What is MSEM?

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What is Engineering Management?

Engineering management is the application of the practice of management to the practice of engineering. Engineering management brings together the technological problem-solving ability of engineering and the organizational, administrative, legal and planning abilities of management in order to oversee the operational performance of complex engineering driven enterprises. A Master of Engineering Management (MEM) is sometimes compared to a Master of Business Administration (MBA) for professionals seeking a graduate degree as a qualifying credential for a career in engineering management. (Wikipedia) 

Links engineering, science, technology, and management disciplines to plan, develop, and implement technological capabilities to shape and accomplish strategic and operational objectives of an organization (National Research Council, 1987).

"The art and science of creating value by using technology together with other resources of an organization" (Thamhain, 2005, p. 6).

Technology is the modification of the natural environment in order to satisfy human needs and wants (International Technology Education Association, 2000).

What Do Engineering Leaders Need to Know?

• Current and emerging technologies
• Project and process management
• Strategic and systems thinking
• Resource balance
• Organizational leadership
• Human behavior (Shenhar, 1991)

"The nature of the technological world will require that people be able to manage the technology around them and be able to observe, investigate, test, and analyze its effectiveness" (De Miranda, Doggett, & Evans, 2004, p. 35).

Management of Engineering is:

• Strategy and planning
• Technological forecasting
• Management of innovation
• Implementation of technology
• Technology transfer
• Requires a science perspective, technical competency, and managerial ability (Markert & Backer, 2003)

"For some people, MoT relates to scientific research and the development of new concepts. To others, MoT means engineering design and development, manufacturing, or operations management, while yet others relate MoT to managing hospitals, financial businesses, the Olympic Games, or eBay. Indeed, the scope of MoT is very broad and diverse. Its boundaries also overlap considerably with those of the major disciplines of science, engineering, and management. Furthermore, with the increasing complexity of our business environment, MoT focuses more strongly on 'managing' the organizational processes and the people affiliated with them" (Thamhain, 2005, p. 4).

What Will Engineering Management Be In the Future?

• Leadership of multifunctional teams that cut across traditional organizational boundaries (Khalil, 1993).
• The development of practical technical knowledge based on rigorous academic inquiry (Mills, Auchey, & Beliveau, 1996).
• Understanding of social and economic performance measurements (Bell, 1999).
• Design of business and technology architecture using holistic iterative processes (Gharajedaghi, 1999).
• Use of thinking models to test assumptions about technology (Goldratt, 1994).
• Application of dynamic models to technological systems (Senge et al., 1999).

 

For an excellent diagram, download the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) organizational identity.

 

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References

Bell, D. (1999/1973). The coming of the post-industrial society: A venture in social forecasting. New York: Basic.

De Miranda, M. A., Doggett, A. M., & Evans, J. T. (2004). Medical technology: Contexts and content in science and technology. National Science Foundation. Grant Fund No. ESI-0138671.

Gharajedaghi, J. (1999). Systems thinking: Managing chaos and complexity. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Goldratt, E. M. (1994). It’s not luck. Great Barrington, MA: North River Press.

International Technology Education Association (ITEA) (2000). Standards for technological literacy. Content for the study of technology. Reston, VA: Technology for all Americans project, funded by the National Science Foundation and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Khalil, T.M. (1993). Management of technology education for the 21st century. Industrial Engineering, 25(10) pp. 64-65.

Markert, L. R., & Backer, P. R. (2010) Contemporary technology: Innovations, issues, and perspectives. Tinley Park, IL: Goodheart-Willcox

Mills, T. H., Auchey, F. L., & Beliveau, Y. J. (1996). The development of a vertically and horizontally integrated undergraduate building construction curriculum for the twenty first century. Journal of Construction Education, 1(1), pp. 34-44.

National Research Council. (1987). Management of technology: The hidden competitive advantage. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Senge, P., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R., Roth, R., & Smith, B. (1999). The dance of change: The challenges of sustaining momentum in learning organizations. New York: Doubleday.

Shenhar, A. (1991). Project management style and technological uncertainty: From low- to high-tech, Project Management Journal, 22(4), pp. 11-14.

Thamhain, H. J. (2005). Management of technology: Managing effectively in technology-intensive organizations. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.