From engineer to manager — And back again

This paper notes the increase in management possibilities for technically trained personnel, describes problem areas encountered by engineers in executive positions, and suggests ways to overcome such problems. By virtue of his training in orderly thinking and his involvement in technology — often a dominant function in modern industry — the engineer is particularly well suited for an executive position. But his technological background often contains the seeds of failure in management situations, and the author lists six points in modes of thought and areas of knowledge, which could prove to be pitfalls for the engineer turned manager. Each of these points, including management´s own technology, touches upon an aspect of technical training which is the reverse, or very different from, requirements in management. As a check on the would-be manager´s “general management IQ” the author includes seven short questions in areas of basic importance to top level management. An engineer´s inability or unwillingness to master management´s skills and fields of knowledge leads to his almost certain failure as a manager, and the author describes typical patterns of failure related to the six pitfall areas. But success is possible to the man who realizes the essential differences between the technical and management attitudes and skills, and who takes advantage of the countless avenues of management education which are available to him.