Engineering leadership education: A review of best practices

Abstract

In the past, intellectually talented engineers with strong technical skills were sufficient for the needs of society. In the 21st century engineers are now working in the corporate world, often disconnected from the hands-on aspect of engineering. Professional skills such as leadership have become critical for graduating engineers entering the workforce. A review was conducted of current engineering leadership programs' goals and competencies to determine consistencies and variations, and to suggest prominent themes. Five themes emerged for the fundamental goal of engineering leadership education programs: effective leadership, innovation and technology, independent learning, experiential learning and systems thinking. The analysis of the competencies found a diverse spread across the programs. Overall, six key competencies emerged: communication, innovation, creativity, execution, personal drive, and teamwork. This analysis provides insight on the focus of engineering leadership education and the progress of the field. The findings can be used for the development of new engineering leadership programs.