2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Work-In-Progress: Understanding “Engineering Leadership” within Engineering Consulting Firms

Presented at Engineering Leadership Development Division (LEAD) Technical Session: Engineering Leadership in Industry

This paper examines how engineering leadership is understood and recognized within the specific context of engineering consulting. Engineering consulting has consistently grown over the last couple of decades in both the United States and globally. Additionally, engineering consulting is a type of Professional Service Firm (PSF), which is recognised to have organizationally distinct characteristics differing from traditional, hierarchical bureaucratic firms. These unique characteristics have implications for leadership. In this paper, we examine engineering leadership within engineering consulting through a qualitative case study on one mid-size North American engineering consulting firm. Preliminary findings from a subset of our interviews with engineering consultants across various career stages are presented. This work aligns with ASEE LEAD division’s strategic initiative “Explore” as it contributes to understanding how engineering leadership is understood in professional practice. This work is also particularly relevant to knowledge-intensive, high-autonomy work environments.

Authors

Jessica J. Li University of Toronto [biography]

Jessica is a Professional Engineer currently pursuing her PhD in Industrial Engineering with the Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering at the University of Toronto. Jessica's research explores how professional services organizations can support or hinder leadership development in their staff.

Jessica holds a Bachelor's of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto and previously worked as an engineering consultant in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries for eight years. Jessica's experience leading multidisciplinary teams strengthened her perspective that the ability to empathize, communicate and collaborate are integral to success in engineering.
Dr. Andrea Chan University of Toronto [biography]

Andrea Chan is a Senior Research Associate at the Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering | University of Toronto
Elham Marzi University of Toronto [biography]

Prof. Marzi is the Co-founder and Director of InVEST and has engaged in multidisciplinary research in Organizational Behaviour, Virtual Teams, and Engineering Education. She teaches in areas inclusive of OB, HR, Strategy, Virtual Teams, and Negotiations in the Engineering Business Minor and Certificate Program at the University of Toronto, Canada. She has a passion for teaching and getting students engaged through active and technology enhanced learning. She is highly interested in developing innovative teaching techniques and strategies that can contribute to students learning and increase equity and inclusivity in the classroom.
Dr. Emily Moore P.Eng. University of Toronto [biography]

Emily Moore is the Director of the Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering (Troost ILead) at the University of Toronto. Emily spent 20 years as a professional engineer, first as an R&D engineer in a Fortune 500 company, and then leading

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