OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020 - 26
CAREERS
Changing our Ideas of how
Engineers Lead
O
n November 28, 2019 the Ontario government
appointed a ten person Advisory Panel on
Climate Change to "provide expert advice on the
implementation of the province's climate change
actions - especially how Ontarians can prepare
for the costs and impacts of climate change." The number of
engineers appointed to the panel? Zero.
OSPE spoke up immediately, commending the creation
of the panel, but lamenting the absence of engineers at the
table. This example is not unique. Rather, it is indicative of the
underrepresentation of engineers in public policy debates. There
are currently only five Members of Parliament who are professional
engineers, and only one PEng in the Ontario Legislature.
One of the key pillars in OSPE's 2019-2022 strategic plan
is "Engineers Lead." As stated, "engineers possess powerful
analytical and problem-solving skills and must use these to start
critical conversations and tackle tough issues." Considering this,
how do we get more engineers to bring their expertise to the realm
of public policy?
The Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering
(Troost ILead) at the University of Toronto has been asking this
question for more than 15 years. Our founding Director, Professor
Doug Reeve, P.Eng. envisioned engineers leading change to build
a better world, then created a program to realize his vision. Today
Troost ILead has a well-developed program built on curricular,
co-curricular, research and outreach efforts.
Troost ILead researchers have interviewed hundreds of
engineers in industry and academia, at all stages of their careers, to
examine how engineers lead. To the surprise of the team, research
participants consistently expressed resistance to the notion of
engineering as a leadership profession. Most of the engineers we
spoke to viewed leadership as imprecise, impractical, and elitist,
while viewing engineering as precise, applied and collaborative.
Ironically, many of our interviewees who distanced themselves
from the notion of leadership were characterized by others as
influential leaders and mentors. To quote one interviewee:
"The connotation that this word [leadership] carries is sort
of antithetical to the engineering mindset... The notion of
standing on top of a hill, waving the flag, sitting on your horse
with the peasants behind you... is the exact opposite of anything
I personally or anyone I know wants to do."
Above and right: UofT's November 2019 Community of Practice on Engineering Leadership meeting
26
THE VOICE Spring 2020
OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020
Table of Contents
OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020 - Cover1
OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020 - Cover2
OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020 - Table of Contents
OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020 - 4
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OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020 - Cover3
OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020 - Cover4
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