An engineer's perception of the path to the executive suite

Abstract

Problems in engineering education are often addressed in relation to professional and technical engineering areas. While these problems are undoubtedly real, the factors which are important in relation to promotion of engineers to upper management may be overlooked by not only engineers, but also by engineering educators, even those educators engaged in student career advisement. Here, the authors argue that engineering educators must teach technical skills, but educators should also focus their attention on specific areas of management development which engineering students may need for career advancement. Managerial skills are often more abstract than engineering skills and may sometimes be viewed as less important by educators. This lack of exposure to critical managerial skills could account for the apparent lack of executives with engineering backgrounds. Realization of factors which enhance management performance, and subsequently results in promotion into the ranks of upper management, may provide the necessary insight for engineering educators to assist the future endeavors of engineering students in relation to management advancement.<>