Educating For Diversity Management In Engineering

Engineering industries are struggling with psycho-social phenomena that intervene in work processes and impact individual and organizational productivity. These emerging trends stem from individual differences and changes in the concept of work, workplace norms and organizational cultures. These challenge team dynamics and pose new requirements for industrial leadership.This paper examines root causes undermining team harmony and, based on a quantitative, industrial questionnaire survey, identifies concerstones of diversity management. The aim is to determine pedagogical foci for engineering students' management curriculum. More specifically, this paper introduces priorities for people management education that help maintain team functionality in industry.The priorities are defined on two dimensions of personal capabilities, intrapersonal and interpersonal, and on two dimensions of behavior, assertiveness and cooperation. The results are found to be weighted towards very ordinary, mundane abilities that add predictability, balance and approachability to leadership. These attributes are teachable and learnable and can with ease be integrated into leadership and communications syllabi in higher engineering education.