<p>Developing engineering talent in
organizations has long been an issue for industries. Notably, with rapidly
changing business models and flattened organizational structures, engineers are
required to transition into managerial and leadership roles more quickly than
ever before. Yet engineers and employers alike often characterize this as a
difficult transition. Further, there remains a lack of empirical research on
the nature of engineering managerial work practices. To address these issues,
this dissertation aims to holistically uncover the experiences of recently
transitioned engineering managers. Specifically, the study investigates the meaning-making
and experiences of the participants’ transitional journeys and also addresses
related questions such as what changes and challenges they face during the
transition and how they navigate the challenges associated with the transition.
The study is examined through the lens of work-role transition frameworks and
models that emphasize the role of the individual in the transition.</p>
<p>In order to address the research
objectives, an interpretive qualitative study is employed. To explore and
understand the lived experiences of recently transitioned engineering managers,
I conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 newly transitioned engineering
managers at a Telecom firm in the United States. The interviews were then used
to develop narrative accounts of participants describing their journeys of
transition. The interviews were also analyzed thematically to identify: a)
specific patterns in how the participants experience and make sense of their
transition to engineering managerial roles; b) changes experienced by engineers
during the transition; c) challenges faced by engineers as they transition to
managerial roles, and d) new skills developed by participants to navigate the
transition. </p>
<p>The findings suggest that most
engineers struggled with the transition, especially during the early stages.
This difficulty in part stems from the various personal changes that they
experience as a result of the transition, changes related to their individual
cognitive, physiological, and social aspects. Moreover, the transition
experiences are also impacted by both the situational factors of the individual
(e.g., demographics, career progression) as well as the organizational factors,
including HR policies related to training and development, dual pathway
offerings, etc. The findings in this study, in part presented as narratives,
are expected to contribute to the field of engineering education and practice
by providing insights into the experiences of engineering professionals taking
up managerial and leadership roles. More specifically, the narratives are
expected to serve as examples and provide inspiration for engineers at a
variety of career stages. The thematic findings are also expected to help
students, engineering educators, engineering leadership faculty, and industry
affiliates understand and improve the managerial transition process and
associated role expectations, which for the most part, remain largely
unexplored. </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/13353395 |
| Date | 15 December 2020 |
| Creators | Swetha Nittala (9749255) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/LIVED_EXPERIENCES_OF_RECENTLY_TRANSITIONED_ENGINEERING_MANAGERS_AN_INTERPRETIVE_QUALITATIVE_STUDY/13353395 |
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