ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT MGT 425 Monday Wednesday 3:30-5:00 pm
BSECE IV Instructor Lean D. Bernardino Ursua
Introduction:
MGT 425 Engr. Luz
There are two main management theories and both have been around since early last century. Both of these theories still revolve around the use of the four main management functions but both different ways. These theories have had supporters across many fields and both are still alive and well today. In 1911, Frederick Winslow Taylor published his work, The Principles of Management, in which he described how the application of scientific method to the management of workers greatly could improve productivity. Scientific management methods called for optimizing the way that tasks were performed and simplifying the jobs enough so that workers could be trained to perform their specialized sequence of motions in the one “best” way. Taylor`s scientific management approach is used today in Australia`s manufacturing sector and as we move towards a casual work force, it will become more common, as the behavioral management structure of socially based improvements becomes harder to implement in a situation where employees are turned over quite quickly. Taylor devised a four part principles of management method. 1) Study each part of a task and develop the best methods for performing it. 2) Select workers with direct thought to the tasks they will have to perform and train them in the most efficient ways. 3) Ensure the workers perform each task using the proper methods. 4) Divide the planning and performing functions and delegate them to management and worker respectively. Engineering Management is a term that is used to describe a specialized form of management that is required to successfully lead engineering personnel and projects. The term can be used to describe either functional management or project management- leading technical professionals who are working in the fields of product development, manufacturing, construction, design engineering, industrial engineering, technology, production, or any other field that employs personnel who perform an engineering function. Successful engineering managers typically require training and experience in both general management (which may include business administration) and the specific engineering disciplines that will be used by the engineering team to be managed. But additionally, the successful engineering manager must understand that the factors that cause certain individuals to pursue careers in engineering are often quite different than those for individuals who are driven by purely entrepreneurial thinking. Consequently, the skills necessary to coach, mentor and motivate technical professionals are often very different from those that are required for individuals in other fields. Planning, organizing, developing and controlling are some parts of the Engineering Management, and their definitions are shown below.
Planning Is the ongoing process of developing the business, mission and objectives and determining how they will be accomplished. Planning includes the broadest view of the organization, it mission, and the narrowest. It is a tactic for accomplishing a specific goal. There are many types of planning that concerns with Engineering Management and some of these are Architectural planning, Network resource planning, Strategic planning, etc.. Architectural Planning- An architectural plan is a plan for architecture, and the documentation of written and graphic descriptions of the architectural elements of a building project including sketches, drawings and details. Network Resource Planning is an enhanced process of network planning that incorporates the disciplines of business planning, marketing, and engineering to develop integrated, dynamic master plans for all domains of communications networks. Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. Planning is concerned with the future impact of today`s decisions. It is fundamental function of management from which the other three-stem (organizing, directing, controlling.). The need for planning is often apparent after the fact. However, planning is cay to postpone in the short-run. Postponement of planning especially plagues labor oriented, hands on managers. The vision of planning are for nonspecific directional and motivational guidance for the entire organization. To managers normally provide a vision for the business. It is the most emotional of the four levels in the hierarchy of purposes, and its mission is for an organization`s reason for being. It is concerned with scope of the business and what distinguishes this business from similar businesses. Mission reflects the culture and values of top management.
Organizing Is the act of rearranging elements following one or more rules. Anything is commonly considered organized when it looks like everything has a correct order of placement. But it's only ultimately organized if any element has no difference on time taken to find it. In that sense, organizing can also be defined as to place different objects in logical arrangement for better searching. Organizations are groups of people frequently trying to organize some specific subject, such as political issues. So, even while organizing can be viewed as a simple definition, it can get as complex as organizing the world's information.
Organizing, in companies point of view, is the management function that usually follows after planning. And it involves the assignment of tasks, the grouping of tasks into departments and the assignment of authority and allocation of resources across the organization. Organizing can be viewed as the activities to collect and configure resources in order to implement plans in a highly effective and efficient fashion. Organizing is a broad set of activities, and often considered one of the major functions of management. Therefore, there are a wide variety of topics in organizing. The following are some of the major types of organizing required in a business organization. Organizing is establishing the internal organizational structure of the organization. The focus is on division, coordination, and control of tasks and the flow of information within the organization. It is in the function that managers distribute authority to job holders.
Directing or Leading Directing means influencing people`s behavior through motivation, communication, group dynamics, leadership and discipline. The purpose of directing is to channel the behavior of all personnel to accomplish the organization`s mission and objectives while simultaneously helping them accomplish their own career objectives.
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”. A definition more inclusive of followers comes from Alan Keith of Genentech who said "Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen." According to Jules Masserman, United States psychoanalyst and professor of the Chicago University, Leaders must fulfill three functions~~ The Leader must provide for the well-being of the lead. The leader or would be leader must provide a social organization in which people feel relatively secure and that this leader must provide his people with one set of beliefs. Famous quote by Napoleon Bonaparte states that a leader is a dealer in hope. Leadership is one of the most salient aspects of the organizational context. However, defining leadership has been challenging. The following sections discuss several important aspects of leadership including a description of what leadership is and a description of several popular theories and styles of leadership. This page also dives into topics such as the role of emotions and vision, as well leadership effectiveness and performance. Finally, this page discusses leadership in different contexts, how it may differ from related concepts (i.e., management), and some critiques that have been raised about leadership.
Control (management)
Control is one of the managerial functions like planning, organizing, staffing and
directing. It is an important function because it helps to check the errors and to take the corrective action so that deviation from standards are minimized and stated goals of the organization are achieved in desired manner. Controlling is determining that is being accomplished, the performance and if necessary, applying corrective measures so that the performance takes place according to plans. According to modern concepts, control is a foreseeing action whereas earlier concept of control was used only when errors were detected. Control in management means setting standards, measuring actual performance and taking corrective action. Thus, control comprises these three main activities. It helps maintain compliance with essential organizational rules and policies. It also helps ensure that objectives and accomplishments are consistent with one another throughout an organization.