In a free market country, where the total compensation for a professional engineer is

a function of supply and demand, why would engineers support facilitating the enhanced “birthing” of still

more engineers?  Consider this article. Looking back, when we study what happened to the employment of engineers in the space industry, when the interstate construction program slowed to a “walk,” and when the funding for the surge of water pollution control facilities stopped,where did all of those “under-employed” . . . read “Willing to relocate my family at my expense, and work at entry-level pay“…go?

Credit: Google Images.

YOUR CHOICE:

Either we regulate our profession, or others will.

Seems like the medical and legal professions discovered that many years ago.

At the ASCE EdCon, Denver, June 1995, the participants consisted of academics and practitioners.

Following some  2 1/2 days of interaction, preceded by 2 years of planning, one of the top 4 issues identified as needing significant attention in CE programs as well as in public and private practice, was “communication.”

Looking back, it appears that  some perceived that as a call to send more emails, faxes, letters, and make more telephone calls.

One aspect of communication that is sorely missed is the recipient confirming the intent and meaning of the words said (or written). This phenomenon, when not done effectively, results in a myriad of challenges to projects meeting the client’s expectations, as well as to scope creep, schedule busts, and budget deficits.

The skill to transmit meaning and confirm that the receiver interprets it with the meaning you intended is not done by asking “Any questions?” Just today I witnessed an example of how people listen.

OBSERVATION

Two secretaries are sitting facing visitors from behind a large counter.

As a person leaves the office, he remarks to the secretaries “Make a great day!”

Noticing from a distance they simply responded without even looking up, I heard them say “Hey, same to you!”

Later, I asked the secretaries what it was that the visitor said to them.

They said “Have a great day!”

When I told them what I heard him say, one spontaneously replied “Well, we heard what we expected to hear.”

More to come on this topic. For now, watch the clip  Cool Hand Luke

Women Matter

Gender diversity is on the strategic agenda at ever more companies. So why don’t women hold more top jobs.

Fewer than 3% of major company CEOs are women

Since 2007, McKinsey’s Women Matter research has explored the role women play in the global workplace, their experiences and impact in senior-executive roles, and the performance benefits that companies gain from gender diversity.

In this video , McKinsey partners Joanna Barsh, Sandrine Devillard, Emily Lawson, and Jin Wang recount the progress women have made in reaching the executive suite.

Move Foward From:

Source: Google Images

And Now To This:

Source: Google Images

BACKGROUND

Graduate students in the Strategic  Quality Management course at the University at Buffalo, School of Management, had the opportunity to earn extra credits for their semester grade by doing a critical analysis of records of the Challenger disaster  on January 28, 1986. Seven crew members died.

TAKE-AWAY ISSUES THAT FRUSTRATE MEETING QUALITY OBJECTIVES[1]

1. A small negligence can lead to a major disaster.
2. Lessons-learned included educating on the value of “Loyal Dissent.”
3.  Subordinates have an obligation to say “Thanks boss, but I disagree with your opinion. Here’s why…”
4.  Political, budget, and schedule pressures were accepted by upper-level managers to discount the engineers advice, and authorize the launch.
5.  Every major engineering code of ethics reminds engineers of the importance of their responsibility to keep the safety, health, and well-being of the public at the very top of their responsibilities.
6.  Company/employer loyalty is important, and must not be allowed to override the engineer’s obligation to the public.
7.  Unachievable objectives given to an employee/team/department most frequently results in unwavering focus on achieving the deadline. This tends to place the stated quality levels for project components at risk.
8.  When errors/defects are found in the system, they have to be addressed right away. It is quite difficult to determine what this un-addressed error will cause as it becomes part of the larger processes.
9.  The engineers appear to have decided that they “did our job” by advising their managers of their findings and advice. “After all, our system of management makes managers uniquely responsible for making the decisions.”

In My Opinion. . . .

While many of our Civil Engineers do not work in the NASA Program, I wonder how many of the restraining forces to achieve quality, 1 to 9 above, could be easily assigned to some of . . . .hypothetically. . . your past or current projects?

 “Why can we always find the money to do the thing over, but never enough to do it right the first time?”                              

                                                                                     – USACOE’s Desk-Top Sign, NYC, 1977.

Source: Google Images 15APR2012

Achieving the promise of women executives

Since 2007, McKinsey’s Women Matter research has explored the role women play in the global workplace, their experiences and impact in senior-executive roles, and the performance benefits that companies gain from gender diversity. In this video, McKinsey partners Joanna Barsh, Sandrine Devillard, Emily Lawson, and Jin Wang recount the progress women have made in reaching the executive suite.

Women Matter

In my opinion. . .

At times I wonder  how long it will take for people to feel safe to express their feelings about

those matters many were raised to believe were best left silent.

Remembering Roger Boisjoly: He Tried To Stop Shuttle Challenger Launch

Part 1 of 3:

What might professional ethics look like in the world of the business of engineering?

“Jerry Mason, Thiokol’s general manager, told his fellow executives to take off their engineering hats and put on management hats. They told NASA it was a go.

The next morning Mr. Boisjoly watched the launching. If there was going to be a problem, he thought it would come at liftoff. As the shuttle cleared the tower, his prayers seemed answered.

“Thirteen seconds later,” Mr. Boisjoly said, “we saw it blow up.””

Part 2 of 3:

What does life look like for those who dared to come forward and out-loud proclaim their professional interpretation of data?

“Boisjoly testified before the Challenger Commission and filed unsuccessful lawsuits against Thiokol and NASA. He continued to suffer and was ostracized by some of his colleagues. One said he’d drop his kids on Boisjoly’s doorstep if they all lost their jobs, according to his wife Roberta.

“He took it very hard,” she recalls. “He had always been held in such high esteem and it hurt so bad when they wouldn’t listen to him.”

A therapist recommended speaking out even more and for close to three decades, Boisjoly traveled to engineering schools around the world, speaking about ethical decision-making and sticking with data. “This is what I was meant to do,” he told Roberta, “to have impact on young people’s lives.”

Boisjoly continued to respond to emails and letters from engineering students right up until his sudden death in his sleep last month in St. George, Utah. He was diagnosed with cancer two weeks before.

“He always stood by his work,” Roberta recalls, her voice breaking. “He lived an honorable and ethical life. And he was at peace when he died.”

Part 3 of 3:

Do professional engineers have a “Safe house” of sorts that promise them a life after what many call “A career death-wish?”

• A Timeline of Whistle-Blowers

In My Opinion. . . .

In our lives, we each have a limited amount of time within which to choose.

Credit: Google Images

Everyone gets 86, 400 per day, every day.

Others watching us choose learn what is OK most of the time, what is OK sometimes, and critically, what is NEVER OK.

Once our choices become habits, we are faced with identifying which of our habits are worth being replicated, and which are not.

Changing habits is the single most difficult challenge facing each of us.

But only until we each realize, whatever you chose to continue doing or not, you are a “template” of professional behavior for the next in line.

Are your  professional habits worth emulating?

Of course, I could be wrong!

Posted on behalf of Dave Devine 

What does “pay-to-play” mean?

The phrase gets used often in regard to issues related to ethics as well as in regard to involvement with politics.

Is there a clear, commonly accepted definition?

Is “pay -to -play” always an issue of legality?

Is “pay -to -play” always something inappropriate, bad, or a negative connotation?

Would it benefit ASCE as an organization or the membership to develop a definition of the phrase “pay- to- play”?

1) Ethicana, view the film or ASCE News May 2010, pg. 11

2) ASCE News, June 2008, pg 12

3) New York Times, November 2011

4)  ENR – Engineering News Record

5) Access is for NSPE members only.

6) Searched, but did not find articles at the Online Ethics Center (National Academy of Engineering).

 Endnote:  Although I have pondered the question for some time, the motivation to put this in a blog occured after reading today’s Chicago Tribune, 15th February 2012,

Questions.

a. What are your experiences with defining pay-to-play in the design & construction industry?

b. Might you have a suggestion as to ASCE developing a policy that supports clarifying and confirming what pay-to-play

is, along with guidleines that define its boundaries?

c. In what way might the “Zero Tolerance“ part of the ASCE Code of Ethics apply?

At this time, the information above is intended to stimulate dialogue on the subject.

What are your thoughts?

“Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.”

Code-2007-July

“The future International Standard ISO 26000, Guidance on social responsibility, will provide harmonized, globally relevant guidance for private and public sector organizations of all types based on interna- tional consensus among expert representatives of the main stakeholder groups and so encourage the implementation of best practice in social responsibility worldwide.”

Credit: Google Images

ISO26000.CorpSocialRespon.

“Creating principles across social, industry, public and private, profit and nonprofit, political and country boundaries is daunting. Additionally, laws, regulations, trade agreements, customs and practices pertinent to sustainability and social responsibility must be considered in the development and implementation of business strategies, policies and procedures.

These principles have been updated to reinforce the critical importance of sustainability and social responsibility in its many forms and applications. They may complement existing principles or they may be used as a starting point from which to develop a set of principles to meet the needs of the organization.”

Credit: Google Images

SSRwGuideBook08

Credit: Google Images

In My Opinion. . . .

Back around 1986, the major federal, state, and private organizations “Discovered” quality.

Under study, subsequent to some 50 years or more of Quality Control, the subject was “upgraded” to Quality Assurance.

Eventually realizing the need to engage all those within the organization. . . .to make the population of “The Quality Department” equal 100% of the employees/associates…. the label “Total Quality Management” emerged.

Now, movement from learning after-the-fact about the social impacts of engineered projects have raised general concerns about social impacts, sustainability of human and other resources, which have now begun to be codified. Enter the international standards on the economic global playing field.

These emerging developments and early promulgation of international standards to guide the transition towards “social responsibility engineering” appear to be a major plan/design/build/operate/maintain system change.

“It’s the system, not the people.”  

                 –W. Edwards Deming

Makes one wonder how the context for the expression “Lowest  Bidder” will be interpreted.

Of course, I could be wrong!

Neither do they fail because engineers do not understand principles of structural analysis, testing of materials nor how to use computer modeling for complex problems.

Sites worth checking out:

Bridges

Another Disaster

Infrastructure Report Card

Photogallery

“The National Science Foundation (NSF) has remained the premier Federal agency supporting basic research at the frontiers of discovery across all fields, as well as science and engineering education at all levels.
….
  Fulfilling this responsibility requires not only knowledge in the appropriate disciplines, but also a commitment to high standards, a considerable breadth of interest and receptivity to new ideas, a strong sense of fairness, good judgment, and a high degree of personal integrity. The Social Psychology Program at NSF supports basic research on human social behavior, including cultural differences and development over the life span. Among the many research topics supported are:

1. attitude formation and change.
2. social cognition.
3. personality processes.
4. interpersonal relations and group processes.
5. the self.
6. Emotion.
7. social comparison and social influence, and
8. the psycho-physiological and neuro-physiological bases of social behavior.

The program supports research that is theoretically grounded, based on empirical observation and validation, and has the potential to significantly advance fundamental understanding of social behavior.”

In My Opinion. . .

The solutions to understand why engineered projects fail will not come uniquely from within the body of knowledge common in ABET-approved engineering programs at our universities.

Credit: Google Images

A Web Platform for Social Requirements Engineering

Abstract: This paper presents a web platform that applies concepts from the domain of Social Software to requirements engineering. The platform implements several community-oriented features that support collaboration and knowledge sharing and aim to foster the engagement of larger groups of stakeholders in the collection, discussion, development, and structuring of software requirements.

N.B. This paper has, as its technical center, requirements engineering. What it expands to discuss applies to engineer’s challenges to engage and include the voices of major stakeholders to our projects.

Of course, I could be wrong.

. . . . and in the Senate!

Cr. http://historybuffz.wikispaces.com/Women+in+The+War+Pictures

Lest we forget:

Suffragists Lose Fight In The House[1]

[On Jan. 12, 1915, the United States House of Representatives rejected a proposal to give women the right to vote.]

A Constitutional Amendment Resolution Debated Ten Hours and Rejected, 174 to 204

LEADERS ARE UNDISMAYED

Will Press Senate Resolution Now — Antis’ Leader Sees Passing of “Hysteria” Wave.

“Mr. Mann of Illinois, the Republican leader. Two years ago, after the failure of the Washington police to protect the pageant of suffragists on March 3 just before Mr. Wilson’s inauguration, there was sharp criticism in the House of the brutality of the crowds along Pennsylvania Avenue, and the Chief of Police was threatened with an investigation. Mr. Mann in the course of debate at that time remarked: “They should have been at home where they belonged,” referring to the women in the pageant.”

“Dr. Anna Howard Shaw, President of the National Suffrage Association, said after the adjournment:

“I am not gratified, but the vote was better than I had expected. We now have an alignment from which we can move onward.” It is now a political and rational question, for Congress would not take up a local or sectional matter in this way. It never can be said again that it is a local or partisan question. The National House of Representatives has discussed suffrage and has voted upon it. It would not have done that if it were not a question of national importance.”

 In My Opinion. . . 

On the outside chance that you have been working towards resolution of an entrenched sociocultural habit that frustrates the achievement of inclusiveness, you need to make time to study what women had to overcome, just to be on “the playing field.”

And to be clear, to this writers amazement, still have to deliver 150% of their effort to be viewed as “part of the team.”

The workplace of the 21st Century can not afford to continue to discount the value of people. . . any people… based on unchallenged habits of the past.