IEE Management & Design Division: Chairman´s address. Managing BBC engineering

The BBC exists to make and distribute radio and television programes and it is the goal of managers in its Engineering Division to ensure that the BBC has the best possible technical facilities at minimum cost. In the address, an outline is given of the extensive engineering resources used in the origination and transmission of the BBC´s programmes, and the structure of the Engineering Division is analysed with particular reference to the application of different forms of management for different departmental roles. It is seen also that departmental boundaries are sometimes crossed to fulfil most effectively the needs of the Radio, Television and External Broadcasting directorates. After a brief look at the management of change in an industry which is moving rapidly with advancing technology, the paper concludes with a description of engineering training and subsequent training for managers at all levels in the BBC´s Engineering Division.