ENGINEER, M A N A G E R , AND MBA DEGREE

1
By James H . Olyniec

ABSTRACT: Training is widely acknowledged as a fundamental ingredient to

success. Training is gained both through formal means, such as classroom ed-
ucation, or informal means, what we call experience. On the surface, business
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education for an engineer and manager may not appear to be related. However,
common concepts, as described in this paper, link business education to both
the engineer and manager.

INTRODUCTION

What do engineers and businessmen have in common? Very little, if

anything, as I remember from m y college days. Back then, I thought
business majors were those individuals w h o lacked specific direction in
their lives. Wanting to go to college, they majored in a general field of
study, hoping to find their " t r u e " calling before graduation. This con-
trasted to my view of the engineering students w h o k n e w their mission
in life and had a definite plan in mind to achieve it. This comparison
was certainly short sighted and not thought about again as I started m y
professional career. "Business" a n d " b u s i n e s s m e n " as I defined them,
were not a significant part of my everyday dealings through 15 years of
working as an engineer a n d a manager in the construction industry. Yet
there is another world out there—commonly called the business world.
Surprisingly, there is more common ground between engineering,
management, and business than I first imagined. My studies leading to
an MBA degree provided the key for identifying this common ground.
Wait! You engineers a n d managers w h o say you don't want to be
"transformed" and give u p w h a t you're doing to become business-
men—keep reading. The good thing about it is that you don't give u p
anything. The subject matter taught in the MBA program enhanced and
complemented both my engineering and managerial backgrounds, as well
as adding to my business sense. This paper is not intended to provide
an in-depth view of MBA degrees or issues facing industry, but rather
to acquaint the civil engineer a n d manager with the values of business
studies.

MBA PROGRAMS AND COURSES

At the risk of over-simplification, let's divide MBA programs into two

broad classifications. One classification I'll call the staff specialist; the
other I'll call the executive program. The staff specialist MBA program
is primarily geared toward recent college graduates and places more em-
phasis on the theoretical concepts of business with specific fields of spe-
'Vice Pres., Vasser Construction Co., Huntsville, AL 35805.
Note.—Discussion open until December 1, 1986. To extend the closing date
one month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Manager of Journals.
The manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and possible publication
on October 23, 1985. This paper is part of the Journal of Management in Engi-
neering, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1986. ©ASCE, ISSN 0742-597X/86/0003-0177/$01.00.
Paper No. 20718.

177

J. Manage. Eng. 1986.2:177-180.

 cialization. Knowledge gained in the MBA program is usually applied
in academia or a specialized company department in the role of a com-
pany staff specialist (e.g., finance officer, marketing manager, econo-
mist, etc.).
The executive program, on the other hand, is geared toward those
already working. Entrance requirements vary widely, with one of the
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more restrictive programs requiring a minimum of 10 years of mana-

gerial experience plus a recommendation from the applicant's employer.
The program is geared more toward studying business concepts and their
applications in the business world. It is interesting to note that in a re-
cent study entitled "Report Cards on the MBA" published in the Sep-
tember-October 1984 issue of the Harvard Business Review, 65% of the
corporate presidents felt that the ideal MBA graduate is a generalist, not
a specialist. From the perspective of a manager working full time, this
executive program philosophy yields immediate tangible benefits.
The MBA program I undertook was geared toward people already
working full time. There were no minimum requirements for work ex-
perience. All courses were taught by adjunct professors with full-time
jobs in their chosen business professions.
MBA courses could be classified into two broad categories: (1) General
business; and (2) management. General business courses include such
courses as economics, business law, marketing, financial management,
and analytical methods. Some management courses include behavorial
science, personnel management, program management, and organiza-
tional communication.

CONCEPTS AND COMMON GROUND

So what is the common ground between engineering, management,

and business? What can the engineer and manager get out of the MBA
program? For me, the MBA program crystallized a concept, which is the
maximization of performance. This concept is the common ground for
excellence for the engineer, manager, and businessman. For the engi-
neer, maximization of performance is reflected in economical designs,
efficient construction, and making innovative and effective use of re-
sources. For the manager, this concept is reflected in the productive out-
put by the resources under the manager's control. For the businessman,
maximization of performance is reflected in the increasing value of the
company to the stockholders. I suggest that the MBA degree can aid
both the engineer and manager to become an effective engineer-busi-
nessman or manager-businessman.

MAXIMIZATION OF PERFORMANCE

Interrelationships between people and organizations will enhance or

detract from performance. Let's examine a few examples to show inter-
relationships and maximization of performance that the MBA program
addresses.
Project Management.—Project management focuses on various or-
ganizational arrangements used in managing projects. Personal and
technical interrelationships are the keys to maximization of performance
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J. Manage. Eng. 1986.2:177-180.

 in this area. The course studies provide a different perspective for the
use of direction, influence, control, and authority. The traditional ways
of organizing and the standard hierarchy of direction, responsibility, and
authority may not be the best way. Other methods are available for the
innovative.
Analytical Methods.—Poor production and high costs are generaliza-
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tions of a problem. Many factors interrelate to cause the problem. Ad-

ditionally, many factors must correctly interrelate to resolve the prob-
lem. Techniques for data evaluation are studied in managerial statistics
and analytical methods. Although only some problems lend themselves
to such a quantitative evaluation, the study of these methods provides
the engineer and manager a different perspective of the problem and
possible solutions. Maximization of performance requires the use of all
available tools and methods to identify problems and solve them in the
most efficient manner.
Labor Relations.—On the surface, union labor relations appear to be
somewhat isolated and important only to labor relations personnel. Yet,
what engineer, manager, or businessman has never had to deal, directly
or indirectly, with a unionized group? White collar workers are the fast-
est-growing group in the labor movement. So what does the study of
labor relations do for performance? Very simply, it allows for a better
understanding of the present-day workings of the labor movement by
studying its history. For example, what is the rationale in workers turn-
ing down a wage offer, when workers know that by doing so, the plant
will close? Tradition, environment, and peer pressure influence all pres-
ent-day employer-employee and manager-subordinate relationships and
is vividly brought out in the study of labor relations. The understanding
and consideration of this relationship could be the key to maximizing
the performance of both union and nonunion employees.
Marketing.—Perhaps a number of engineers and managers feel that
they have no association with sales, selling, and salesmen. Yet we are
all salesmen, selling ideas, designs, plans, programs, and policy, just to
name a few things. The study of marketing and the art of satisfying the
needs of the buyer furnish a different outlook to selling. For the engi-
neer, a design or plan poorly presented and not satisfying the needs of
the buyer will not be accepted. Managers are judged by their ability to
sell, indeed market, their ideas to subordinates, peers, and supervisors.
Identifying the needs of the buyers and concentrating resources to sat-
isfy their needs in the most efficient and economical way will maximize
performance.

SUMMARY

In our rapidly changing world, the challenge of maximizing perfor-

mance will be limited by one's ability to identify, analyze, evaluate, de-
cide, and implement. The broader the range of perspectives that the en-
gineer, manager, and businessman have, the better the position they
will be in to meet the challenge. The perspective offered by studies in
the MBA program could be an important step toward maximizing per-
formance.

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J. Manage. Eng. 1986.2:177-180.

 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The writer wishes to acknowledge the review and comments provided

by Ed Fairclough.

APPENDIX.—BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Archibald, R. D., Managing High-Technology Programs and Projects, John Wiley and
Sons, New York, N.Y., 1976.
Kotler, P., Marketing Management, 4th ed., Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.,
1980.
Levin, R. L., Kirkpatrick, C. A., and Rubin, D. S., Quantitative Approaches to Man-
agement, 5th ed., McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, N.Y., 1982.

Sloane/Witney, Labor Relations, 4th ed., Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.,

1981.

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