SEATWORK

 Situation:
Due to the global pandemic, the company faces a tough time in
the market place, and so it must scale down its workforce. The board
has the following options for the employees:
1. Quit voluntarily. This could be attractive to several bright young
engineers whom the company does not want to lose.
2. Last in First out. This could result in the loss of young and more
versatile engineers.
3. Early retirement of those within 10 years of their normal retirement
age. This could cause a loss of engineers with valuable product
knowledge.
4. Reverse ranking in performance records.
What methods, or combination of methods should the company use to
reduce employment?
 Answer:
Based on the results
obtained, in using the Kepner-
Tregoe method, with the
assigned weight factors to all
the criteria, the method of last
in and first out (Option 2) should
be chosen to reduce
employment.
 Support Tools for Decision Making:
▪ Forecasting
▪ Regression Analysis
▪ Risk Analysis and Project Management
▪ What-if Solver
▪ Simulation Modeling
▪ Decision Trees
▪ Optimization
▪ Artificial Intelligence and pattern recognition tools
▪ Expert or knowledge-based systems
 Decision Making by Gut Instinct
 What is Gut instinct?
❑ By feelings
❑ By conscious, rational and logical thoughts
❑ By subconscious, intuitive and emotional thoughts
❑ The theory of intuitive thinking claims that accumulated past
experience enables some people to bundle information to
easily store and retrieve.
❑ Professional judgement can be reduced to patterns and
rules.
❑ Instincts can sometimes be wrong.
 Decision Making in Teams
❑ Engineering Managers may also make decisions by using the inputs
generated by teams.
❑ Three factors in managing group decision-making process: conflict,
consideration and closure.
❑ Required leadership talent on:
a. Active solicitation of divergent viewpoints
b. Acceptance of ambiguity
c. Wisdom to end a debate
d. Ability to convince people
e. Ability to maintain balance
COMMUNICATING
 The purpose of communicating is to create understanding and
acceptance of the facts, impressions and feelings being
communicated.
 When communicating, we must have a clear purpose in mind and
ensure that the message is understood and retained.
 Forms of communication:
❑ One-on-one meeting
❑ Phone conversation
❑ Written memo
❑ Staff meeting
❑ Email
❑ Video conferencing
❑ Online meeting
❑ Web posting
 (4) key actions in an effective communication:
1. Asking
❑ Request for information proactively
❑ A lack of information can prevent understanding
2. Telling
❑ Transmitting information
❑ The need to know
3. Listening
❑ To enhance understanding of words and subtext
❑ Maintain concentration by self-discipline and control to talk and interrupt
4. Understanding
❑ Ultimate goal of communication
❑ Need to recognize the shared meaning (emotional and logical)
❑ To assess sincerity by observing body language, intonation and facial
expression.
 Communication Barriers:
1. Interpretations of words and terms
2. Selective seeing
3. Selective listening
4. Emotional barriers

 Guidelines for Effective Communication:

A. Know what to say and say what is meant
B. Understand the audience
C. Secure attention
D. Obtain understanding
E. Ensure Retention
F. Receive feedback
G. Get actions to enhance communications
 Example:
The company decided to move its engineering center to another
location since it was running out of space. The new location was to be
modern and had been planned as a showpiece for the company.
Management felt certain that the employees would welcome the move.
Negotiations were started with several local governmental authorities for
suitable accommodations.
To keep the workforce informed, it was agreed that the employees
would be told that a move was to be made, but that as yet no site had
been chosen.
This communication let to wide speculations among engineers as to
new site, and various rumors circulated. Some engineers with families
decided to look for alternative employment elsewhere, fearing that the
new location would not be within commuting distance. Moral fell and
productivity suffered.
Negotiations took longer than anticipated, and no suitable site had
been found after six months. By then, morale was so low that the
company decided to abandon its relocation plan altogether. To
overcome the space problem, the company split the engineering group
by putting a smaller team into another factory site nearby.
What went wrong? How would you have handled this case differently?
 Answer:
❑ To communicate or not to communicate?
❑ The early relocation announcement caused anxiety in the minds of affected
engineers
❑ A lack of progress in site negotiations compounded these anxieties causing
low morale and decreased productivity, leading to abandonment and
quick fix solution.
❑ The announcement should have been done after finalization of the
negotiations and acquiring the specific site, by staff meeting it must include
the following details:
A. The location of the new site
B. A request for the support of all engineers in making the relocation as smooth as
possible. The purpose of relocation is to provide better facility for everyone.
C. The date by which the relocation is to be completed.
D. Description of company’s plan to fund all relocation costs and offer assistance in
selling and buying homes, if the relocation is more than 100 miles away.
E. The assistance of HR department to answer specific questions.
MOTIVATING
 To motivate is to apply a force that excites and drives an individual
to act in preferred ways. Emphasis is given to motivational forces
that cause the individuals to willingly exert their best efforts.
 Methods of Motivation:
A. Inspire
B. Encourage
C. Impel or Urge someone to do something

➢ How to Motivate?
❑ Participation
❑ Communication
❑ Recognition
❑ Delegate Authority
❑ Reciprocate Interest
 McGregor’s Theory of worker motivation:
- A person’s needs are grouped into hierarchical levels:
1. Physiological needs
2. Safety
3. Social
4. Esteem
5. Self-actualization
 Example:
Company X recently installed an incentive system in the production
department. Each person receives incentive payments (+ to hourly
payments) for any work done beyond the work standards established for
each job. After one month, the production manager noted that there was
only a small increase of 4.5% in production. How would you comment on
this result?
Answer:
The incentive program may have failed realizing the projected benefit due
to the following reasons:
1. The incentive may be too small relative to base hourly rate that the
workers are earning.
2. Management may have made a mistake of not having consulted with
the workers to understand their specific hierarchy of needs.
3. If the production workers are unionized, the union leadership may have
played a role in discouraging workers to compete against each other for
additional pay.
SELECTING ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES
 Selection Process:
A. Define needs
B. Specify jobs
C. Acquire applicants
D. Review and prescreen
E. Conduct interviews
F. Decide on job candidates
 Soft Skills:
A. Interpersonal skills – ability to get along with people
B. Aptitude for teamwork – team dedication and participation
C. Flexibility – learn several jobs, change shifts and work overtime.
D. Drive to improve continuously – make and take constructive criticism.
 Character:
- Companies hire employees with character and then train them to acquire
the requisite technical skills to become productive.
 (8) Guidelines for Superior Leadership:
1. Maintain absolute integrity
2. Be knowledgeable
3. Declare expectations
4. Display unwavering commitment
5. Get out in front
6. Expect Positive results
7. Take care of people
8. Put duty before self-interests