Be sure to read Part 1 of this article, about the rise of the engineering management degree and the importance of ethics in management.

Leaving the ‘black box’

Traditional design engineering occurred in a sort of “black box” environment. Engineers would receive requirements and after some time would turn out a design for management; as a highly technical activity, managers were likely to be much more interested in the finished design than in the design process itself.

The 2007-2008 financial crisis created a business environment requiring financial growth with tighter budgets and smaller staff. According to Lifecycle Insights CEO Chad Jackson, this persisting environment is spurring engineering management to prioritize total operational transparency, and as such take a greater interest in highly technical work that formerly took place within the design engineering “shop.” In Jackson’s view, total visibility is now expected from the shop floor to the C-suite.

This trend creates a potential challenge for executives and design engineers to align on which metrics indicate departmental effectiveness. Jackson said engineering management and executives naturally target deliverables like drawings and models as a measure of operational effectiveness, but in reality a great deal of work could be done on a design without producing a single finished deliverable. Both parties are responsible for coming to an agreement on acceptable metrics.

Remote teams

Information technology innovations increasingly allow for the possibility of remote work, which can have a significant positive impact on worker wellbeing. Managers are increasingly responsible for either completely virtual teams or a combination between in-office staff and remote workers. In large organizations, these teams may number several dozen or even hundreds of people.

Managing a virtual team presents managerial problems, such as the inevitable alienation of remote staff and potential communication difficulties, that can be improved by relatively simple strategies. Implementing a five-minute “personal time” during team meetings, in which remote workers can share details about their lives with in-office staff, helps strengthen the bonds of a geographically disparate team. Familiarity with communication strategies like writing or speaking to a specific audience and following up on email can improve communication with both remote and in-house workers.

The changing face of cultural fit and diversity

The engineering workforce contains multiple generations of workers, each with their own attitudes, preferences and work habits. The rise of the millennial generation — those born between roughly 1981 and 1996 — was a prominent trend in the last decade. Engineering360’s Pulse of Engineering survey found that millennials consume content differently and have different expectations of managers, as well as different expectations about the sheer nature of work than their older colleagues. Engineering managers are increasingly tasked with the need to be sensitive to the disparate ideas and expectations of a diverse workforce.

Managers must also be sensitive to changing views of the nature of employment discrimination. Current human resources research is increasingly asking whether hiring based on “cultural fit” is a cover for discrimination and ultimately stifles diversity. While there is no clear consensus on this idea, managers need to be aware that the human resources tide may be turning away from the idea of cultural fit.