Mse608b Syllabus - Fall 2009 Rajai

MSE608B – MANAGEMENT OF ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS Fall 2009, Thursday 7.00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., Room JD 3502 Instructor

Get to Know The prof.

Dr. Mark Rajai Professor of Engineering, Department of Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management Faculty E-mail: [email protected] MSEM Department Office: JD3317 Telephone: (818) 677-5003 MSEM Department E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: posted on Office Door Personal Website: www.iajc.org/mr

In order to be successful in this course, you need to know the professor’ background and his expectations for the course. Dr. Rajai is an internationally known educator and researcher. Simply Google the name “Mark Rajai” to read more about the professor previous works and achievements. Also visit the following Web sites: www.iajc.org www.ijme.us www.iajc.org/nku click on the “In the News” and watch the videos

Textbooks the

1- Hill, Linda A. “Becoming a Manager: How new managers master Challenges of leadership.” Second Edition – Harvard Business School Press. ISBN: 1-59139182-2. 2- Hofstede, Geert & Gert Jan. “Cultures and Organizations, Software of the mind.” Second Edition – McGraw Hill. ISBN: 0-07-143959. 3. Supplemental Materials Posted on Blackboard

Additional

-- Recommended to enrich your knowledge and professional portfolio -Page 1 of 9

Readings · Deeprose, Donna. “Recognize Behaviors as Well as Outcomes” and “Foster Intrinsic Rewards,” from How to Recognize and Reward Employees. New York: Amacom, 1994. ISBN 0-8144-7832-8 · Longenecker, Clinton O. and Laurence S. Fink. “Creating Effective Performance Appraisals.” Industrial Management, September-October 1999. · Sachs, Randi Toler. How to Become a Skillful Interviewer. New York: Amacom, 1994. ISBN 0-8144-7831-X · Straub, Joseph T. “Appraising Performance,” from The Successful New Manager. New York: Amacom, 1994. ISBN 0-8144-78344 · Swan, William S. & Phillip Margulies. “Why Managers and Employees Dread Performance Appraisals,” “Performance Appraisal Systems,” and “What Goes Wrong and Why: Eight Common Appraisal Errors,” from How to do a Superior Performance Appraisal, (includes Swan’s model performance appraisal system). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1991. ISBN 0-471-51469-1 · Weiss, Donald H. “Safe Firing Practices,” “Safe Discipline and Firing Practices,” “Public Policy,” and “Safe Management of Older Employees,” from Fair, Square and Legal. New York: Amacom, 1995. ISBN 0-81440253-4 Lectures

This is a pilot course from in class to online, so the lectures are combinations of online and in class presentations. Your feedback are greatly appreciated. Currently there are 4 online audio lecture modules on Webct, covering the employment functions of hiring & retention, performance evaluation, firing, and conflict resolution. We will have several online meetings throughout the course. To enhance the course, supplemental materials will be uploaded onto Webct.

Course

This course is designed to facilitate the student’s development of long-term and strategic cognitive and affective capabilities for the effective management of engineering professionals and their assigned functions. Pre-requisite: MSE504.

Purpose

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A key attribute of the technical professional is his/her emphasis on and interest in professional values and goals rather than those of an organization. The technical professional who advances to a management position must become a leader of technical peers (and, often, of technical superiors), increasing his/her emphasis on organizational values and goals, while simultaneously maintaining technical peer respect. With managerial responsibility comes the need for knowledge of functioning within the broader organizational structure (e.g., the “pushing paperwork” held in great disdain by most technical professionals) and the need for accomplishing technical tasks through others (rather than predominantly on one’s own). As one consequence of these needs, the essence of this course is the creation of a learning community in which aspiring and current managers of technical professionals can gain essential knowledge and experiential skills relevant to the range of organizational responsibilities entailed in the management of technical professionals, from “pushing paper” to hire a technical professional employee, to multicultural technical professional work group considerations and interactions. Due to the fact that this course is moving to become an online course, some selfdirected study is essential. The readings and course tasks are designed to be useful to students as a prospective manager or to further develop the skills of the current manager. Course Structure

There are three learning activity tracks that run in parallel throughout this course. The first track entails presentations and discussions of topics (on Blackboard) particularly pertinent to the topics of “Professional Management” and “Managing Engineering Professionals” along with relevant educational material. A second track involves reading assignments (2 textbooks), lecture modules, supplemental materials. The third track is individual and group projects and presentations.

COURSE PROPOSED PLAN Notes: 1) Tentative schedule: dates/assignments/topics covered may change as deemed necessary. 2) Research assignments will be announced as the semester progresses. 3) All course materials are on Webct. 4) Because of university budget cuts, there will be furlough days that we will not meet in class. These days will be announced in advance Week

Ending Topic Area

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Format: Tasks & Assignments 01 Introduction course/instructor

. Welcome message – getting acquainted with the

02

Social Aspects of interactions Supplemental Materials

· Hill, Section I.1 . Lecture Module 1: Hiring;

03

Social Aspects of Interaction Hiring & Firing

· Supplemental Materials · Lecture Modules 1 & 2:

· Get familiar with the textbooks & material posted on Webct. . Read preface in Hill

. Hill, Section I.2 04

of Interaction

05 of Interaction

06 of Interaction 07 of Interaction

08

09 semester)

Social Aspects · Lecture Module 2: Firing . Hill, Section I.3 & Supplemental Materials Social Aspects · Lecture Modules 2 & 3: Firing & Performance Evaluation . Hill, Section II.4 Read Supplemental Materials Social Aspects Performance Evaluation . Hill, Section II.5

. Lecture Module 3: .

Social Aspects · Lecture Modules 3&4: Performance Evaluation & Conflict Resolution . Hill, Section III.6 Read Supplemental Materials

of Interaction

Social Aspects · Lecture Module 4: Conflict Resolution . Hill, Section III.7 ; Read Supplemental Materials

Dimensions of

. . Review Lecture Modules 1-4 (throughout the rest of the Management Cultures

10 semester)

Dimensions of

11 semester)

Dimensions of

. Hill, Section IV.8

. Review Lecture Modules 1-4 (throughout the rest of the Management Cultures . Read Supplemental Materials

. Hill, Section IV.9

. Review Lecture Modules 1-4 (throughout the rest of the Management Cultures Materials

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. Hill, Section V.10 Read Supplemental

12 semester)

Dimensions of

Management Cultures

13 Dimensions of power-point Management Cultures 14

. Review Lecture Modules 1-4 (throughout the rest of the

Presentations

15

. Hill, Section V.11

· Final Project Work Session – allocated to packaging the . Read Hill, Section V.12 · Final Project Presentations – PowerPoint posted on Bb Course wrap-up · Formal Report Write-Up due (soft copy emailed to instructor) · Class critique of the works submitted by all students Final Presentations

·

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COURSE EVALUATION COMPONENTS (Plus/minus grading is used – see page 9 for important information) 10 % 10 % 30 %

Individual eBook Portfolio Project Homework Assignments including in Class Assignments Individual Research Assignment (10%) and Presentation (5%) Group Research Assignment (10%) and Presentation (5%)

35 %

Comprehensive Final Team Project Report (25%) and Midterm Presentation (5%) and Final Presentation (5%) Team score and Individual Contribution

15 %

Notebook (5%) and Class Attendance (5%) and Participation in class/on Webct (5%)

Letter-Grade Scale: A ≥ 95 85 ≤ B < 87 70 ≤ C < 77

90 ≤ A- < 95 80 ≤ B- < 85 60 ≤ D < 70

87 ≤ B+ < 90 77 ≤ C+ < 80 F < 60

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----------------------------------STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES 1. Class members are encouraged to maintain personal and professional standards consistent with The Fundamental Principles of the Code of Ethics of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and

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Technology; i.e., Engineers uphold and advance the integrity, honor and dignity of the engineering profession by: · using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare; · being honest and impartial, and serving with fidelity the public, their employers and clients; · striving to increase the competence and prestige of the engineering profession; and · supporting the professional technical societies of their disciplines. 2. Withdrawing from (dropping) this course should be accomplished during the first two weeks of instruction. Please note that failure to officially drop this class results in a grade of U, which is the equivalent of an F for your transcript and grade point average. For additional information regarding withdrawals, see FAQs at www.csun.edu/~msem, or contact your academic advisor. 3. Class members are to rely on BlackBoard (the primary method of communication) for all postings pertaining to the course. All students are expected to sign on regularly and actively participate in the discussion forum. So that all students benefit from the answers, ALL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COURSE MATERIAL MUST BE POSTED (on BlackBoard) in the discussion thread titled: “Ask Questions”. Note: Email communication is secondary as it is mostly reserved for handling students’ personal matters. Comments about the course material and opinions about the instructor or the program – whether positive or negative – must also be posted online. 4. Class members are to be CONTINUOUSLY considerate to, and respectful of, their colleagues, particularly in regard to the class discussion forum, team effort/project and presentations. 5. Class members are responsible for the course material covered in reading and homework assignments, class presentations and class group discussions. Class members are expected to logon regularly to Blackboard and to prepare for and participate constructively in group discussions. 6. Budgeting 6-9 hours per week for this course, in addition to class participation, is NOT unreasonable. Class presentations are NOT replicas of the reading assignments. 7. All graduate students majoring in MSEM Department programs (i.e., Automation Engineering, Engineering Management, Materials Engineering) are encouraged to add their email addresses to the Department listing. This listing is used for special notifications (e.g., course scheduling changes, academic advisement notices, social events, and emergencies). The list may be accessed at www.csun.edu/~msem/faqs.htm or by emailing a request to [email protected] to be added to the list. 8. Plus/minus grading will be used for the overall course grade. Please refer to the grading system.

Suggestions for Group Research Assignments Coverage One: The Hiring Processes · Research the complete hiring process for technical professionals at the employers Page 6 of 9

· · · ·

of partnership members Compile examples of key forms used in the process Prepare step-by-step summaries of key steps in each hiring process For each hiring process, identify and summarize the nature of the hiring authority and hiring responsibilities of the manager who will supervise the new hire Summarize the primary similarities and differences among the processes and the manager’s hiring authority and responsibilities

Coverage Two: The Termination (Firing) Processes · Seek out and summarize at least four publications that address termination processes. · Based on the publications researched, class handouts, and other sources as appropriate, identify at least two productive managerial approaches to the implementation of a termination process. · Research and summarize termination processes for professional employees at the employer of one of the partners. · Acquire copies of primary termination forms used as part of the employer’s process · Evaluate the role(s) of a professional employee’s manager in the termination processes of the organization. Coverage Three: The Performance Evaluation Processes · Seek out one publicly available reference that addresses at least one ostensibly desirable performance evaluation process & summarize the process provided in the reference · Research the performance evaluation process for professional employees at the employer of one of the partnership members · Acquire copy of primary performance evaluation form (if any) used as part of the employer’s process · Prepare a step-by-step summary of the key steps in the employer’s process · Critique the employer’s process in the context of the reference selected · Critique the performance evaluation form in the context of the employer’s process Coverage Four: The Conflict Resolution & Management Processes · The theme for this assignment is managing conflict – between people who report to you; between you and someone who reports to you, or between you and a managerial peer. Within this theme, project partners should identify and propose their own applied research assignment. Report Write-Up Format: a comprehensive 25-30 page report (double-spaced) sectioned into: Abstract, Introduction, Discussion/Analysis, Conclusion. As the semester progresses, more details will be posted in the “Final Project” discussion thread.

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For Your Information: Grade Criterion * 'A' grade range (A to A-) is reserved for work that is exceptional. This means that it (1) is professional and reflects the writer's/s' careful consideration of audience and purpose; (2) shows perfect to near-perfect understanding of the necessary concepts and analytical tasks; (3) where appropriate, it shows the capacity to think creatively or to see implications beyond the immediate scope of the question; (4) contains all necessary information (invention); (5) is arranged in a logical manner (6), is memorable; (7) delivery is visually appealing; and (8) is free of mechanical errors and is formatted as specified. Work must be flawless to attain an A/A-. Work with minor flaws that is nonetheless excellent in other ways will earn an A-. * A grade in the B range means that the work is acceptable at the graduate level (B- range) to very good (B/B+). This work satisfies all (B+) or most (B/B-) of the requirements of the question/research task, shows the capability to think beyond the task by relating it to other areas of knowledge in or outside of the course; is neatly presented and shows above-average use of academic English. If the work is decently written, is formatted basically correctly, and covers most of the required content, but has several minor flaws or one major flaw, the grade will be B-. * A grade in the C range means that the work, while covering much of the required ground, does not show graduatelevel analytic and expressive ability. That is, major and minor items may be missing or incorrect; and while the language may communicate most points adequately, it does not qualify as above-average academic work. * A grade in the D range shows that the work does not, overall, achieve an acceptable level of coverage of the requirements AND/OR the language is insufficient to make the writer's points understandable to the reader. The content may be either incorrect to an unacceptable degree, or very incomplete. *

A grade of F indicates that so little of the required Page 8 of 9

content is covered that grading the paper is an exercise in futility. It may mean that very major points have clearly not been grasped or have been misunderstood by the student. An F may also indicate that the ideas are expressed in such a way that they are not at all understandable to the reader. A grade of F is also awarded when assigned work is not handed in, or not handed in by the set deadline.

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