Understanding engineering work and identity: a cross-case analysis of engineers within six firms

Abstract

To better equip engineers to enter a dynamic technological and economic environment, educators must improve their understanding of the wide-ranging work of engineers and the flexible skills it demands. To that end, we studied engineering practice in six firms of varying size and industry. We analyzed the similarities and differences of engineering practice across these sites, and gathered narrative examples of what it means to be an engineer at these locations. Our data indicates more similarities across sites than differences. Although workplace cultures differed, most engineers saw their work similarly. They saw their work as problem solving, almost always done in explicitly organized teams or in informal collaboration with others. Engineers cited clear communication as the most important skill, with budgets and time limitations generally noted as the most significant constraints. Engineers generally valued solving a problem, learning, and working in a team more than other aspects of their jobs. This understanding of engineering work can be used to better equip engineers for the workforce and improve organizational practices.

Board # 9 : Characterizing Student Identities in Engineering: Attitudinal Profiles of Engineering Majors

“…In addition to the persistent issues of underrepresentation along multiple demographic categories in engineering, the lack of diversity may also promote a singular idea of what it means to be an engineer and continue to limit access to those who do not fit that mold 10,11,12 . Because students of diverse backgrounds bring with them alternative mindsets and experiences into an engineering degree program, understanding the underlying attitudes of engineering students early on can provide evidence-based ways to support students with diverse attitudes in their engineering pathways.…”

Designing the Identities of Engineers

“…Moreover, central questions to ask in exploring engineering identities are: who is an engineer, what does an engineer do, what does performing the role of an engineer entail, and what are the responsibilities of engineers? Drawing on Michael Hogg and Deborah Terry (2000), Kevin Anderson et al (2010) argue that engineering groups imagine archetypes that capture dependent features of group membership which are abstractions of group features: "These archetypes then show what the group values and serve to distinguish the ways of doing and thinking of one group from another" (p. 157).…”

“…Kevin Anderson et al (2010) interviewed engineers in six firms and noted the significance of communication skills. As one engineer told them: "Engineering is the easy part.…”

Paving the way and passing the torch: mentors’ motivation and experience of supporting women in optical engineering

“…(Fox and Fonseca 2006, Kahveci et al 2006, Anderson et al 2010) Few studies have examined what motivates mentors to do what they do, and how they perceive their roles in practice in different settings, with a particular focus on the fields of engineering. Given the current situation, where women engineers are still in the minority, it is crucial to get a better understanding of who these active mentors (both men and women) are, and what they do at the coalface playing the 'connecting' role between women and engineering fields.…”