Health hazards (travel, unhealthy foods, physical
stress)
 Midlevel Positions

• However, some STEM professionals favour

moving into management for these incentives:
• Financial rewards
• Authority, responsibility and leadership
• Power, influence, social status and prestige
• Career advancement, achievement and recognition
• Random circumstance
 Midlevel Positions

• More conventional is the managerial ladder, which

requires the engineer to spend less and less time
on engineering/technology issues and tasks and
more time on managerial assignments.
• The expected key contribution is to add value by
deciding on the correct technology-centred
projects for the company to pursue, and by
securing the needed resources for implementation.
 Midlevel Positions

• The midlevel positions along the technical career

path include such titles as senior engineer,
consultant etc.
• On the managerial career path, these positions
are equivalent to group leader, section engineer,
manager, director, project manager etc.
 Midlevel Positions

• Technical ladder positions are less quota-limited

than the corresponding positions in managerial
ladder
• Transfer from positions in technical to managerial
ladder is somewhat more easier than the other
way around
 Executive Positions

• Promotion along the technical career path is

primarily based on company needs.
• Promotion on the managerial ladder is subject to
tough competition as the available executive-level
opportunities are more restricted.
• Once in executive positions, engineering managers
are expected to exert leadership in creating new
visions and implementing technological strategies
to foster business successes.
 Career Path of a Typical Engineer

First-line Mid Manager Executive

Supervisor
Technical 70% 25% 5%

Managerial 25% 50% 25%

Visionary 5% 25% 70%

 How to Get Promoted

1. Competence in current assignments - master

current duties and responsibilities, gain respect
of co-workers and get favourable
recommendation from the boss
2. Readiness and desire to become manager -
handle larger and more challenging assignments
(budget, people, impact)
3. Good match with organizational needs
Why Engineers Fail as Managers
 Why Engineers Fail as Managers

• Lack of political savvy

• Uncomfortable with ambiguous situation
• Tense personality
• Lack of risk-taking willingness
• Tendency to clinch on technology
• Lack of human relations / inter-personal skills
• Deficiency in management skills and perception
• Not cognitive of manager’s roles and responsibility
• Narrow interest and preparation
 Why Engineers Fail as Managers

• According to Broder (1992) some engineers:

1. Hate company politics
2. Do not build a personal network
3. Are uneasy trying to fit into an organizational
culture because of strong beliefs, unique value
systems, rigid principles and attitudes
4. Have an engineering mind-set that is rational,
efficient, and introspective.
Why Engineers Fail as Managers

5. They prefer cognitive knowledge (facts) to

using intuition and gut feelings.
6. Too serious in their approach to professional
life e.g. unable to say no and ask for help, take
mistakes personally.
7. Low tolerance for risks.
8. Lack of willingness to delegate.
Leaders and Managers
 Leaders and Managers

• Companies need both leaders and managers.

• Management is needed to ensure that complex
organizations operate orderly & improve.
• Leadership is needed to deal with changes faced
by organisations due to changes in technology,
market and competition.
• It is believed that strong leadership with weak
management is no better. In fact it is sometimes
actually worse—than the reverse.
 Leaders and Managers

• Leadership & management are distinct, yet

complementary systems of action

Effective leadership Effective management

produces useful change controls complexity

Effective leadership + good

management = healthy organizations
 Leaders and Managers

• Managers:
• advocate for stability and the status quo i.e. reduces
uncertainty
• keep organization functioning properly and create orderly
results
• Components
a) Planning & budgeting
• set goals, plan actions
b) Organizing and staffing
• secure resources, set up structures,
c) Controlling & problem solving
 Leaders and Managers

• Leaders:
• advocate for future-oriented change and new approaches to
problems i.e. creates uncertainty
• Components
a) Setting organizational direction
• set vision and direction, create strategies
b) Aligning people with the direction via communication
c) Motivating people to action
• empower, inspire and gratify needs of people to move
forward
 Leaders and Managers
Characteristics Managers Leaders
Focus • Do things the right ways • Do the right things
• Administration, problem solving • Direction setting
• Reconcile differences • Creativity and innovation
• Seek compromises
• Maintain balance of Power
Emphasis • Rationality and control • Innovative Approach
• Accept and maintain status quo • Challenge status quo
• Putting out fires • Blazing new trails
Targets • Goals, resources, • Ideas
• Structures, people
Orientation • Tasks, Affairs • Risk taking
• Persistence • Imagination
• Short-term view • Long-term perspective
 Leaders and Managers
Characteristics Managers Leaders
Success Factors • Tough-mindedness • Perceptual capability
• Hard work
• Tolerance
• Goodwill
• Analytical capability
Points of Inquiry • How and when • What and why
Preference • Order, harmony • Chaos, lack of structure
Aspiration • Classic good soldiers • Own person
Favor • Routine • Unstructured
• Follow established procedure
Approach with • Using established rules • Intuitive and empathetic
People
 Leaders and Managers
Characteristics Managers Leaders
Personality Team-player Individualist
Relevance Necessary Essential
Thrust Blend in Stand out
Bring about compromise Lead Changes
Achieve win-win
Mentality "If it isn't broke, don't fix it" "When it isn't broke, this maybe
the only time you can fix it."

Adapted from Abraham Zaleznik, "Managers and Leaders: Are they

Different?" Harvard Business Review (March-April 1992), and Warren Bennis,
"21st Century Leadership," Executive Excellence, Provo (May 1991).
Leadership Theories
 Leadership Theories

• The Great Man Theory of Leadership:

• Leaders are exceptional people, born with innate
qualities to lead (great leaders are born, not made)
• Portray great leaders as heroic, mythic
• Great leaders will arise when there is a great
need.
• Term 'man' was intentional - concept was
primarily male, military and Western
 Leadership Theories

• Trait Theory of Leadership:

• Leaders possess traits that are fundamentally
different from followers.
• Often identifies particular personality or
behavioural characteristics shared by leaders.
• People who make good leaders have the right (or
sufficient) combination of traits.
• Biggest criticism was its inability to conclusively
identify the traits of “born” leaders.
 Leadership Theories

• Behavioural Theory of Leadership:

• Behavioural theories of leadership do not seek
inborn traits or capabilities but behaviour and
actions e.g. production / people orientation
• The behavioural theorists identified determinants
of leadership and trained people to be leaders.
• Therefore:
• Leaders can be made, rather than are born.
• The best styles of leadership can be learnt
 Leadership Theories

• Contingency Theory of Leadership:

• Leadership is more flexible – different leadership
styles are used at different times depending on the
circumstance.
• The situation and not traits or styles determine
whether a particular leadership style will be
effective.
 Leadership Theories

• Transformational Leadership:
• The ability to change an imbedded organizational
culture by creating a new vision and marshalling
the appropriate support to make that vision the
new reality.
• Assumptions
• People will follow a person who inspires them.
• A person with vision and passion can achieve great things.
• The way to get things done is by injecting enthusiasm and
energy.
 Leadership Theories

• Charismatic Leadership:
• The Charismatic Leader gathers followers through
personality and charm, rather than any form of
external power or authority.
• “To me, charisma is almost the definition of
leadership” - Jim Clark, founder, Silicon Graphics
• Assumptions:
• Charm and grace are all that is needed to have followers.
• Self-belief is a fundamental need of leaders.
• People follow others that they personally admire.
Leadership Styles, Qualities & Attributes
Leadership Styles

Autocratic

Laissez- Leadership
Democratic
faire Styles

Bureaucratic
 Autocratic Leadership

• Style is very rigid and the leader is in total control.

• Manager retains power and decision-making authority.
• Manager relies on power & position to keep
subordinates in check
• Dictate work methods & orders are issued to be carried
out, with no questions allowed & no explanations given.
• Rarely DELEGATES responsibility to subordinates.
• It is best applied to situations where there is little time
for decision-making or where the leader is the most
knowledgeable person of the team.
 Democratic Leadership

• Participative style
• Encourage employees to be involved in decision making.
• Delegate, let employees determine the work methods
and use feedback to coach employees.
• Employees feel involved and are more motivated and
creative.
• It is best applied where staff require a great deal of
flexibility to complete the task or where the staff know
the job well and do not require too much instruction.
 Bureaucratic Leadership

• Everything must be done according to procedure or

policy.
• The company operates in a rational manner rather than
relying on the feelings of the managers.
• It is best applied to situation where employees are
working in dangerous environment that requires a
definite set of procedures to operate.
 Laissez-faire Leadership

• “hands-off” style
• Manager provides little direction and gives employees
freedom to make their own decision at work.
• This style can be effective where employees are highly
qualified in an area of expertise.
 Paternalistic Leadership

• Leader acts as a ‘father figure’ who knows better

• Paternalistic leader makes decision but may consult
• Believes in the need to support staff
 Activity / Class Discussion

• Which leadership style should be adopted by the

management in the following situations? Briefly explain
your answer.
a) A newly recruited employee who is expected to pick up work in
short time, the manager is being a coach to direct him in work.
b) The existing project team who knows their job well and does not
require too much instruction. The manager simply let the team make
their own decision and provide feedback when they need help.
c) An employee who is the expert of his job and knows more about the
job than the manager. There is no need for the manager to give
instruction and the employee is free to make his own decision at
work.
 Activity / Class Discussion Solution
Situation Leadership Reason
Style
a. Autocratic The employee knows little about the task assigned
but the manager is the most knowledgeable person.
b. Democratic The team knows the job well and they can complete
their works automatically with limited instruction
given. Manager can allow the team to participate in
decision-making.
c. Laissez- Employees are highly qualified in an area of
faire expertise and manager can simply provide little
direction and gives employees freedom to make
their own decision at work.
 Which Leadership Style is the Best?

• Many factors such as the

leader’s base of power, the
difficulty of the task, and the
characteristics of the
employees will help determine
the most appropriate
leadership style in any
particular circumstance.
• No one single leadership style
is the best of all.
 Leadership Styles

• Goleman identified these styles:

1. Authoritative (“come with me”)
2. Affiliate (“people come first”)
3. Democratic (“what do you think?”)
4. Coaching (“try this”).
• Leaders should minimize the use of two additional
styles, namely:
5. Coercive (“do what I tell you”)
6. Pacesetting (“do as I do now”).
 Emotional Intelligence

• All great leaders have a high degree of emotional

intelligence:
1. Self-awareness
2. Self-regulation
3. Motivation
4. Empathy
5. Social Skills
 Inspirational Leadership Qualities

• Leaders typically have vision, energy, authority,

and strategic direction.
• However, leaders will not succeed if there are no
followers and therefore they must be inspirational:
• Approachability and humility (humanity)
• Tact
• Tough empathy
• Uniqueness
 Leadership Attributes

• Leaders are those who have special knowledge,

are accessible, exhibit charisma (the natural
ability to attract followers), and possess the
authority to delegate.
 Leadership Attributes
A. Ability to provide direction
1. Visionary: is able to build and project
beneficial images
2. Conceptual: is able to give the best
explanation for most events
3. Focused: is goal oriented
C. Capacity to develop relationship with others
9. Relater: is caring & can build trust
10. Developer: desires to help people grow
11. Multi-relater: has a wide circle of
relationships
12. Individuality perceiver: recognizes
people’s individuality
13. Stimulator: is able to create good
feelings in others
14. Team leader: is able to get people to help
each other
B. Drive to execute—related to motivation
4. Ego driven: defines oneself as significant
5. Competitive: has the desire to win
6. Achiever: is energetic
7. Courageous: relishes challenges
8. Activator: is proactive
D. Management system—related to management abilities
15. Performance oriented: is results-oriented
16. Disciplined: is able to structure time and work
environment
17. Responsible and ethical: is able to take psychological
ownership of one’s own behaviour
18. Arranger: is able to coordinate people & activities
19. Operational: is able to administer systems that help
people to be more effective
20. Strategic thinker: is able to do what-if? thinking and
create paths to future goals
Leadership Skills for the 21st Century
 Leadership Skills for the 21st Century

• Engineering managers need to have business

savvy in order to lead in the 21st century.
• Business success in the 21st century requires
global connectivity, innovative discoveries centred
on customer satisfaction, enhanced performance
of people and technologies, alternative
organizational frameworks, real-time responses,
and enduring self-examination.
 Leadership Skills for the 21st Century
1. Leading with a strategic focus and vision. Advancing and articulating a value proposition that represents a
proposed model to create value to companies’ stakeholders.
2. Managing multiple points of view simultaneously, such as those from customers, suppliers, shareholders, and
employees. Remaining flexible and adaptable in dealing with technology, working with people, and forming
business networks. Being capable of negotiating for solutions that are acceptable to parties involved.
3. Keeping high-level goals in sight, while managing and tracking day-to-day success. Keeping the spirit of the
enterprise alive.
4. Fostering productive changes. The boiled frog syndrome is explained as follows: If you put a frog in a pan full of
cold water and slowly turn up the heat, the frog will boil to death rather than jump out. If you drop a frog in a pan
full of boiling water, however, it will jump out immediately. The moral of the story is that, if people do not sense a
significant need to change, they may not get out of their comfort zones and change what they are doing. Usually,
effective leaders are needed to convince people of the need to change.
5. Being inspirational, technologically savvy, entrepreneurial, and devoted to customers’ needs.
6. Investing in a business model that guides employees’ decision-making at all levels.
7. Devising and maintaining transformational knowledge systems.
8. Accessing relevant information rapidly in light of the explosion of available knowledge bases.
9. Understanding how global business practices have evolved.
10. Learning quickly while not relying on what is already known or understood.
 Success Factors for the 21st Century

• Engineering managers need to have business

savvy in order to lead in the 21st century.
• Business success in the 21st century requires
global connectivity, innovative discoveries centred
on customer satisfaction, enhanced performance
of people and technologies, alternative
organizational frameworks, real-time responses,
and enduring self-examination.
Unique Engineering Managers’ Contributions
Unique Eng. Managers’ Contributions

• Technological intuition and innovation are the

areas that engineering managers can and should
excel at.
Unique Eng. Managers’ Contributions

• The areas in which engineering managers are

expected to make significant contributions are:
• Gatekeeping
• Technological Intuition
• Technological Innovations
Unique Eng. Managers’ Contributions

• The following are additional broad-based

contributions expected of engineering managers:
1. Use of specific new technologies in product design—novel use
of materials, parts, subassemblies, production technologies,
and other components.
2. Application of web-based technologies to e-transform the
enterprise in order to achieve refinements in process
efficiency, quality, speed, or customer satisfaction.
3. Selection of enterprise integration tools for expediting
business information collection, transmission, and processing
in order to realize speed, cost, and quality advantages.
Unique Eng. Managers’ Contributions

• Contributions ctnd.:
4. Alignment of networking partners to secure competitive
advantages in supply chains, production systems, and
customer service.
5. Looking out for new technology-based tools that could
facilitate serving customers better, cheaper, and faster, with
products that have a greater degree of customization.
6. Employment of new technologies and innovations to add
value to stakeholders other than customers.
7. Scanning literature to constantly learn the best practices of
technology management in the industry.
Conclusion
 Conclusion

• A very good start is knowing what is needed to

become (a) an effective engineer, (b) a good
engineering manager, or (c) an excellent
engineering leader.
• The next step is to learn the skills and capabilities
to shape one’s own attitudes, and to acquire the
attributes needed to become effective
 Conclusion

• The third step is to lead and contribute in creating

competitive advantages in strategic
differentiations and operational excellence for the
enterprise.
End of Engineers as Managers/Leaders