Introduction:
The engineering profession has evolved in a dramatic way over the past few years. Engineers have in the past, been a difficult group to consider. Cultural snobbery has also added little credibility to the engineering profession and its uptake as a career in academic establishments.
Role of the engineering profession:
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The engineering profession has evolved in a dramatic way over the past few years. Indeed, engineers are no longer confined to fulfilling specific tasks of a support nature only.
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Their involvement is much more encompassing and they tend to assume much broader roles with higher organisational objectives.
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They manage technological systems, resources and projects and contribute substantially by adding value to organisational performance.
TQM and the engineers:
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To understand the relevance of TQM to engineers, it is perhaps important to spend time discussing the evolution in the engineering profession which has brought its practitioners to the centre of business activities.
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Engineers have in the past, been a difficult group to consider. They did not fit easily into the categories provided by occupational status, the power of decision making, the visible contributions towards productivity and profitability improvements and the privileges of association and contact with power providers.
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Cultural snobbery has also added little credibility to the engineering profession and its uptake as a career in academic establishments.
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It has often been described as dealing with ‘nuts and bolts’ and regarded as perhaps not much different from the contribution of semi-skilled workers and shop floor workers generally.
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It is therefore not surprising that the engineering profession for a number of years has not increased in status within organizations and has not gained any further recognition or encouragement from society as a whole.
