editorial

Leading or Managing?

by John G. Falcioni, Editor-In-Chief

Managers have subordinates and leaders have followers. The two terms, "managers" and "leaders," are not interchangeable.

In some companies, engineering and otherwise, there may be a dearth of leaders and too many managers, or vice versa.

There is a need for both managers and leaders in virtually every project and work environment.

In his interesting article, "Making Sense of Change," Wade H. Shaw tells of the need for formal training in engineering management. His perspective is that engineering managers manage projects, while other types of managers manage people.

But as trained engineers move from traditional technical roles to manage business ventures and the like, identifying whether you're a leader or a manager will help provide the insight and self-confidence that comes from learning more about yourself. The goal, of course, is having a greater impact and being more effective in relationships with co-workers, subordinates, and even your own supervisors.

Improv and Innovation by Jean Thilmany, Supplement Editor

Engineers have often been accustomed to people questioning their creativity. As if someone who calls upon mathematics daily can't also come up with a new idea. Or, in today's parlance, think out of the box. Managers get it even worse. There's no way anyone who manages people can have a sense of humor, one line of thinking goes. That's why it was so refreshing to speak with John Sweeney for this issue of Engineering Management. As a long-time improvisational comedian and a former business professional, Sweeney believes it is necess- ary to maintain humor in the face of business pressures. When he purchased a Minneapolis improvisational theater in 1997, he merged his seemingly disparate backgrounds. Sweeney decided to make a study of the methods that comics use to create improvisational comedy. Their innovation and creativity translate easily to the business world, Sweeney theorized. He's written a book about his findings and often speaks to engineers about how they can increase innovation through improv techniques. Sweeney finds that, when it comes to problem solving, successful engineering managers are as versatile and as creative as any improvisational comedian. They may just need a little nudge to call upon their inventiveness. Cohorts in the comedy business, Kim Thomassen and Gust Alexander, are on a mission to encourage creativity and humor in the workplace as well. Too often, training is a staid, stale affair. As a manager, you can change that, the pair says. Engineers aren't known as the wackiest people around, but they sure can improvise. Sweeney says that engineers he trains sometimes go on to take comedy classes—mainly, to keep honing their skills for the business world. While you may not care to tap into your inner comic, it's good to appreciate what improvisational skills can bring to the workplace.

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© 2005 by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers