Memorandum 5
Submission from Clive Bone
SUMMARY
The description "engineer" needs an
element of protection to remove the confusion that surrounds the
role of the engineer and to encourage recruitment. Further, innovation
is not just about technology but also how things are managed.
Research is needed to both assess and see how best to reverse
the decline of productivity management capability in the economy
as a whole.
INTRODUCTION
1. This submission is based on a varied
professional career spanning over 40 years. This includes manufacturing,
R&D, local government and management consultancy-with patents
granted, books published and innumerable articles on management
topics. In fact my career actually began in 1958 as an apprentice
toolmaker. I work part-time and have, almost, retired. I have
also been a governor of a community school with special science
status for several years.
2. This submission addresses two elements
of the terms of reference. It is not an academic submission but
an individual submission based views formed over many years yet
which may chime with the evidence of academics and research bodies.
The terms of reference addressed are:
- The role of engineering and engineers in
UK society.
- The role of engineering and engineers in
UK's innovation drive.
THE ROLE
OF ENGINEERING
AND ENGINEERS
IN UK SOCIETY
3. The perceived role of engineering and
engineers seems little changed over the past 50 years in that
this remains confused. Indeed, if anything the problem has worsened
with the relative demise of our manufacturing base. Part of this
problem relates to the confused use of the term "engineer".
4. Over a generation ago this did not pose
quite the problem it does today. Whereas industry's toolmakers,
fitters, turners and millers might loosely call themselves engineers
for historic reason there was recognition of `institution membership'
and those seeking this through the old-style ONC and HNC/D route
or institution examinations were held in some esteem.
5. Today we live in a less industrially
aware society where exhaust fitters and chimney sweeps can call
themselves "engineers" just as do plumbers and gas installers.
Such loose usage hardly helps the status of plumbers let alone
qualified engineers. Engineer is even a popular choice of description
by many of those brought before the magistrates' courts. The solution
recommended is to:
- Modify trade description and contract of
employment legislation to restrict "engineer" to chartered
and incorporated engineers and those that hold qualifications
that meet the requirements for such status.
6. This partial solution avoids the complexities
of a Registration Act and would change attitudes as blatant misuse
ceased-nor need it affect usage by the military. It would, however,
send the right signals to schools and increase the number, and
the quality, of those seeking engineering as a career.
7. A recent Downing Street petition on this
topic was rejected in respect of some sort of statutory registration.
This rejection seemed a little perfunctory with no real reason
given save that it was thought hard to do. Yet other English speaking
countries have given "engineer" a degree of protection
and this should be revisited. It is not for the sake of engineering
and engineers that this needs to be done but for the benefit of
the wider UK economy.
8. However, innovation is not just about
technology and the standing of engineers. It is also about the
ability to manage, which brings us to the role of engineering
and engineers in the UK's innovation drive.
THE ROLE
OF ENGINEERING
AND ENGINEERS
IN UK'S
INNOVATION DRIVE
9. The Innovation, Universities and Skills
Committee will be aware that modern operational management topics
were almost entirely invented by the industrial wing of the engineering
profession-along with statisticians and social scientists working
alongside them in industry.
10. This began with industrial engineers
such as F W Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth and Henry Gantt,
followed in the 1920s by W Edwards Deming and Joe Juran in respect
of statistical process control and by Elton Mayo, a social scientist,
of "Hawthorne Effect" fame. The post-war era saw the
value analysis work of another engineer Lawrence Miles who, along
with Deming and Juran, helped underpin Japan's quality drive and
today's lean thinking.
11. Over a generation ago many organisations
had work-study and O&M capability but relatively few made
the transition to modern lean practices. Thus we see the growth
of command and control management alongside Whitehall's target
culture and falling productivity in the public sector. The failure
of the "best value" policy is but one example of how
sound policy can be undermined by a lack of basic skills. Hence
we see salami cuts in the public sector instead of a drive for
better value.
12. Based on the innumerable management
workshops and seminars I have led over the years I see evidence
of a widening gap between best practice and typical practice in
respect of productivity management. Even where individual managers
are keen to innovate this is difficult in the climate of unawareness
found in all too many organisations.
- Often where attempts are made to adopt
modern approaches-total quality management, best value, lean,
etc-it is the language that is adopted and not the substance.
13. With the relative growth of the service
economy and the decline of industry so management training has
skewed to business studies and transaction and away from productivity.
This undermines innovation in the second division of manufacturing
and hinders the transfer of best practice to those sectors that
lack a tradition of operations management. However:
- Over a generation ago the work of the then
British Productivity Council and the then Ministry of Technology
often transferred to other sectors of the economy even though
it was aimed at industry.
14. Without sustained long-term effort on
the part of Government the lack of nuts and bolts skills in terms
of productivity management has passed the point of no return in
the public sector and much of the private. Unawareness is such
that the problem is now beyond a market solution. Yet there is
little evidence that Whitehall and Westminster are aware that
there is even a problem here. Accordingly, it is recommended that
research be commissioned to ascertain:
- The current availability of the operational
management skills needed to improve productivity and innovation
in industry, commerce and the public sector and how they are best
encouraged.
February 2008
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