Enabling the Canadian Engineering Grand Challenges

CEGC and the Role of the Engineer Engineering is a sociotechnical practice
Requires a leadership mindset
Requires intentional development of transdisciplinary skills
Combines leadership capabilities, management capacity
Includes ability to develop and communicate sustainable solutions with both technical and non-technical communities.<br>

Engineering Leadership OverviewWhat is Leadership? Leadership is a process of influencing others to reach a common positive goal.1<br>

Poll Question? 6 Do you think of Engineering as a Leadership Profession? Poll<br>

Engineering Leadership OverviewInteresting Observation 1https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/10/22/more-top-performing-ceos-now-have-engineering-degrees-than-mbas/ “Thirty-four of the top 100 CEOs in 2018 … had an engineering degree.”1

Harvard Business Review, Oct. 22, 2018 Furthermore:
26.4 percent of the CEO’s on the S&P 500 and Fortune 500 had engineering degrees<br>

Engineering Leadership Overview Engineering is a Leadership Profession
Obligated to guide the technology we create
Integrate solutions into society in a positive and sustainable manner
Engineering has diverse career pathways<br>

Engineering Leadership Overview1 Engineering leadership has been defined in many ways, and often include the technical nature of the engineer’s role and responsibilities, contextualized to engineering practice.



1 R. L. D. Komarek, In search of a definition and frameworks for engineering leadership development, New Directions in Student Leadership, vol. 2022, no. 173, pp. 33–41, Mar. 2022, doi: 10.1002/yd.20477.<br>

Engineering Leadership Overview1 Engineers do not approach leadership as position but rather approach as a process with a need to develop the underlying skills the enable leadership, followership and working with team members and society in a multidisciplinary context.



1 R. L. D. Komarek, In search of a definition and frameworks for engineering leadership development, New Directions in Student Leadership, vol. 2022, no. 173, pp. 33–41, Mar. 2022, doi: 10.1002/yd.20477.<br>

Engineering Leadership OverviewSample Definitions Engineering leadership consists of capabilities and values that transform technical people from individual contributors into those who can lead teams to deliver a complex multi-disciplinary product.2


[2] MIT. Bernard M Gordon MIT Engineering Leadership Program. https://gelp.mit.edu/, accessed January 21, 2023<br>

Engineering Leadership OverviewSample Definitions Through engineering leadership, individuals and groups implement transformative change and innovation to positively influence technologies, organizations, communities, society, and the world at large.3



3Paul, R., Sen, A. , and Wyatt, E., What is engineering leadership? A proposed definition. ASEE Conference Proceedings, 2018.<br>

Engineering Leadership Skills The development of leadership skills in the context of teamwork is a requirement of Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB).4
Some leadership skills intersect with management skills.
Important to differentiate leadership and management roles and skills.
To become a competent and effective engineer, it is important to value and intentionally develop leadership skills. 4CEAB. 2020 accreditation criteria and procedures. Engineers Canada, 2020.<br>

Engineering Leadership SkillsIntersection with Management Skills5 [5] M. Jamieson and J. Donald, Building the Engineering Mindset: Developing Leadership and Management Competencies in the Engineering Curriculum, Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA), Jun. 2020, doi: 10.24908/pceea.vi0.14129.<br>

Engineering LeadershipDomains of Influence Leadership skills applied in a variety of “leadership domains of influence”
Scale & scope increase from self, to team, to organization, to society.
Influence grows as an individual develops skills in each domains. 5M. Jamieson & J. Donald, Building the Engineering Mindset: Developing Leadership and Management Competencies in the Engineering Curriculum, Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA), Jun. 2020, doi: 10.24908/pceea.vi0.14129. Leadership Domains of Influence5<br>

Engineering LeadershipDomains of Influence<br>

Summary CEGCs are complex sociotechnical challenges.
Engineering is a Sociotechnical Leadership profession.
Requires the development of leadership skills across domains of increasing scope and complexity: self, team, organization, society.
Example skills include: self-regulation, value development, creating vision and interdisciplinary thinking.
Must value and intentionally develop our non-technical leadership skills.<br>

Reflection Activities Reflect on any of the following questions:
What is your definition of engineering leadership?
In what ways do you feel engineers need to demonstrate leadership?
Which leadership skills are key to successful engineering practice?
How might engineering leadership skill requirements change as you develop through the four Leadership Domains of influence?<br>

Questions?<br>