Serving Two Masters

This article elaborates how engineers sometimes face the challenge of making decisions based on business economics rather than technical merit. Over the past 50 years, with the flattening of management, engineers have got the responsibility of balancing the budgets and meeting business demands. The requirements to meet technical needs and business are frequently conflicting in nature, even when they theoretically serve one another. The greatest challenge to both engineers and managers is that many corporate leaders feel pressure from stockholders and other stakeholders more immediately than they do the urgency of safety or engineering obligations. Sometimes managers ask for actions that cross the line of reasonable risk. These circumstances require an engineer to oppose business drivers. While engineers have obligations to be conscious of the budget and schedule, it is far more important to prevent safety issues in engineering products. When in doubt, an engineer should get a team of other individuals to help evaluate decisions. Those within the company and external resources may be helpful in such situations.