Motivating Quality Performance in Engineering Personnel

The subject of employee motivation is of continual concern to management. Numerous articles have been published on the subject. A universal solution has not, as yet, been found. Perhaps none exists. Behavioral scientists have identified certain general characteristics regarding people in working groups. The engineer represents a particularly trained professional who generally works as part of a group. This discussion will be directed toward the needs of the engineer as they relate to his working environment. It is assumed that the behavioral concepts apply to the engineer.

This paper defines and discusses quality performance of engineering personnel. It is concerned with the individual engineer in terms of his needs and environmental constraints.

Management theorists have produced new concepts since Scientific Management was developed during the early years of the twentieth century. Studies made by behavioral scientists have shed considerable light and understanding on human needs and motivations. The effective satisfaction of the needs of the engineer, thus leading to quality performance, is the primary concern of this paper.