JDM Assignment: Management Setting Impacts on Engineering Decisions

This assignment analyzes the impact of management settings on engineering decisions through four key readings. The first reading explores organizational politics, differentiating between rational and political models and emphasizing the role of leadership in navigating power dynamics. The second examines accident causation in complex systems, highlighting the importance of system alignment and managerial oversight to prevent latent mistakes. The third reading delves into public administration, discussing problem-solving approaches and the challenges of decision-making under uncertainty. The final reading focuses on urban infrastructure decision-making, emphasizing the need to consider multiple stakeholder interests and the use of power models. Each reading is followed by an abstract and a personal or hypothetical experience connecting the concepts to real-world scenarios, demonstrating the practical application of these management principles in an engineering context.

Reading 1
Fischer, F. (1990). ‘Organizations as political systems’, in Technology and the Politics of
Expertise. New York : Sage Publication .
Abstract
When it comes to organizational politics, we don’t have adequate theories to explain certain
phenomena related to organizational politics. We can study the existence of politics in an
organization under two models. The first model is a rational model, according to this model; the
moment a group of individuals forms an organization, this structure automatically removes the
possibilities of politics. However, most of the thinkers in the field of organizational politics
discard this theory and relies more on the concept of the political model.
The political model describes politics as a structural phenomenon and implies that a clash for
power between various parts of an organizational structure forms the crux of organizational
politics. According to this model, internal structural controls force the members of an
organization to practice a politics of covert nature. This covert nature of the politics confines the
scope of politics to certain issues and incidences that can set an example for the arm wrestling of
various formal and informal groups surviving inside the organizational structure.
The political model also touches upon certain issues related to the political bargains that can take
place in an organization. The political model of organizational politics helps a leader in
identifying group dynamism. A leader can restructure the organization and shuffle the equations
of the job distribution and power distribution to handle various types of disputes that can arise. A

leader needs to maintain a healthy level of competition among the various political groups that
exist inside an organization.
The covert nature of organizational politics gives it a negative connotation; however, a leader
can utilize this difference between various power groups to the benefit of the organization.
Sometimes the absence of conflicting groups inside an organization adds strength in the unity of
the individuals at the lower levels and they can come up with a political bargain. A constant
change in the power structures can generate healthy competition among the factions of the
organization and mitigate the impacts.
Experience
Organizational politics follow the dictums' set of “structural power.” I got firsthand experience of
this fact during my summer job when I joined a small assembly line dealing with automobile
solutions. The human resource department was constantly pressurizing the other departments to
hire interns and train them so that they can get to hire less qualified employees at a lower cost.
Marketing and sales department of the company were not keen to train many interns because less
qualified employees were loyal to the company and in the long run they can become a threat for
highly paid employees. The CEO of the company took advantage of this condition and divided
the marketing department into various sub-groups consisting of senior employees and interns.
This division created a healthy competition among the teams and to perform best for scoring well
in the line of promotion, all the senior employees started acting efficient team leaders and
effective coaches for the interns.
Reading 2

J.Reason. (1990). A General View of accident Causation in Complex systems in Human Error.
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press .
Abstract
The term system indicates a simplification of a complex process, in terms of the management,
the system can be defined as an arrangement of the resources to achieve optimum outputs from
the best working conditions. However, sometimes the inconsistent response of certain
components in a system can convert a simple arrangement into a complex arrangement. This
complexity can increase the chances of some latent mistakes that can become fatal or invite
serious accidents at any given workplace. This is why the manager or the decision-maker needs
to keep all the elements in full alignment with the other components.
For instance, the area of the productive activity or the area where human integration takes place
should be in alignment with the area of line management. It is noteworthy that the area of the
line management fixes necessary safety training and comes up with regular practices to check the
health of the safety procedures. If these two areas are not in synchronization with each other than
the possibility for a latent mistake increases many folds.
Psychological precursors of an unsafe act are inevitable in many cases because human workers
are inconsistent in the behavior. These are known as “failure tokens” in the terminology of
complex system management. Managerial failures causing a fatal or latent mistake can be
removed by applying a methodical approach towards the monitoring mechanism. Execution of a
set of repair actions and reform actions after regular time intervals can mitigate managerial

failures. The appearance of token failures, on the other hand, can give rise to latent mistakes. It is
very difficult to understand human psychology and the inconsistent approach of human beings.
To understand the complex nature of a latent mistake, a leader should stay prepared for a
fundamental surprise where the gap between the perception of a person and the reality can be
adjudged to come up with a curative plan to prevent the mishaps.
Example
During my stint as an intern in a small automobile component manufacturing unit, I realized that
“Managerial and policy failures” are connected with the” token failures”. This connection can
be proved with a simple example. Wearing a helmet while dealing with heavy machinery is a
precautionary measure that every employee should follow, however, in the absence of serious
accidents inside the plants, employees often forget to wear them.
The helmet is safety equipment that is designed to handle contingency situations. The absence of
contingency situations regularly makes it a redundant safety gear for individuals working at
various sites. If managers fail in identifying the lackluster approach of employees then it can
become a management failure leading towards a token failure. This attitude of the employees
indicates a token failure. Mangers in the same unit can come up with a mock drill for safety to
remind the utility of helmet.
Reading 3
C.E.Lindblom. (1959). The Science of Muddling through, Public Adminstrative Review . pp 79-
88.

A problem can be seen from multiple lens views based on their impacts on the stakeholders. The
genesis of a solution related to any problem can be identified from two approaches. The first
approach suggests that the root cause or the root of the system or organization can be addressed
for a strong solution. The second approach gives us an idea to negotiate with the part of the
system which is problematic; it is also known as handling the branches of the problem. Every
solution demands optimization of the facts and scenarios. The development of clarity of thoughts
is a process that is dependent on five steps. Identification of the end and means, policy testing,
keeping a check on the successive nature of the policies are few among them.
The solutions associated with any problem are dependent on the concept of “ends and means.”
While considering the welfare of a system as a whole, it is inevitable for a policymaker or
problem solver to find himself in a muddled state of the affairs. It can happen because of the
inter-dependent nature of the means. To come out of this muddled state, the techniques of
comprehensive and non-comprehensive analysis of the events that can follow the implementation
of a policy.
A comprehensive analysis can allow a manager to look at all the components of the system from
an objective viewpoint. This objectivity can further help him in figuring out the relevance of a
solution from multiple viewpoints. The five steps of problem-solving can help a manager in
coming out of a muddled up state of affairs and execute a solution or a plan of action which is
apt to address the problem in an optimized fashion. It is a loop-based process where successive
theories and observations can further enhance the effectiveness of the measures that are an
outcome of a consistent process of the clearing of some muddled up thoughts.
Example

The recent outbreak of the Corona pandemic forced my existing company to think from multiple
points of view. The safety of the employees was a primary concern for them. The root cause, in
this case, was the spread of a deadly virus. The removal of the root cause was related to the
implementation of a complete lockdown. However, lockdown in itself was a big problem
because consistent losses can force the company to offer pink slips to some of the employees.
When we look at the problem from a point of view of a potential threat to life because of the
virus, it shows that we are looking at the root cause. Economic repercussions are a branch of the
main problem. Before a probable lockdown, my company told the software developers to come
up with a program where they can enable the culture of working from home. The arrival of a
“Work from Home” culture can be considered as a solution coming out of a non-comprehensive
analysis.
Reading 4
Parkin, J. (1994). A Power Model of Urban Infrastruture decision Making . New York: Geo
Forum.
Abstract
Decision making becomes a complex job when the numbers of direct and indirect stakeholders
are high. Under this condition, the impact of the decision becomes a serious issue because
serving the interests of all the stakeholders becomes difficult. The presence of a power model
that is flexible in identifying the basic principles of the operations can act as an effective tool to
implement major changes in an organization or setups. For instance, the designing of urban
infrastructure can be one such issue, urban infrastructure is equally important for all the sectors
of any given demography. It cannot be seen from the lens view of capitalism alone, the
recommendation of the Marxist framework is equally important. Urban infrastructure should be

designed to establish sustainability in the profits from the endeavors otherwise it can crumble. At
the same time, the same infrastructure should be designed to serve the interests of the service
economy as well.
The rationality towards the finalization a decision can be one factor; however, serving the
interests of active and dormant partners in the list of the stakeholders is another issue that should
be taken into an account. The presence of a simplified lens model to serve the interests of all the
stakeholders can be an effective way of serving the interests of all the stakeholders. It is very
important to consider the impact of each decision on the surrounding ecology consisting of
multiple players directly involved with the implementation of the development and its impact on
the systems. Meeting out the constraints caused by the conflicting interests of the stakeholders
can become a tedious exercise in this case.
The interpretation of the needs of all the segments of any given demographical setup is a
challenging task that can be addressed with the help of the implementation of an “actor-network
decision interface” to keep a check on the variables.
Example
During my stint in a mid-size automobile company, I saw the implementation of a simplified lens
view at a smaller level. The HR department of the company decided to change the seating
arrangements of the employees following the reporting culture. The purpose of the exercise was
to create proximity among the employees. It was a prudent decision for increasing the efficiency
of the employees, however, its impact on the wellbeing of the employees

However, they failed in judging its impact on the team dynamism of the company; the new
seating arrangement was not good for the informal communication bridges that can develop
among the team members belonging to different teams.
The company finally decided to come up with a seating arrangement where people belonging to
the senior cadre shared spaces in a particular part of the office premises. This arrangement
created a breathing space for all the employees and supported the ergonomics of the place.