I totally agree with Doug that there is a huge difference between what makes a great engineering leader or visionary with what makes a great engineering manager. Given that product development is far more of a collaborative, interdisciplinary practice today, the need for people who can effectively communicate, problem solve, promote cross-discipline sharing and knowledge transfer, and motivate staffers is what's needed (and oftentimes lacking) in engineering organizations. It's a set of skills that often takes a back seat to technical skills. Yet given the high stakes of today's competitive climate and the overall lack of budgets and resources, managers that can effectively do more with less and still deliver great products are an invaluable asset.
Certainly, there is a big difference between what makes a great leader and what makes a great manager. In my mind, a great manager is someone who takes a group of individual people and makes them better, often much better, than the sum of the parts. In a good working environment, people learn from each other and start feeding off each other in a very positive way. That's a particular challenge in an engineering environment where traditionally much work was done individually or in very small cells. It's also a particular challenge in engineering because engineers can at times be perfectionists and have trouble sharing projects or letting them go. A person who can overcome these hurdles, even in small groups, is a great manager.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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