Leadership and Management in Engineering

Construction in the United Kingdom enjoys the unenviable status of having the lowest representation of women and members of ethnic minority groups of all major industries and sectors. Despite considerable efforts to diversify the labor force in recent years, there has been little change in the number of nonwhite males seeking a career in construction. Further, the few women and members of ethnic minorities who do enter the sector often encounter harassment and discrimination and find fewer opportunities for advancement than their white male colleagues. A set of integrated labor market policies aimed at addressing the underrepresentation of women end ethnic minorities in the construction industry is proposed. The assertions and recommendations put forward are based on research that has explored the experiences of minority entrants working within the sector and the factors militating against workforce diversity. It is argued that the radical initiatives proposed here hold promise for shifting the current culture in the industry to one more accepting of nontraditional entrants.

It is noted that although more than half of undergraduates at American colleges and universities today are women, enrollment levels in engineering programs by women have not changed greatly in the past 20 years. The challenge is to show that engineering disciplines have social value and relevance. Attention is given to the approaches taken by Smith College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Tufts University to involve students in a hands-on way. The importance of combating chauvinistic attitudes so that the environment for learning can be improved is stressed, and the work done by various organizations to promote an interest in engineering among female students before they reach college is surveyed.

Statistics are presented revealing the insufficient growth of students enrolled in engineering in general and civil engineering in particular since 1985. The percentage of women and members of minorities in engineering schools, however, has increased during this period. Since the overall population growth of minorities is growing at a rapid pace, it is stressed that more should be done to channel students from these groups into engineering and science careers. This means raising academic standards and performance during the precollege years to ensure that students who graduate from high school have a background in math and science that will enable them to pursue a technical degree. The work being done by various organizations in this area is surveyed, and the important role played by minority engineering program administrators at engineering institutions is cited.

Various topics in the area of diversity are treated in epistolary fashion. The letters deal with such aspects as the reasons for turnover among minority employees, the economic justification for investments in diversity training, and the steps to be taken by an employee who feels himself the victim of discrimination on religious grounds. An employer's questions concerning a company's responsibilities when hiring a person with a physical disability are addressed, as are inquiries from a male complaining of sexual harassment by female coworkers.

The views expressed by various participants at a workshop on diversity organized by the National Academy of Engineering's Committee on Diversity in the Engineering Workforce in October 2001 are summarized. A common view was that employee diversity has a positive effect on a company's bottom line in that it allows the company to meet the needs of a marketplace that itself is becoming increasingly diverse and global. The benefits that diversity confers in raising employee creativity were also cited. The key components of a successful diversity program are outlined. The need for corporations, universities, and professional associations to work together in this area is stressed.

The efforts undertaken by Parsons Brinckerhoff in the area of diversity are summarized. Special attention is given to the pioneering work done by the Women's Focus Group, which led to the formation of the Diversity Oversight Committee. The responsibility imposed on management to ensure that all employees have equal opportunities for advancement is discussed. In surveying the progress made, the importance of networking groups, mentoring, outreach efforts, training, and accountability is stressed.

After producing statistics illustrating the width of the divide, the authors point out that those on the wrong side of the gap are not only cut off from the benefits of science and technology but also deprived of the opportunity to learn about and perhaps pursue a career in science or engineering. It is argued that if some of these individuals could be brought into the field of civil and environmental engineering, the workforce shortages expected in the coming years could be avoided. An additional benefit to the field would be an increase in diversity, which could pay dividends in the area of creativity. Steps that could be taken by civil and environmental engineers and by local ASCE groups to bridge the divide are outlined.

The changes that have taken place at one corporation during the past 25 years in the area of diversity are surveyed by one of its executives. The various ways in which diversity has enriched the firm, raised its stature, and enabled it to compete more effectively are explored.

The traditional meaning of “mentoring” is discussed, and recent developments are reviewed. Attention is then given to a comparison of formal and informal mentoring arrangements, with the pros and cons of each summarized. It is noted that women and members of minorities may be excluded in informal arrangements. Formal mentoring programs at various companies are then surveyed. The way in which advances in communication and technology are facilitating the mentoring process is described, and the phenomenon of reverse, or bottom-up, mentoring is explained. Finally, the role of the “influencer” is discussed.

Diversity in America is a fact of life that most of us must deal with, and it has the potential to confer great benefits. The sources of our diversity are examined from a historical perspective. Attention is then given to diversity and group effectiveness, diversity in relation to IQ, and diversity as manifested through personality differences. The causes of stereotyping are considered, and ways of working effectively in a culture in which there is diversity are suggested.