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Technical Coordination in Engineering Practice
Author(s) -
Trevelyan James
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of engineering education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.896
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 2168-9830
pISSN - 1069-4730
DOI - 10.1002/j.2168-9830.2007.tb00929.x
Subject(s) - accreditation , work (physics) , context (archaeology) , schedule , field (mathematics) , engineering ethics , ethnography , engineering , engineering education , knowledge management , engineering management , sociology , management , political science , computer science , mechanical engineering , paleontology , mathematics , anthropology , pure mathematics , law , economics , biology
An empirical ethnographic survey of engineers using interviews and field observations in Australia provides evidence that coordinating technical work of other people by gaining their willing cooperation is a major aspect of engineering practice. Technical coordination in the context of this study means working with and influencing other people so they conscientiously perform necessary work to a mutually agreed schedule. While coordination seems to be non‐technical, analysis provides evidence supporting the critical importance of technical expertise. Coordination usually involves one‐on‐one relationships with superiors, clients, peers, subordinates, and outsiders. Coordinating the work of other people seems to be important from the start of an engineering career. Engineering education only provides limited informal coordination skill development and current accreditation criteria may not reflect this aspect of engineering. This paper suggests ways in which students can learn coordination, and describes some of the author's experiences in applying this research.