session 5 university of southern california ise544 june 4, 2009 geza p. bottlik page 1 outline...

Session 5University of Southern California

ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Outline

• Engineering management


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Informality Discussion

Last week, you had a discussion about informal discussions in meetings. To me, it comes back to a discussion about respect for other people’s time. Where I work, most of us are working overtime and have several meetings a day. When I go into a meeting and the informal discussion at the beginning takes longer than a few minutes past the meeting start time, then I feel that my time is being wasted. I have a lot of work to get done and I already spend, in my opinion, too much time in ineffective meetings. I want to get to the point, get something accomplished, and get to other work that needs to get done (even if that is in another meeting that is hopefully effective).

Chris Roberdeau

Very good point – I always felt this way also. Our training in conducting meetings vastly improved on these behaviors


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Team building - negotiations


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Question

• When I saw the components the managerial task, I thought it was necessary for manager to train his subordinate. In real case, in a large company, persons of personnel department may administrate the employee. However, if a company is so small like a venture company, managers have to guide subordinates for next generation. Is to bring up manager manager’s task?

Daisuke Takao


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Direction of people

1. Leading

2. Motivating (see next page)

3. Communicating

4. Coaching

5. Handling organizational power and politics

6. Managing conflict


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

• What are specific examples of motivation plans? (Badawy p. 10 #2).

– Rewards and recognition programs

Team awards, attendance, employee of the month, etc.

– Training opportunities

– Regular informal recognition t staff meetings

– Internal seminars to present work

• Which groups/functions are more likely to have conflict than others? (Badawy p. 10)

– Those that have to share scarce resources

• Gretchen Halldin


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Team recognition


ISE544 June 4, 2009

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Preventing Managerial Failure

Roles and responsibilities of Technical Managers

Common problems facing engineering and R&D supervisors

Ingredients of managerial competency

Managerial skills mix

Managerial Failure

Preventing managerial failure


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Roles and responsibilities

Responsibilities to

People

Management

Society

Variations in activities

Basic research

Directed research

Development

Product support


ISE544 June 4, 2009

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Roles and responsibilities (continued)

Environments

Government contracts

Commercial products

Project organizations

Functional organizations

Formal hierarchies

Informal organizations


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Question

Political at office

I have found this word many times in the textbook, but I am not quite sure about its meaning. Am I correct if I say “political is probably a way of people trying to take advantage for themselves”? I think, within the severe business, managers have to be political to handle with people.

Can you give me an example of a manager who is political in a positive way?

Is the skill learnable or innate?

Thinawut nuntajantoon


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Fundamental Principles for Tech Managers - Thoughts

In response to Thinawut Nuntajantoon’s question on Slide 11 – From Kristin Denner

Politics is essentially another word for “people skills”

Requires understanding of someone‘s intentions and motivations

Related to your relationship with your superiors, peers and subordinates

Means that you use your understanding of that relationship to get them to do something

It can be learned

Requires awareness of the business culture, and the relationships of people in that environment

Need to pay attention to how people react in various situations

Here’s the “politics part” - Modify your behavior (or that of those around you) to influence that reaction


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Fundamental Principles for Tech Managers - Thoughts

Seen as negative because some use it as a tool to get what they want, without regards for the feelings of others

No one likes to be manipulated.

However if used correctly, can be positive. It’s oftentimes what gets things done.

Example: Your group needs a particular technical expert, who has been known as difficult to work with. He tends to be demanding to those he works around, and is inconsiderate to his neighbors. You offer the expert a position in your group, but give him “his own office” down the hall. This gives him a feeling of power and status, but keeps him isolated from the rest of the team. Your team appreciates this since they do not have to deal with him all the time, but he is available for technical assistance when they want to walk down the hall for his help.


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Roles and responsibilities (continued)

I repeat three from page 24:

Provide answers with inexact and incomplete input

On tight schedule and within restrictive budget

Work with people


ISE544 June 4, 2009

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Common problems

Technical Supervision

Budgeting time and effort

Communications

Personnel

Keeping current


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Common problems

Difficult performance appraisals

Neglecting managerial aspects of the job

Developing decisiveness

Narrow perspective of the job

Financial consciousness


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Ingredients of managerial competency

Knowledge

Skills

Administrative

Technical

Interpersonal

Attributes

Will to manage

Empathy


ISE544 June 4, 2009

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Managerial skills mix


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Managerial Failure

An interaction of many factors

Individual

Ability and judgment

Emotional, physical, motivational, addictions

Group

Family or work group pressures

Environment

Economic

Company policies

Cultural and physical environment


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Preventing failure

Understand common myths

Leaders are born

A manager can manage anything

There is a best way to do things

Avoid self induced failure

Get along with people

Adapt and manage change

Don’t be self centered

Don’t be afraid to act

Get over it


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Preventing failure (cont)

Watch for bad signs and ideas:

Philosophical differences between management levels

Adventurous top management

Shoot the messenger

Frequent turnover at the top (see next page)

Too many consultants

Excessive jargon


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

I strongly disagree with the authors statement on page 43, Signs that endanger the well being of a company – D) The organization is headed by a succession of CEO’s, none of whom last for more than three years. This is a very provocative statement in today’s business environment where the stakeholders demands are constantly changing and the real guys running the show is the board of directors where hopefully the chairman of the board is not the CEO in questions. But overall, I don’t think that bringing in a new leader if the last one wasn’t up for the job is a sign of weakness in any shape or form for the company.

-Prerna Kumar


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

From Technologist to Manager

How technologists see themselves (see next page)

Professional accomplishments and challenges

Management as a career path

Career choices and the transition to management

Why technologists switch to management

Troublesome transition


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Engineer’s Dilemma and Manager’s Dilemma

After taking their responsibilities in their own positions for a long time, engineers and managers often forgot to view problems from a global and complete perspective, or by putting on others’ shoes.

This often causes the dilemma between engineers and managers. Engineers always tends to be quantitative/objective and under most circumstances, they like to deal with numbers, symbols and equations. The answers they pursue are often the types of “either-or”, “black-white” and “correct-wrong”. In a sense, engineers live in a world of preciseness.

By (Bill) Hongzhong Jia


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Engineer’s Dilemma and Manager’s Dilemma (cont)

Managers usually tends to be qualitative/subjective and they like to issue commands, handle people, play politics, and manipulate authorities. Usually, they take actions based on indecisive information. In a sense, managers live in a world of fuzziness.

We can refer to the joke in the next slides to see the dilemma between engineers and managers.


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

A Story of Engineer vs. ManagerA man in a hot air balloon realized he was completely lost. He spotted a

woman on the ground below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help? I

promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am now.”

The woman below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 12 meters above the ground. You are 40 degrees north latitude and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist."I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is that I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far".

The woman below then responded, "You must be in management."

"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are due to a lot of hot air. You made a promise which you don’t know how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is that you are in exactly the same position before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault!"


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Badawy Chapter 3

While the “dual” ladder system is a nice concept, I don’t see where this will ever be fully implemented such that the rewards for the technical track are equitable to the management track. There continues to be a glass ceiling at a certain point on the technical track.

Nelda Howell


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

• Chapter 1 – Badawy book

The last sentence on page 3, “Managers, therefore, are those who make things happen”, brought a smile to my face. I have worked with engineers who have the opposite opinion. To them, engineers are those who make things happen and managers are paper-pushing people. I do not share either of these two sentiments completely. There are good managers and bad managers just as there are good engineers and bad engineers.

I agree with some of the five major premises on page 18. I agree that managers are made, not born. I disagree with the author that there are no poor engineers. I agree that management is an applied social science as well as an art. I agree that management is a skill where to learn, one has to practice it. Finally, I don’t completely agree that the primary problems of engineering and R&D management are not technical. There certainly are human issues, but the manager has to understand technical issues and make the right decision.

Tu Lam


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

How technologists see themselves

Improvements in job satisfaction, thinking that they are held in high esteem and more comfortable with their public image

(How many TV shows or movies have engineers in them??)

Job satisfaction comes from:

Opportunity to be creative

Salary

Diverse jobs

Opportunities for personal growth

Relationship with peers

Company’s technical reputation


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Chapter 3

Question:

What are the important issues for companies in the job satisfaction survey?

Comment:

Companies can use the job satisfaction survey to examine the overall management performance within the company. It helps companies to ensure the productivity and the maximum profit. One of the most important issues for companies today is how to keep outstanding technologists. Money is not the most important to all technologists today. Instead, they think satisfaction is more important. They care about more in the satisfaction to their companies including the budget for new equipments and research fund, the respect to their design, and the product success in the market.

Chia-Ming Yeh


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

How technologists spend their time

Areas of increases

Conferring with others

Routine paper work

Meetings

Areas of decrease

Research

About the same

Design

Satisfaction increases with research, design, and conferring with others


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Accomplishments in last 25 years rated highly by EEs in 1992

Computers

Microelectronics

Apollo

Comsat and other satellites

Disappointment in lack of growth of automation


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Challenges

New products for managing information

Need for continuing education

Conversion to peacetime markets

Revitalizing US industry

Keeping engineers employed


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Management as a career path

One out of every three engineers winds up as a manager

Analytical skills

Optimization of complex systems

Simulation techniques

Things in common with managers

Orientation favors the organization over the profession

The author suggests that scientists find the transition to management more difficult than engineers

Some supervisory responsibility will become an integral part of your job regardless of career goals!


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Career choices

Strong motivation to manage

Ties to specialty vs. rewards of management

Professionally loyal technologist


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Comments on Management

My previous supervisor a very good, nice person and a extremely competent engineer. We all know that he wants to be fully technical, and he was wanted in couple troubling programs. However, he was asked (or more like forced) to be a supervisor while still keeping his technical responsibilities. Due to his passion in engineering, the demands from different programs and his undesired-ness to manage people, he was not be a good supervisor. He did all the paper work he needs to do. However, he does not have the “personality” to be a manager who will fight for his employee, or he does not know how to help his employee to be a better engineer. At the end, he finally switched back to all technical and he is much happier, and I, as an engineer, receive much more guidance and help from my current supervisor in my career. From my experience, the will to manage is the most important element because the will would make one wants to be better at their job even though he may not have all the skills.

Patsy Chan


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Why switch

Financial

Authority, leadership, responsibility

Power, influence, status

Advancement, achievement, recognition

Fear of obsolescence


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Perceived Status


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Question

The need for the power

In the ingredients of managerial competency, the strong need for the power which is one of the attitudinal characteristics is not clear to me. Can you imagine the boss who always forces you to do what he want? This is the power. If one really need for the power, how can we guarantee that he will be a good manager?

Do we need to limit the boundary of this kind of power?

Thinawut Nuntajantoon


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Troublesome transition

Switch for the wrong reasons

Ill equipped for it

Why?

Nature of technical education

Nature of Management systems

Nature of engineers


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

In CASE STUDY 3.1, “Ed the Engineer.” If you were Ed, how would you have handled the issue with Mike (taking credit for Joe's idea and getting promoted in the process)? Personally, I probably would have stayed out of it, as Ed did.

Harry Arsene


ISE544 June 4, 2009

Geza P. Bottlik

Badawy – Chapter 1-3

Badawy excluded people from “management” that do not have any direct subordinates. His point was that companies make too many positions into “managers” that may not truly fit the definition. Is this realistic? There are some necessary managerial functions in a functional organization for which a subordinate would be useless. Some of the jobs out there may be planning, organizing, ordering, scheduling – essentially “Managing” an entire process without fitting Badawy’s definition. Thoughts???

-Chris Hjorth

The project manager without subordinates comes to mind, as do a lot of staff positions where the staff person performs many of the functions of her/his manager

session 5 university of southern california ise544 june 4, 2009 geza p. bottlik page 1 outline...

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