Management as a New Technology

Corporations facing global competition are looking to their technical professionals - engineers and engineering managers - for profitable technological innovations. Technical managers everywhere are under pressure to maintain a steady stream of product innovations. Recognizing that the primary problems of managing for this goal are not technical, but human, this book provides technology executives, managers and supervisors with a relevant, analytical and practical framework for understanding management as a new form of social technology and for using this knowledge to boost the competence and productivity of any organization. The core of the book is a four-component plan that highlights staffing, motivations and reward systems that are most conducive to the successful management of a technical staff. Managers will discover how to develop a flexible leadership style, build technical teams, constructively manage conflict and turn around poor performance. They should also appreciate the emphasis on enhancing interpersonal and communications skills that promise career success, survival and advancement.