Engineering Management: Riphah International University

RIPHAH INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Engineering Management
Lectured By
Engr. Rabia Khalid
People at Work
Department of Electrical Engineering

People at work
• The traditional methods of managing people
at work are based on the rational , structural,
scientific thinking that is inherent in Western
culture and practically in our scientific and
engineering education.
• In early years of twentieth century the
American engineer Fredrick W.Taylor
developed the principles of what he called
scientific management.
• According to Taylor industrial production
process should be based on scientific
principles of measurements and control.
• Working people could be helped to develop
skills , and these skills are more effectively
developed if the workers are made to
specialize.
• Taylor theories contained an essential flaw.
• People are not willing to scientific treatment.
(Individuals and groups can behave in ways
that are not predictable.)
Modern Ideas of motivation and
management
The Hawthrone Experiment:
• The Hawthorne effect is named after what
was one of the most famous experiments (or,
more accurately, series of experiments) in
industrial history.
• Previous studies, in particular Frederick
Taylor's influential ideas, had focused on the
individual and on ways in which an individual's
performance could be improved.
• Hawthorne set the individual in a social context, establishing
that the performance of employees is influenced by their
surroundings and by the people that they are working with as
much as by their own innate abilities.
• The original purpose of the experiments was to study the
effects of physical conditions on productivity.
• Two groups of workers in the Hawthorne factory were used .
• One day the lighting in the work area for one group was
improved dramatically while the other group's lighting
remained unchanged. The researchers were surprised to find
that the productivity of the more highly illuminated workers
increased much more than that of the control group.
• The Hawthrone experiments were applied to production line
workers performing repetitive , manual tasks.
Deming’s 14 points
• W.E.Deming is best known for his 14 points for
management which he described in his book
Quality, Productivity and competitive Position
in 1982.
• A core concept on implementing total quality
management, is a set of management
practices to help companies increase their
quality and productivity.
1. Create constancy of purpose for improving products and services.
2. Adopt the new philosophy.
3. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality.
4. End the practice of awarding business on price alone; instead, minimize total
cost by working with a single supplier.
5. Improve constantly and forever every process for planning, production and
service.
6. Institute training on the job.
7. Adopt and institute leadership.
8. Drive out fear.
9. Break down barriers between staff areas.
10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations and targets for the workforce.
11. Eliminate numerical quotas for the workforce and numerical goals for
management.
12. Remove barriers that rob people of pride of workmanship, and eliminate the
annual rating or merit system.
13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement for
everyone.
14. Put everybody in the company to work accomplishing the transformation.
Individuals’ Talent and Motivations
• Individuals have talents that vary over wide
ranges of type and quality.
• Some of these are fixed and probably determined
by birth , some developed with time.
• According to the theory of Mcgregor
1. People do not inherently dislike work, and in fact
prefer to enjoy it.
2. People’s commitment to wok is related to the
rewards they receive, respect, and fulfillment
• The productivity of knowledge workers such
as engineers , whose work is difficult to
supervise and measure is critically dependent
upon motivational factors.
TEAMS:
• If we need a team that include skills in
analogue design and motor control , we can
either employ two specialists or one engineer
who is experienced in both areas.
• However , The motivation of teams is even
more complex and sensitive than that of
individuals.
• The common factor in any situation is the
happiness of the team: despite the challenge,
which might even involve negative motivators
such as fear or discomfort.
• The performance of the team is strongly
influenced by their leaders. (Official , unofficial)
• The team managers must optimize the
contributions of the individual stars and those of
the team working together
Committees and Meetings:
• A committee is a special form of team.
• Committees are formed to deal with a
defined topic over an indefinite period.
(Executive committee , action team)
• Committees are led by people who exert
influence or power.
Stress:
• Stress seems to have become an obvious
feature of the modern workplace.
• Loyalty between workers and employers , in
both directions , is not expected nor
extended.
• Of course not all stress is damaging.
• Transient job pressure, personality issues and
personal problems have always generated
stress.
• Happy people work better , and stresses
people are not happy.
Conflict:
• Engineering teams must work together for
long periods, and members join and leave as
project proceed and as individuals are
promoted , transferred and retired.
• However , effective teamwork is crucial to
successful engineering.
• Engineering managers must first seek o
prevent friction and conflict by careful
selection, development and leadership.
Stupidity:
• We have all, like everyone who lives, works
and otherwise interacts with other people,
observed stupidity in action.
• Albert Einstein observed :” The universe and
stupidity are infinite. I am more sure of the
infinity of stupidity than of the universe”.
• Stupidity is also not the opposite of
intelligence.
Applying the new management to
engineering
• Engineering is based on science; indeed,
numeracy and rationality are essential
qualities for successful engineering.
• So, it is natural for engineers to plan, organize,
measure and control.
• Striking the right balance and withstanding
the pressure and temptation to extend control
is most difficult, yet the most essential
component of the art of management
• Liberating and empowering engineers by
giving them broad but challenging objectives,
such as the main performance and cost
targets and time to market , then giving them
the authority to make and change their own
detailed plans generate surprising results.
• The new management philosophy places great
demands of leadership, knowledge , vision,
and courage at all levels of management.

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RIPHAH INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Department of Electrical Engineering

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