Human Forces in Engineering

A high-level overview providing insight into the key concepts / schools of thought in each field, a framework in which the engineers can structure their learning, and some practical suggestions for use of ideas in engineering work, engineering projects, and how the human forces can be influenced (or the limitations of influence) at a managerial/executive level. Selling point to students as the start of a pathway to upper management: Introduction. Importance for top leaders, give examples Are any serious engineering projects solely technical? Are engineers applied scientists - using engineering science to produce tangible outcomes - or is their role to provide an interface between technical sciences and society? This text provides an introduction to the messy, difficult-to-control human forces that shape what happens in the world, including in engineering work, and a pathway to begin learning about these forces as an element of professional development. Sociopolitics Social values, stakeholders & participation; Capability, corruption, & good governance; Policies, regulations & incentives; Evaluating effectiveness; Democratic & authoritarian decision-making; Forecasting & planning for future needs. Effect on Engineering Practice Possibilities for influence? Psychology Cognition, intuitive & analytic judgement, and naturalistic decision-making; Leadership in context, social identity, norms, and their impact on organisations / individuals; Resilience engineering & safety; Designing technology for human use. Effect on Engineering Practice Possibilities for influence? Introduction to Investment Decision Making Cost-benefit decision-making: sunk costs, opportunity costs, marginal costs, externalities; What drives prices: supply, demand, elasticity and how price affect decision-making i.e. planning of new plant / factories, difference between cost and price Market structure: negotiating power, regulations, barriers to entry (and exit, and switching), and how these affect individual industries (e.g. high quality alloys for medical applications vs commodity rebar steel); Productivity - economy-wide multifactor productivity (and economic growth, at the level of Solow's law), and corporate productivity: asset utilisation, labour utilisation, capital utilisation / ROI, automation & capital vs. labour. Effect on Engineering Practice Possibilities for influence? Economics and Global Change Common property & externalities; Risk & Uncertainty; Discounting; Regulation & Pigovian taxes (carbon price); adaptation & mitigation. Implications on Engineering Practice Implications for Climate Charge Leadership & Management Styles & qualities of leadership; Project leadership; Scenarios & scenario planning; Decision-making under uncertainty. Effect on Engineering Practice Possibilities for influence?