Managing People in Technology-Based Organizations Issues
Managing People in Technology-Based Organizations Issues
Managing People in Technology-Based Organizations Issues
Technology-based
Organizations Issues
CHALLENGES OF MANAGING IN
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
People are one of the most critical assets
affecting business performance in todays
technology-based business environment. Activities
often cluster around projects with team efforts that
span organizational lines involving a broad
spectrum of personnel, support groups,
subcontractors, vendors, partners, government
agencies, and customer organizations.
Effective linkages, cooperation, and alliances
among various organizational functions are critical
for proper communications, decision-making, and
control.
Work
Engineering-oriented work is by and large
more complex, requiring special skills,
equipment, tools, processes, and support
systems. The unit of work is often a project,
organized and executed by a multidisciplinary
team. Cross-functional integration, progress
measurements, and controlling the work
toward desired results are usually more
challenging with increasing technology,
involving higher levels of creativity, risks, and
uncertainties.
People
Because of the type of work and its challenges,
engineering-oriented environments attract
different people. On average, these people
have highly specialized skills. They are better
educated, self-motivated / directed, and
require a minimum of supervision. They enjoy
problem solving and find technical challenges
motivating and intellectually stimulating. They
often enjoy a sense of community and team
spirit, while having little tolerance for personal
conflict and organizational politics.
Work process
Because of the nature of technical
work with its complexities,
uncertainties, risks, and need for
innovation, work processes are less
sequential and centrally
administered, but more team-based,
self-directed, and agile, often
structured for parallel, concurrent
execution of the work.
Organizational culture
The challenges of technology-driven environments
create a unique organizational culture with their own
norms, values, and work ethics. These cultures are more
team oriented regarding decision making, work flow,
performance evaluation, and work group management.
Authority must often be earned and emerges within the
work group as a result of credibility, trust, and respect,
rather than organizational status and position. Rewards
come to a considerable degree from satisfaction with
the work and its surroundings, with recognition of
accomplishments as important motivational factors for
stimulating enthusiasm, cooperation, and innovation.
Business environment
Engineering-oriented businesses
operate in an environment that is
fast changing regarding market
structure, suppliers, and regulations.
Short product life cycles, intense
global competition, low brand loyalty,
low barriers to entry, and strong
dependency on other technologies
and support systems are typical for
these business environments.
Motivation as a Function of
Risks and Challenges
A persons motivation is very low if the
probability of achieving the goal is very
low or zero.
We can push others, or ourselves, toward
success or failure because of our mental
predisposition called self-fulfillment
prophesies. Our motivational drive and
personal efforts increase or decrease
relative to the likelihood of the
expected outcome.
Success as a Function of
Motivation
The saying The harder you work,
the luckier you get expresses the
effect of motivation in pragmatic
terms. People who have a can-do
attitude, who are confident and
motivated, are more likely to succeed
in their mission. Winning is in the
attitude. This is the essence of the
self-fulfillment prophecy.
Source
http://ebooks.narotama.ac.id/files/Mechanic
al%20Engineers%20Handbook%20(3rd%20Edition)
%20Vol%203/Chapter%2014%20%20Managing%20Pe
ple.pdf
QUIZ
1.________ are one of the most critical assets affecting business performance in todays
technology-based business environment.
2.________ in engineering and technology-based enterprises see themselves as different
from those in less technical environments. Their work requires unique organizational
structures, policies, and interaction of people.
3.Engineering-oriented ________ is by and large more complex, requiring special skills,
equipment, tools, processes, and support systems.
4.These cultures are more team oriented regarding decision making, work flow,
performance evaluation, and work group management.
Three primary components of effective team management: (5-7)
5.________
6.________
7.________
Give at least three Professional Needs Affecting Individual and Team Performance: (810)
8.________
9.________
10.
________
ANSWERS
1. People
2. Manager/s
3. Work
4. Organizational Culture
5-7. People skills
Organizational structure
Management style
8-10 Interesting and challenging work
Professionally stimulating work environment
Professional growth
Overall leadership
Tangible rewards
Job expertise
Assisting in problem solving
Clearly defined objectives
Management control
Job security
Good interpersonal relations
Proper planning