Rules of Thumb

Abstract

Management and administrators often have great difficulty in making obvious decisions. They take refuge in pat phrases such as, “people must conform to rules,” and “you can’t walk on the grass;” and fail to either recognize or acknowledge the social system they are managing. This article suggests seven “rules of thumb” for managing engineers and scientists. They are derived partly from management theory, but primarily from observation and experience. They are based on two fundamental assumptions: first, engineers and scientists are both dedicated and highly motivated, and any expression of their collective wish deserves serious consideration; and second, it is better to try to understand and adapt to a group’s behavior than to change or stop it.

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