What’s needed is stronger leadership—courage, vision, optimism, influence, and more. .solid leadership ensures strong management, but strong management doesn’t guarantee solid leadership. ..The future of engineering depends on motivated and influential engineering leaders. Sadly, they are in short supply here... Gary Hinckle
Do we know what kinds of projects engineers will be working on
in the coming years? Visionary physicist Michio Kaku in his latest best-seller, Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and
Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, points out many scientific
advancements that are ready, or nearly ready for the next step, for engineers
to transform them into commercial products.
Kaku, co-founder of string field theory and an expert in topics
like supergravity and hadronic physics, is known internationally as a “rock
star” theoretical physicist and futurologist whose predictions are grounded in
reality. He’s had the privilege of interviewing many of the world’s top
scientists who are, today, inventing the future in their laboratories.
A few examples of science that’s nearly ready, according to
Kaku:
MOBILE DISPLAYS. The
military widely uses technology that displays images on an eyepiece attached to
a helmet. Imagine the potential to display images on consumer eyeglass products
and contact lenses. Think of the ways in which this will change how we interact
with computers, phones, and other devices with displays!
NAVIGATION SYSTEMS. Google
is spending millions perfecting technology that will enable cars to drive
themselves. The goal is to make cars safer, while allowing the “driver” to
relax or do something else while on the road.
CANCER TREATMENT AND PREVENTION. A
replacement technology for chemotherapy will send nanoparticles like rifle
bullets to destroy cancer cells at the molecular level. Electronic DNA scanners
installed in home toilets will detect cancer cells in human waste years before
a tumor forms.
OTHER MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES. MRI
machines–now the size of a hospital room–could be reduced to handheld devices,
thanks to advancements in computing power that compensate for the non-uniform
magnetic fields produced by small magnetic coils.
Engineers have more opportunity today than ever before to
transform scientific advancements into useful products. Yet engineers are
witnessing declining respect for their profession in the U.S. Their employers
continue to package up engineering assignments and ship them off to low-cost
labor overseas, essentially commoditizing their work rather than enlisting
their professional engineering abilities and contribution to take their
companies to the next level.
This trend might be reversing some, but there’s an awful irony
lurking just below the surface: while engineering capability is improving
rapidly in places like China and India,business leadership and
management capability is also improving significantly there,
while it’s stagnating in the U.S.
Think about this for a moment:
When was the last time we witnessed a
management practice breakthrough that significantly improved the way products
are developed?
Instead, we make incremental improvements, affording only slight
improvement if applied correctly. In fact, most companies are way behind in
applying the proven practices that have been around for decades to improve the
way they vet opportunities, determine priorities, define requirements, allocate
resources, and manage projects. Studies by organizations like Booz &
Company, The Standish Group, Dr. Dobbs, and highly regarded universities show
minimal improvement—at best—in the success rate of
projects in the U.S. over the last decade. Why? Because, while technical
proficiency continues to improve, management and leadership ability are stuck.
What’s needed is stronger leadership—courage, vision, optimism,
influence, and more. Why “leadership” and not “management”? Because solid
leadership ensures strong management, but strong management doesn’t guarantee
solid leadership. The U.S. needs workers who understand what excellent
leadership is, we need workers with a strong desire to be leaders, and we need
engineers to step up and actually lead.
The future of engineering depends on motivated and influential
engineering leaders. Sadly, they are in short supply here.
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