ENGINEERS IN

ORGANIZATIONS

CHAPTER 7
GNE 305 – SPRING 2018

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 ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE:
Organizational  Culture  is  defined  as:
The  norms,  expectations,  patterns,  &  rituals  inside  a  
company
Organizational  Culture  should  maintain  a  good  
relationship  between  Engineers  &  Managers:    

A  Manager  needs  to  better  understand  the  important  role  

of  the  Engineer,  and  in  turn,  the  Engineer  needs  to  
acknowledge  the  constraints  a Manager  must  deal  with

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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE:

Organizational  Culture  should  also:

• Emphasize  values,  which  are  defined  by  the  

customers,  investors,  and  communities  in  
which  organizations  choose  to  operate

• Balance  between  autonomy &  authority

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TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURES:

§ Engineer-­Oriented  Companies
§ Customer-­Oriented  Companies
§ Finance-­Oriented  Companies

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 TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURES:
Engineer-­Oriented  Companies
§ Focus  is  on  quality/safety  of  product/service  (vs.  cost  
&  profit)
§ Usually  products  are  over-­safe  &  over-­designed
§ Relationship  between  Managers  &  Engineers  in  
favor  of  the  Engineer

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 TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURES:
Customer-­Oriented  Companies
§ Quality/Safety  may  be  sacrificed  for  the  sake  of  
production  (i.e.  getting  the  product  to  the  customers  
on  time)
§ Communication  between  Managers  &  Engineers  is  
more  difficult

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TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURES:
Finance-­Oriented  Companies
§ Decisions  rarely  made  by  Engineers,  especially  
regarding  Quality/Safety  of  product/service
§ Managers  less  inclined  to  reach  a  “consensus”  
with  Engineers,  which  are  thought  of  as  having  
an  advisory  function

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PROPER ENGINEERING &
MANAGEMENT DECISIONS:
Role  of  Engineer  (technical)  
vs.  
Role  of  Manager  (getting  things  done  within  given  
time/budget   constraints)

1)  Proper  Engineering   Decision  (PED):

A  decision  that  should  be  made  by  Engineers   because:

• It  involves  technical  matters
• It  falls  within  ethical  standards   embodied  in  
Engineering   Codes,  especially  when  public  safety  is  
affected

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PROPER ENGINEERING &
MANAGEMENT DECISIONS:
Example  of  a  PED:
Engineer  Jane  works  in  a  chemical  treatment  plant.  She  has  to  
choose  between  two  valves  (A  &  B).  A  is  5  %  more  expensive,  but  
it  is  the  cutting  edge  technology,  faster  to  shut  down,  safer  and  
more  reliable.  

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PROPER ENGINEERING &
MANAGEMENT DECISIONS:

2)  Proper  Management  Decision  (PMD):

A  decision  that  should  be  made  by  Managers  because:

• It  involves  factors  related  to  the  well-­doing  of  the  
organization  such  as  cost,  scheduling,  marketing,  
employee  welfare,  etc...  
• It  does  not  force  Engineers  to  make  unacceptable  
compromises  with  their  own  technical  or  ethical  standard

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PROPER ENGINEERING &
MANAGEMENT DECISIONS:
Example  of  a  PMD:
Engineer  Jane  works  in  a  chemical  treatment  plant.  She  has  to  
choose  between  two  valves  (A  &  B).  Both  are  very  close  in  terms  
safety  and  reliability.  Valve  A  is  faster  to  procure,  cheaper,  and  
made  by  a  company  that  is  a  potential  big  customer  to  the  plant.  

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ORGANIZATIONAL DISOBEDIENCE:

Definition:  Refusal  to  follow  an  organization’s   policy  or  action

Three  distinct  types:

1. Disobedience   by  Contrary  Action
2. Disobedience   by  Nonparticipation
3. Disobedience   by  Protest

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ORGANIZATIONAL DISOBEDIENCE:

Disobedience   by  Contrary  Action

• Engaging   in  activities  that  go  against   to  the  
organization’s  interest

Disobedience   by  Non-­Participation
• Refusal  to  carry  out  a  certain  activity  for  moral  or  
professional  objections

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ORGANIZATIONAL DISOBEDIENCE:

Disobedience   by  Protest
• Actively  or  openly  protesting   a  policy  or  action  of  an  
organization
• Example:  discovering  corruption  and  openly  exposing   it,  
even  when  faced  with  the  threat  of  dismissal

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WHISTLEBLOWING:

• Revealing  information  that  organizations   do  not  want  to  

reveal  to  the  public  or  some  higher  authority

• It  is  morally  permissible  (even  obligatory) if:

• Harm  to  the  public  is  serious  &  considerable
• Employee  reports  concerns  to  superiors  first  and  no  
satisfactory  action  was  taken  
• Employee  has  solid  proof  
• Employee  has  strong  evidence  that  making  the  
information  public  will  in  fact  prevent  the  harm

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