The Engineering Education Needs for the Future • 19

level is currently in vogue for pragmatic engineering design success. They

also include communications skills gained through studying the humanities
such as literature, creative writing, histories, public speaking, and perhaps
foreign languages. Finally, the core list of foundation courses ought to
encompass economics and the basics of contract law. This list creates an
educated person who can understand the modern world we live in. Now on
top of that we can superimpose the special knowledge the pragmatic engi-
neer needs to know to become an effective practitioner.
I’m not going to dwell on the basic sciences and mathematics require-
ments. We all agree this is absolutely core to being a competent engineer.
But I think it’s necessary to champion the need for the humanities. Every
aspect of business deals with communications. In my book Computer Inte-
grated Manufacturing, Theory and Practice, I said it mattered little what type
of computer information system existed in a company, as long as the system
communicated directions, responses, and ideas accurately and efficiently
(fast and completely). I said a good computer database system needs to be
an excellent communicator between modules for computer integrated man-
ufacturing (CIM) to work. In a broader sense this is also very true for inter-
actions between people within an organization and between organizations.
The number 1 prerequisite for success is that we be able to communicate
our thoughts to each other and to organize our capabilities to achieve com-
mon goals. Without such abilities, organized pursuit of common objectives
is impossible. Unfortunately, the ability to work well within a group is not
necessarily an inborn instinctive ability of our species. Yes, we are social ani-
mals, and yes, some of us can socialize better than others. But how to opti-
mize group behavior for the common good is a science (perhaps quantified
as a soft science; theorems are less defined) that can be taught and learned.
And a large part of being successful is being able to express oneself clearly
without ambiguity and to do it in a way that doesn’t disturb our companions
to the point of tuning us out.
Engineers have been given the tag of not being “gifted” in group behavior,
socializing, and communications skills. This may or may not be true; how-
ever, these social skills are necessary in business applications. Indeed, they
are necessary in all human endeavor. An individual may be a brilliant engi-
neer who has solved a very perplexing problem. That solution may be a boon
to humankind, but if that engineer cannot articulate the solution, it is not
implemented and the problem remains unsolved for all practical purposes.
Therefore, it is urgently necessary for engineers to be good social engineers
capable of communicating and working well within groups. They need to
master the psychology of group dynamics and then be leaders of the group
when mastery of the hard sciences is required. For this reason, engineers
need to excel in fields of study that sharpen these skills. They need to be able
to formulate and express ideas beyond postulating science applications.
They need to tie their knowledge of science and technology to the human
side of the equation, and this is done through merging culture with technol-
ogy. It requires a sense of understanding of the human psyche as defined by
the great philosophers, to understand what drives people to do what they do.

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