Innovation Challenges for Engineering Managers

The crucial challenge for managing engineers with technical expertise is to connect them to the commercial aspects and end-users of their products. This ensures that engineers fully comprehend the purpose of business: salability and profitability. Corporate team managers need to implement a channel for ideation and collaboration connected to the engineering processes. First, is picking the right people: diverse, analytical, and creative. Management should try to harness diversity so that there is good conflict or ‘constructive conflict' that optimizes debate and problemsolving using group process skills, procedures, rules, interaction styles, and group dynamics. Start by knowing the actual work the team will be doing and then optimizing the staff around key activities. Access to strong well-connected networks provides support from a broad range of knowledge. One team leader should be appointed, as innovation teams with more than one leader are not set up for success due to inefficient decision-making and low morale. Other team members should have the ability to step in and lead when their relevant expertise is required. To realize the full potential of an innovation, management should seek outside ideas from a disrupter or an external provocateur to gain fresh perspective that extends beyond the teams boundaries or thinking. Knowing they may be rewarded with the potential of more financial compensation, innovation teams might be spurred toward more risky entrepreneurial motivation