Ethics and Excellencefor Engineers

Presented at:

Date:

Copyright© 2007 by Alan Rossiter, except as otherwise noted

A Seminar On Our Priorities as Engineers

Definitions

Ethics: 1. a discipline dealing with good and evil and with moral duty2. moral principles or practice

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 1974, G. & C. Merriam Co.

1 PDH “in the area of professional ethics, roles and responsibilities of professional engineering, or review of the Texas Engineering Practice Act and Board Rules.” §137.17(d)

Continuing Education Ethics Requirements

Agenda

A. Basis for Codes of Engineering Ethics• The Need for a Code of Ethics• The Engineers’ Creed & Codes of Ethics

B. Towards Professional Excellence• Defining Professional Excellence• Elements of Professional Excellence  C. Wrap Up

A. Basis for Codes of Engineering Ethics

There is no good and evil, only power, and those too weak to seek it…

With great power comes great responsibility

The Need for a Code of Engineering Ethics (1)

A. Basis for Codes of Engineering Ethics

There is no good and evil, only power, and those too weak to seek it…

J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

With great power comes great responsibility

Stan Lee & Steve Ditko, Spider-Man

The Need for a Code of Engineering Ethics (1)

• a standard of action for those who subscribe to it

• a common basis for evaluating the actions of others

In a culturally diverse society, a code of ethics provides:

The Need for a Code of Engineering Ethics (2)

The Engineers’ Creed

• Developed in response to a desire for a short statement of philosophy of service, similar to the Hippocratic Oath formedical practitioners

• Approved by the National Society of Professional Engineers in June 1954

The Engineers’ CreedAs a Professional Engineer, I dedicate my professional knowledge and skill to the advancement and betterment of human welfare.

I pledge

To give the utmost of performance;

To participate in none but honest enterprise;

To live and work according to the laws of man and the highest standards of professional conduct;

To place service before profit, the honor and standing of the profession before personal advantage, and the public welfare above all other considerations.

In humility and with need for Divine Guidance,I make this pledge.

http://www.nspe.org/ethics/eh1-cred.asp (Reprinted by Permission of the National Society of Professional Engineers)

Codes of Engineering Ethics

• National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics for Engineers (http://www.nspe.org/ethics/eh1-code.asp)

Case Studies: http://onlineethics.org/cases/nspe/

• The Texas Engineering Practice Act & Board Rules: Professional Conduct and Ethics (http://www.tbpe.state.tx.us/downloads/law_rules1206.pdf)

• AIChE Code of Ethics (http://www.aiche.org/About/Code.aspx)

Elements of the NSPE Code

Engineers, in the fulfillment of their professional duties, shall:

1. Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public.

2. Perform services only in areas of their competence.

3. Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.

4. Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees.

5. Avoid deceptive acts.

6. Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation and usefulness of the profession.

I. Fundamental Canons: National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics for Engineers

B. Towards Professional Excellence

So…How Should We Define Professional Excellence for

Engineers?

Professional Excellence Is Not…

Earning lots of money

Obtaining recognition for your work

Climbing the corporate ladder

Being the boss or owning your own company

Professional Excellence Is Not Even…

• Being outstanding in your chosen technical field

Engineering and Life…

Professional Excellence in Engineers Blends the Two.

Engineering projects are about building and improving things.

Life is about interacting with people.

Key People Principle…

…respect for the other person.

Applications vary, but theprinciple doesn’t change

What Skills Do We Need?

As you get older, you realize that philosophy and psychology are more important within a company than engineering – Troy Berg, a production manager for SSI Technologies in Janesville, Wis.

Lancaster, Hal, “Engineering is Re-Engineered into a Team Sport”, Wall Street Journal, 2 May, 1995.

Question to Consider

• How important are “soft skills” or “people skills” in your job? Do you make proportionate efforts to refine those skills?

Elements of Professional Excellence

1. Communication2. Fulfilling Commitments3. Recognizing and Expanding Professional Limits4. Investing in Your Profession & Society5. Affirmation of Coworkers6. Celebrating Your Work7. Protecting Your Personal Life

1. Communication

Technical Communication (Written & Oral):Understand and Cater to the Needs of Your Audience

Communication should convey information that I have to others * Strive to use language the others can understand * Common engineering problem:

- Too much detail for non-expert audiences

Almost all communication is intended to influence an audience

Guidelines:• Organize your information carefully• Provide a clear, concise summary

Communication

General Communication (Especially Oral): Be a Good Listener, Not Just a Good Talker Get Feedback to Ensure That You Have Been

Understood

Apply the “Drive Through” Principle:

Avoids a lot of misunderstandings

2. Fulfilling Commitments

Why do people fail to fulfill professional (and personal) commitments?

Why do people fail to fulfill professional (and personal) commitments?

• Poor self-management

• Unrealistic objectives

The reason that most major goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first – Robert J. McKain

On Priority Management…

The Prioritization Chart

John C. Maxwell, “Developing the Leader Within You”, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 1993, p. 20

Stephen R Covey, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, Simon & Schuster, London, 1992, p. 151

100

Urgency 1000

1A: High Importance/Low Urgency Establish scheduleSet deadlines

0

2A: High Importance/High Urgency Tackle firstHandle personally

1B: Low Importance/Low Urgency Set aside time weeklyDelegate

2B: Low Importance/High Urgency Resolve quickly & efficientlyDelegate where possible

0: Very Low Importance: Ignore or Discard

We Should Make Our Commitments Based On…

•A Realistic Evaluation of Our Situation, Including Other Commitments

•Appropriate Prioritization

•Past Experience

•Advice from People with More Experience, or Impartial Peers

•Integrity

3. Recognizing and Expanding Professional Limitations

To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge. – Thoreau, Walden (quoting Confucius)

I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance. - Socrates (quoted in Diogenes Laertius)

All I know is what I read in the papers. – Will Rogers

Legal, Ethical & Practical Issues

• “Engineers shall practice only in their area of competence…” §137.59 of The Texas Engineering Practice Act & Board Rules

• We become proficient through formal training and experience

• Acknowledging the limitations of our expertise raises credibility and enhances team spirit

• We can expand our professional competence through study: course work, on-the-job-training, research.

4. Investing in Your Profession and in Society

Investing in Your Profession… Participating in professional bodies Presenting your profession in schools Helping others grow through on-the-job training Judging Science Fairs Mentoring Etc.

Can be immensely rewarding experiences

Investing in Society

Through the projects we perform professionallyBy applying engineering skills within our communitiesBy applying soft skills within our communities

5. Affirmation of Coworkers

Recall the Key People Principle:

…respect for the other person.

Affirmation is…helping others to feel good about themselves and the contribution they are making.a key to cooperation and teamwork

Consider These Two Statements:

People don’t do what you expect. They do what you inspect.Poster on office wall. Source: Unknown

If you want to get people to do more, raise your expectations.Doug Hissong, ExxonMobil Upstream Research Co.1

1 Work More Effectively with Others, Chem. Eng. Prog., February 2004, pp. 55-58

Which statement seems more accurate to you?

…And Beware of Criticizing

I will speak ill of no man, and speakall the good I know of everybody. – Benjamin Franklin

Guidelines for Affirmation

• Words of appreciation and encouragement have a very positive impact.

• Compliments should be genuine.

• Small gifts, cards, notes, e-mails can be used to good effect.

• Try to convey a sense of value and appreciation to others.

6. Celebrating Your Work

In the beginning…

Pictures Courtesy of NASA/JPL/Caltech

How Did God Manage The Project?

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was

morning—the sixth day…

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he

rested from all his work.

Genesis 1:31, 2:2, New International Version.

A Few Ways to Celebrate Individually…

• Reflect positively on your progress each day, each week, and at each significant milestone (e.g. project completion)

• Take time away from work, and keep things in perspective

• Have Fun!

Keep a task list, and check off each item as you complete it

• Take advantage of holiday seasons for company festivities

• Mark each completed project with a token of accomplishment, e.g.:

• Have fun!

Plaques Photos Special items of clothing Souvenirs Be Imaginative!

A Few Ways to Celebrate Corporately…

• Fulfill commitments to family & friends

• Maintain balance through outside interests, e.g.:

– Sports

– Hobbies

– Theater

– etc.

7. Protecting Your Personal Life

Principles for Protecting Your Personal Life

Prioritization

Communication

Reciprocation

Get personal time on the calendar!

Seek mutual understanding with the important people in your life.

Share duties and inconveniences

C. Wrap Up

 

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children; to earn the

appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social

condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. –

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Coming Spring 2008from Wiley/AIChE Press

http://www.aiche.org/apps/pubcat/index.asp

Professional Excellence:

Beyond Technical Competence

by Alan Rossiter