Assessing the Role of Technology in the Work of Modern Engineers

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

Researchers know very little about the tasks engineers perform, the ways in which they employ technology, how their knowledge and tasks are embodied in technology, and what skills are likely to be required in the years ahead. In this project, the role of technology in the work of modern engineers will be assessed. Using ethnographic techniques of observation and interviewing, two types of engineers will be studied: structural engineers who design buildings and electrical engineers who design computer chips. In the course of this research, what engineers do, what technologies they employ, the extent to which, and the manner in which, these technologies embody, augment, and alter engineering knowledge and tasks will be investigated. This study augments current knowledge about engineering work and will have significant implications for organizations as they consider how to manage and support their engineering workforce. In addition, the answers to these research questions will inform the education and training of engineers, as well as their broader study in the social sciences. Our results will lend insight into the design of engineering workspaces, tools, and supporting technologies. More generally, they will further add to our understanding of how technologies are employed in the workplace.