Speaker's Guide for the Presentation: How to Be a Good Engineer

Author(s): Joseph H. Wujek and Deborah G. Johnson

Introduction and Purpose

Core Ideas

Presentation

Scenarios in Business and Engineering Settings

Annotated Bibliography: How to Be a Good Engineer and Acknowledgements

Technical Tips for Slide Presentation

* Some slide-reproductions differ from the slide in layout. Not all slides are used in the presentation.

Introduction and Purpose

These notes, the handouts for the audience, and 35mm slides were prepared for meetings of the IEEE Student Professional Awareness Conferences (S-PAC). However, the presentation is suitable for non-student meetings as well. This is not a scripted lecture, but is prepared in outline form. You, the speaker, are given many options from which to choose. Please draw upon your experiences to give context and credibility, but avoid telling war stories. The authors believe that the core materials, so identified in these notes, should be emphasized. Many persons in your audience may never again be exposed to these important ideas. Yet for engineers these principles are as fundamental and important as the study of traditional engineering subjects. Although some of the information presented here is specific to electrical engineering and computers, most of the materials are relevant to the general subject of engineering ethics. The intent is to stimulate interest in this often-neglected topic by examining the real world relevance of ethics as it pertains to our professional lives. Ethics is germane to "doing a good job" of engineering. These notes may be copied and distributed for nonprofit educational purposes, provided they are copied in their entirety or if the source is cited. We welcome suggestions and comments. Please send them to the Ethics Committee at the IEEE address given on the cover. It is our sincere hope that your presentation, and these notes, will be an aid to further the understanding of professional ethics.Joseph H. Wujek Deborah G. Johnson

Core Ideas

There are three core ideas to be communicated in this presentation. They are embedded in this order in the slides and outline:

• Core Idea 1: The IEEE Code of Ethics exists, and it is binding upon IEEE members. It is an example of a codification of ethical behavior.
• Core Idea 2: The choice of one's job is a matter of personal and professional ethics.
• Core Idea 3: At times professional integrity and corporate loyalty may come into conflict.

Technical tips on using these slides

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Presentation

S0. How to Be a Good Engineer

You may wish to have this title slide, or S1, on while you make introductory remarks. S1. How to be an Engineer in the full sense of the word. While this title slide is on, thank your hosts. Perhaps you'll want to tell a short joke (in good taste) to loosen up the audience. It may be helpful to poll (showing hands) the audience to see how many electrical engineering students are present, how many computer engineering students, etc. This information will help you to communicate more effectively. Some speakers encourage questions at any time in a presentation. Others prefer to have the audience hold questions and comments for the discussion period (be sure to leave time for it). An exception would be if you use a word or phrase not understood, where a quick answer will suffice. How you handle this is your choice, but let the audience know your preference at the outset, and manage the allotted time carefully.

S2. Why this talk?

Lead into the subject of the next few slides, the number of which depends upon how many you choose. Mention that ethics is much more than protocol for dealing with engineers and customers. Talk about one or two points relating ethics to engineers. (The list below may suggest such a rationale for your talk.) It may be helpful to reference a phrase in the IEEE Code of Ethics. The Code will be discussed a little later in the talk.

1. History of engineering.
2. Licensing, engineer in training (EIT, but don't use abbreviations), and related matters.
3. A story from your experience which illustrates the need for sensitivity to ethics issues,
4. Why be ethical?
5. The role of technology and science in society, and growing dependence on them.
6. Public trust and expectation.
7. Public education to issues in science and technology. The informed consent principle.
8. The engineer as a public policy advocate.

See the Bibliography in these notes for references that you may wish to review. Again, think of relating the IEEE Code of Ethics to at least one of the points you discuss here. Remember, not all ethics issues (fortunately!) are as dramatic and disastrous as the Challenger accident or the Ford Pinto. Rather it is the "everyday" ethics matters and principles which students and practicing engineers alike need to understand.

S3. Some Engineering Ethics Issues. Show for about five seconds then go to next slide. Choose one or two from S4 - S13

S4. Conflict of interest

S5. Integrity of data and representation of it

S6. Whistle-blowing

S7. Choice of a job

S8. Plagiarism and giving credit where due

S9. Trade secrets and industrial espionage

S10. Gift-giving and bribes

S11. Accountability to clients and customers

S12. Risk: Public safety and welfare and informed consent

S13. Fair treatment. Talk about the subjects you selected. Draw from your experience whenever you can.

S14. These slides of definitions are fundamental and are needed. It may not have occurred to some students that they are training to enter a profession. Even practicing engineers may not be aware of belonging to a profession.

S15. Profession: A learned occupation requiring systematic knowledge and training, and commitment to a social good.

S16. Engineering: The creative art of applying science for the benefit of humanity.

S17. Ethics: rules and ideals for human behavior. They tell us what we ought to do.

S18. Engineering ethics: The systematic study of the rules and ideals of the engineering profession.

S19. Engineering ethics is as important to good engineering practice as mathematics, physics, design subjects, etc.

S20 - S22 Summarize the three main ideas of this talk. These slides are to tell the audience "where you will take them." Now begin discussing these.

Core Idea 1

The IEEE Code of Ethics exists, and it is binding upon IEEE members. It is an example of a codification of ethical behavior.

The principal messages of Core Idea 1 are:

• Engineering codes of ethics exist.
• Here are some examples of IEEE Code content.
• Ethics codes are part of, if not the definition of, the profession.
• The code for one's particular engineering discipline should guide one's professional behavior

S21.

Core Idea 2 The choice of one's job is a matter of personal and professional ethics.

S22.

Core Idea 3 At times professional integrity and corporate loyalty may come into confl

S23.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Code of Ethics

S24.

We, the members of the IEEE, in recognition of the importance of our technologies in affecting the quality of life throughout the would, and in accepting a personal obligation to our profession, its members and the communities we serve, do hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical and professional conduct and agree: Choose one or two from S25 - S34.

S25.

1. to accept responsibility in making engineering decisions consistent with the safety, health, and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the public or the environment;

S26.

2. to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest whenever possible, and to disclose them to affected parties when they do exist;

S27.

3. to be honest and realistic in stating claims of estimates based on available data;

S28.

4. to reject bribery in all its forms;

S29.

5. to improve the understanding of technology, its appropriate application, and potential consequences;

S30.

6. to maintain and improve our technical competence and to undertake technological tasks for others only if qualified by training or experience, or after full disclosure of pertinent limitations;

S31.

7. to seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of technical work, to acknowledge and correct errors, and to credit properly the contributions of others;

S32.

8. to treat fairly all persons regardless of such factors as race, religion, gender, disability, age, or national origin;

S33.

9. to avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or employment by false or malicious action;

S34.

10. to assist colleagues and co-workers in their professional development and to support them in following this code of ethics.

S24.

Preamble to the Code. The information of slides S25 - S34 are not named. These are not Articles or Canons (although "Canon" has been suggested.) Mention that engineers' codes of ethics are expressions of the thoughts and feelings of engineers. Cite a few other codes: American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers, etc. (Don't use abbreviations, the audience may be unfamiliar with some of these.)

How well did you communicate the principal messages of Core Idea 1?

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Core Idea 2

The choice of one's job is a matter of personal and professional ethics. This should include awareness of the social implications of what we do. The first job one takes after graduation is especially important in this regard because it will very likely exert a strong influence on one's career. Scenario A in these notes focuses attention on these ideas. You may wish to discuss it in connection with slide S37.

S35.

Will the world be better or worse because of the professional work you do?

S36.

With regard to engineering projects: Ask not only: Can it be done? But ask also: Should it be done?

S37.

A good job is one in which your goals are congruent with the goals of your employer. As an exercise to get the audience thinking about jobs, consider mentioning most of the list of employers given below. Of course one may wish to know more about the job, but the intent here is to focus on the principal goals of the would-be employer and ask the right questions of oneself.

Pause briefly after each is mentioned to allow for a reaction. How do you feel about working for, or in:

• A public utility, such as power, water, or telephone?
• Public rapid transit?
• A cigarette company?
• A bioengineering company?
• Weapons manufacturer?
• Developer of shopping malls?
• Information processing company which maintains files of personal data?
• An oil company?
• Solar power research?
• Producer of herbicides and fungicides?
• Manufacturer of water-purity monitors?
• Clandestine operations organization (government or private)?
• Non-profit environmental conservation organization?
• Toy manufacturer?
• Developer of video games?

S38.

Will your first job be a good job?

It has much to do with shaping your career. Point out that one can become type cast, to use the theatrical term, and this often happens because of one's first professional employment.

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Core Idea 3

At times professional integrity and corporate loyalty may be in conflict.

S39.

The role of the engineer is a difficult one! The principal concept here is that the engineering profession is difficult in that one does not have the direct relationship with clients or customers that is found in some other professions: medicine, law, clergy, for example. Therefore, one must try to maintain a balance as implied in the next slide.

S40.

Consider the relationship between:

• Professional - employer
• Professional - clients or customers
• Engineer - employer - clients or customers

S41.

Engineering principles are sometimes in tension with business interests.Scenarios B, C, D, and F may be useful to reinforce these ideas.

S42.

Engineers must maintain engineering principles and professional integrity. The tugs of loyalty, integrity, self-interest make this difficult. Most of the encounters here will not be dramatic and clear-cut. Rather they may be subtle, gradual, and irreversible.

S43.

Engineering professional societies could and should be a resource for engineers involved in ethical conflicts. Mention that timely support needs to be improved, even if there are cases of legal aid and and other forms of backing. For the most part the record is not an illustrious one!

S44.

Public "whistle-blowing" should be the last resort! Emphasis is due on this point. One must act responsibly all the way! Scenarios D and F in these notes focus on so-called "whistle-blowing" and may be used for discussion. See also the references in the Bibliography, particularly the works by Johnson, Schaub et al, and Unger. Now sum up by talking about the next five slides.

S45.

Engineer, remember that

S46.

You are a professional.

S47.

You are a member of a profession that has many worthy accomplishments.

S48.

You and your profession can do much to help to improve the quality of life.

S49.

You are responsible --- don't fail! Challenge the audience! Then be sure to thank them and suggest that they keep the handout notes just as they would keep a textbook for future reference.

S50.

Last Slide Thanks for your attention. Very briefly thank the audience, host organization, and individual hosts.

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If the program permits, open the forum for questions and discussion. You may wish to begin by asking a question such as: "Does anybody disagree with anything I've said?" It is recommended that you arrange for time to have the audience read one of the scenarios given in these notes and the in handouts to the audience. Then discuss the case.

As noted above, an appropriate time may be after slide S37, S41, or S44; or while it is projected. You may want to try a role-playing exercise between yourself and a volunteer, based on a scenario. If you choose to do this it is well to have it arranged in advance. In particular, the "actors" are the key to a useful exercise. If there are no volunteers -- a likely occurrence -- it will fall flat. If you select a participant and they have no position to defend, or are shy, it will be a disaster! It should be spontaneous, temper your actions to that of the responses from the volunteer. Be sure to point out that this is artificial (no person's job and home mortgage is "on the line"), not personal (we are actors, and if we get nasty it's our character talking), and be sure to thank your adversary-actor. While these are obvious, they may go unnoticed. It's also a good idea to occasionally step out of character to make an observation or to reinforce an idea.

Joseph H. Wujek and Deborah G. Johnson

Ethics Committee: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.

United States Activities Board 1828 L Street, N.W., Suite 1202 Washington, D.C. 20036 - 5104

Telephone: 202 - 785 - 0017 Prepared in January 1992