New Economy Engineer v.1

The New Economy Engineer ©TiME 2009

The New Economy EngineerPositioning for a Sustainable and

Rewarding Career

Gary E. WnekThe Institute for Management and Engineering (TiME)

Case Western Reserve [email protected]


“…Engineering schools beget engineers. Engineers beget ideas. And ideas beget companies.”

Guy Kawasaki, Reality Check(2008)

Engineering is Key


‘Engineering 2020’

–

Grand Challenges

• Make solar energy affordable• Provide energy from fusion • Develop carbon sequestration methods• Manage the nitrogen cycle• Provide access to clean water• Restore and improve urban infrastructure• Advance health informatics• Engineer better medicines • Reverse-engineer the brain• Prevent nuclear terror• Secure cyberspace• Enhance virtual reality• Advance personalized learning• Engineer the tools for scientific discovery

http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=02152008


Technical Fundamentals are Key

It is impossible to address Grand Challenges (or any technology-based challenge, no matterhow ‘small’) without strong technicalfundamentals, such as thermodynamics, circuits, quantum theory, physical properties of solids, optics, fluid mechanics, physiology, and molecular biology.

But…


Personal Opportunity and Challenge

“…Today’s engineer is on a different planet. Heor she faces of life of multiple project assignments with an almost interchangeable array of employers, clients, start-ups and established firms; these assignments require an extraordinarily broad set of technical,business, and interpersonal skills performedas part of ever-changing and shiftinginterdisciplinary teams.”

David Goldberg, The Entrepreneurial Engineer (2006)


“This period is one of the most exciting, opportunity-rich times in history. It is also fraught with disruption and change.”

Curtis Carlson and William Wilmot, Innovation: The Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want (2006)




• There has never been a more exciting time to study, and do, engineering

• Engineering is the economic engine for global prosperity

• Routine analytical work is being outsourced• Engineers need broad-based skills to compete in

a global environment• Be both relevant and unique• It is possible to not only to compete but to thrive


Important Stuff Beyond the Purely Technical

Necessary forSuccessfulTechnologyCommercialization

Technical Depth

MarketingEntrepreneurial Thinking

IntellectualProperty

Value Creation

Project Management

Opportunity Analysis

Ethical Leadership SustainabilityGlobal Thinking

The ‘New Economy’

Engineer

Communication Skills

TeamworkDesign Thinking

Need: The New Economy Engineer


Three Core Attributes of theNew Economy Engineer

Ability to analyze (technical as well as business issues)

Ability to translate important concepts and conclusions into the language of different constituencies (e.g., your boss, investors, non-technical colleagues, reporters)

Ability to perceive new opportunities -connecting disparate ideas from different disciplines in new ways

Quantitative and qualitativethinking;Left and rightbrain; Analysis+ synthesis



Key Words:

Analysis

Translation

Perception

‘ATP’

‘softer’ skills, butcritically important


Analysis

“Engineers in 2020, like engineers of yesterday and today, will possess strong analytical skills. At its core, engineering employs principles of science, mathematics, and domains of discovery and design to a particular challenge and for a practical purpose. This will not change as we move forward.”

National Academy of Engineering The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century (2004)


• Engineering analysis is a fundamental skill• Routine analysis (‘transactional,’ meaning pay

in return for calculations or code without a broader context) is readily outsourced

• Analysis today should include business-related topics (e.g., statistics and Six Sigmamethodologies, and concepts of accountingincluding time value of money and cash flow)

• Analysis in context, with its meaning andimplications for all stakeholders, is key

Analysis


Translation

“…there is a growing need to pursue collaborations with multidisciplinary teams of experts across multiple fields. Essential attributes for these teams include excellence in communication (with technical and public audiences), an ability to communicate using technology, and an understanding of the complexities associated with a global market and social context. Flexibility,

receptiveness to change,

and mutual respect are essential as well.”National Academy of Engineering The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century (2004)


Translation

• To repeat: analysis in context, with its meaning and implications for all stakeholders, is key

• Ability to write (short memos, reports, goodemails) is important

• Ability to speak and present (speak with confidence, use PowerPoint appropriately,*understand your audience) is important

*Kawasaki’s ‘10-20-30 rule’: 10 slides per 20 minutes with no smaller than 30 point font

Guy Kawasaki, Reality Check (2008)


• Be customer-focused in how you translatetechnology and analysis into languages otherscan understand

• Practice a lot• Use feedback and criticism to improve• Communicate via your résumé - make sure

to focus on the ‘so what?’ factor - what wasthe impact of past experiences (research,co-ops, internships, employment)?

Translation


Perception

“…perception is not something immutablyhard-wired into the brain…

It is a process

that is learned through experience…

Tosee things differently than other people, themost effective solution is to bombard thebrain with things it has never encounteredbefore.”

Gregory Berns, Iconoclast (2008)


Perception

• Our brains are lazy – take shortcuts and makeassumptions based on limited informationto conserve energy

• Can get too comfortable with the familiar• Need fresh experiences and environments to

think (perceive) differently (‘out of the box’)• Enable connecting different ideas in new

combinations – where most opportunity lies• Multiple and diverse experiences serve as a

neural ‘toolkit’ to provide fresh approachesto problems and to connect disparate ideas


Perception

• Look for lots of new experiences: internships, co-ops, research, travel, multi-disciplinary projects, and any connection to the arts

• Don’t resist ‘unusual’ assignments simply because they are outside of your major area of expertise

• Work to frame and define problems in new ways; frequently definition of the problem isa greater bottleneck that its eventual solution


“Work on important customer and market needs, not just what is interesting to you.”


Use ‘ATP’

to be Relevant


Use ‘ATP’

to be Relevant

• Must understand needs of multiple constituencies(boss, colleagues, investors, customers, society)

• Have a compelling value proposition for all constituencies

• Understand the value chain (customers, suppliers, investors, collaborators, co-workers)

• Deliver on the value proposition • Analysis, translation and perception are important

for success


more personal, more individual, more ‘you’

Analysis Translation Perception

# of ‘like’responses

10n

Few; limit is 100

Many can do routine analysis (outsourced to lowest bidder);translation of analysis for different audiences will be morebroad in quality and scope, leading to more variety; perceivingthings/situations in new ways (thinking ‘out of the box’) affords highly unique and personal responses.

Use ‘ATP’

to be Unique


A Combination of ‘ATP’

Linked to Needs = Personal Ingenuity

• Build skills of translation and perception on a strong technical (engineering) base

• Virtually any combination of the three is uniqueand personal

• Combinations are effectively infinite • Couple to value propositions

Engineers will be far better able to compete on their own terms in a global economy



Analysis, Translation, Perception

Leverage ‘ATP’ to enhance:

Entrepreneurial ThinkingInnovation

DesignLeadership

Your Personal Value Proposition


Entrepreneurial Thinking and Entrepreneurship

Most commonly, the term entrepreneur applies to someone who creates value by offering a product or service. Entrepreneurs often have strong beliefs about a market opportunity and organize their resources effectively to accomplish an outcome that changes existing interactions.

Entrepreneurship is the practice of starting new organizations

or revitalizing mature organizations,

new businesses

generally in response to identified opportunities.

Wikipedia



Entrepreneurial thinking -

creative opportunismleading to success of the enterprise, public benefit, and personal satisfaction and growth.

All organizations – companies large and small, educational institutions, governments – need entrepreneurial thinkers.

Be resourceful. For example:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/health/16incubators.html?_r=1&ref=sciencehttp://www.case.edu/orgs/create/index.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/health/16incubators.html?_r=1&ref=science

http://www.case.edu/orgs/create/index.htm


“We don’t have the money, so we have to think.”

Ernest Rutherford


Look for creative ways to use existing resourcesand to identify new opportunities.

Mitigate risk by careful opportunity assessment(technical, financial, markets, competition)

Use ‘ATP’


Innovation

Innovation is the successful creation and delivery of a new or improved product or service in the marketplace. Or to put it another way, innovation is the process that turns an idea into value for the customer and results in sustainable profit for the enterprise.



Innovation

Idea → Invention → Innovation(customers)

Break down the barriers

Note: innovation is a term of economics, not of technology; i.e., there are non-technical innovations such as new business models

Barriers include not fully understanding (among other things) markets, customers, value propositions, intellectual property protection, manufacturability, sustainability, and effective project management. ‘ATP’.


Analysis

Perception Translation

Innovation

‘ATP’ loop can help to feed continuous,sustainable innovation


“Innovation depends on harvesting knowledge from a range of disciplines besides science and technology, among them design, social science, and the arts.”

John Kao, Innovation Nation (2007)

Innovation


“None of us is as smart as all of us.”

Japanese proverb

Innovation

‘Open Innovation’ aims to leverage collectiveideas and talent. Leverages collective ‘ATP’.


Design

“Engineers are not the only professional designers. Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.”

“Engineering, medicine, business, architecture and painting are concerned not with the necessary but with the contingent -

not with how things are but

with how they might be -

in short, with design.”

Herbert Simon, The Sciences of the Artificial (1993)


Design

Product Design: Common View

Needs

Ideas

Selection

Manufacture

Product Design2009

Function and costnot enough

Abundance of choicesbegs for new ways todifferentiate

Design process non-linear, iterative


Ability to analyze (technical as well as business issues)

Ability to translate important concepts and conclusions into the language of different constituencies (e.g., your boss, investors, non-technical colleagues, reporters)

Ability to perceive new opportunities -connecting disparate ideas from different disciplines in new ways

Quantitative and qualitativethinking;Left and rightbrain

Design 2009Again:


Leadership

• Leadership is expected at all levels of an organization, and immediately upon employment(e.g., how you accept responsibility, showrespect for others, be mentored and be a mentor)

• Even when seeking a job, you can exhibit leadership throughout the process (your level of interest, preparation, interview and follow-up)

• Democratic v. autocratic leadership (aspire tothe former)

• Lead by example


Ethics and Leadership

“There absolutely are absolute rights and wrongs.”

Guy KawasakiReality Check

Ethical leadership is everyone’s responsibility,regardless of title

“If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything.”

Mark Twain


“…companies are looking for candidates with good communication skills and who can demonstrate to employers that they can solve problems specific to the company's goals. We have so many people who are graduating and who have talent, but they're just totally incapable of relating it to the problem that the customer might have…That skill of positioning yourself as a problem solver is what industry is really looking for.”

William Suits, ACS career consultant (C&EN, Nov. 17, 2008)




A CWRU alum and successful entrepreneur on advice to anyone looking for a job at his company: “Keep pestering me, and be prepared to tell mewhy I must hire you.”

In other words, be both relevant and unique, and communicate well why you are both. Your personal value proposition is to understand how you add value to an organization. Know yourcustomers.



“Luck is seizing an opportunity that you were not looking for.”

John Grisham, commencement address, University of Virginia (5/20/07)

“Innovation: the ability for individuals, companies and entire nations to continuously create their desired future.”

John Kao, Innovation Nation (2007)


Luck requires your active participation

The ability to analyze, translate and perceive significantly increases your chances of being ‘lucky’

Don’t be afraid of uncertainty, unpredictability, and change

Always seek out good mentors

Be relevant and unique



The Interdisciplinary Master of Engineering and Management (MEM) Program

“The MEM Experience”

The Institute for Management and Engineering (TiME)http://www.time.case.edu

For the New Economy Engineer…


Institute Mission

The Institute is dedicated to the integration of engineering and management to educate the next generation of business-minded innovators. It seeks to achieve this objective via:

Education The Master of Engineering and Management Program

Experiential LearningCommercialization Associate Program; Real-Time,

Real-World Classroom Projects

IndustryCorporate Advisory Board; Classroom Projects,

Internships; Engaged Alumni


MEM Curriculum (3 Semesters)

Course Title (Credits)Professional Development (3)Project Management (3)Materials and Manufacturing Processes (3)Accounting, Finance, and Engineering Economics (3)Product and Process Design, Development, Delivery (6)Design for Manufacturing and Manufacturing Management (3)Information Technology and Systems (3)Understanding People and Change in Organizations (3)Engineering Statistics and Quality (3)Engineering Entrepreneurship (6)Electives (6)


MEM Points of Distinction

Integrated curriculum and faculty help students acquire the critical skills needed in engineering management tracks and leadership programs.Experiential real-world projects in product design, quality management, and entrepreneurshipGrowing Commercialization Associate Program (CA Program) provides valuable experiential learning, which enhances the curriculum in real-time.Unique value-added group experiences for the “business-minded” engineer such as Lake Effect Innovation, LLC and the CREATE design group. Accelerated career tracks and unique employment opportunities


MEM

Engineering

Design Management

MEM Points of Distinction


More on The New Economy Engineer

http://www.mem.case.edu/index.html

Blog coming soon


References and Selected Readings

Berns, Gregory (2008), Iconoclast, Harvard Business Press

Brunner, Robert and Stewart Emery (2009), Do You Matter?, FT Press

Carlson, Curtis and William Wilmot (2006), Innovation: The Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want, Crown Business Books

Friedman, Thomas (2006), The World is Flat, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Goldberg, David (2006), The Entrepreneurial Engineer, Wiley Interscience; see also

http://www.entrepreneurialengineer.blogspot.com

Graves, Heather and Roger Graves (2007), A Strategic Guide to Technical Communication, Broadview

Hawkins, Jeff (2004), On Intelligence, Times Books

Kawasaki, Guy (2008), Reality Check, Portfolio

http://www.entrepreneurialengineer.blogspot.com/


Liker, Jeffrey and Michael Hoseus (2008), Toyota Culture, McGraw-Hill

McGirt, Ellen (2008), “How Cisco’s CEO John Chambers is Turning the Tech Giant Socialist.” http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/131/revolution -in-san-jose.html.

Norman, Donald (2007), The Design of Future Things, Basic Books

Pink, Dan (2006), A Whole New Mind, Riverhead Books

Rover, Diane (2005), “New Economy, New Engineer,” J. Engineering Education., Oct. issue

Schramm, Carl J. (2006), The Entrepreneurial Imperative, Collins Press

Shirky, Clay (2008), Here Comes Everybody, Penguin Press

Tapscott, Don and Anthony D. Williams (2008), Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, Portfolio

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/131/revolution-in-san-jose.html

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/131/revolution-in-san-jose.html

New Economy Engineer v.1

Career

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