Preparing Our Graduates to be More Effective Leaders In a World of Systems-Oriented Risk

Today's systems are becoming increasingly more complex and more interdependent - therefore the need for engineers who can effectively innovate, design and manage such systems is becoming more critical. In order to develop the skill set necessary to succeed in a leadership position in a competitive and risky workplace, an engineer must be able to deal with systems situations. Systems engineering and systems thinking provide a framework for anticipating or envisioning possible future changes (both within the system boundaries and within the interactive system's environment) and for effectively responding to internal and external risks and opportunities in a timely manner. Accordingly, this paper concerns itself with identifying and illustrating a set of teachable System Competencies for Leaders. Much like the technical System Competencies for engineers, which Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has already identified and employed in classroom settings, System Competencies for Leaders must contain a set of teachable instrumental principles, ideas and methods. These should enable leaders from all educational backgrounds to appropriately assess and deal with complex systems situations that require a holistic approach to succeed in a competitive marketplace. It is with this dictum that the authors began a pilot study to research how the Department of Engineering Management at our school could enhance its instructional activities to include the competencies reported in this paper. This will include developing activities applicable for both the traditional engineering classroom as well as advanced professional development. Ultimately, our goal is to identify and confirm the systems competencies required for leaders which will prepare them for a competitive global workplace dominated by complex systems problems.