Educational Aspects of Engineering and Management

During the development of industry, engineering and industrial management have evolved together. Certain phases of management, as the writer views it, have actually been a part of engineering; others have not. The direct administration of technical engineering activities is engineering, in the same sense that the administration of personnel and procedure in a legal matter is law. However, we should not become confused; the further movement of engineers from such technical management to general management has not made the latter become engineering, any more than the movement of numerous lawyers also into general management has made it become law. It is still general management. Engineering and managements are thus closely related, but all management is not engineering. Looking to the past, the facts are that something over a quarter of engineering graduates have gone into general management; a quarter have remained in technical management, which is engineering; a quarter, in purely technical activity; and the rest in sales, consulting, teaching, etc. Those who have gone into general management have received the greatest financial reward; those who have remained in purely technical activity, the least. Looking to the future, it appears that, on account of the rapidly increasing complexity on all sides, even more capable leadership, both technical and managerial, must be provided for the future. It seems clear also that the forces which have moved engineers in such large numbers into positions of executive responsibility??both technical and general??will continue in the future.