The Roles, Responsibilities, And Importance Of Principles Of Sustainable Development For Engineers

Engineers Roles and Responsibilities

An engineer has several roles and responsibilities to adhere to. Initially a professional engineering undertakes tasks of limited complexity and scope that has fairly less impacts on others (Naumann et al., 2011). Professional engineer adheres to performs as per professional engineering practices and then also apply individual judgment with aims at application of engineering techniques, methods and principles. Application of engineering analysis, computation or design, as engineer’s caters to advanced technologies and learned methods at the time of their course.

Work is generally revised by higher-level professional engineers for adequacy, validity, methods and processes (Griggs et al., 2013). Engineer’s roles and responsibility along with the need to apply principles of sustainable development is tremendous in nature. As engineers are responsible for conducting various operations related to manufacturing and productions, they are the first people, who can deploy sustainable developments. It is perceived in a progressive manner, out in the open talk and political aspects, that a considerable lot of the practices and ways of current society practices – especially yet not solely industrialized society, basically cannot be maintained in a sustainable manner. People have exceeded the limit of the planet to give a large number of the resources that are utilized to meet the planet’s occupants are not able to meet even their most essential needs. 

So What?

Engineers are the one who coordinates amongst various processes, can ultimately generate sustainability impacts for the environment. This issue related to the perception related to the need to stay within requirements and to guarantee greater reasonableness in access to constrained assets, lies at the core of the ideas of its sustainability which engineers can provide (Mitsch, 2012). Supportable advancement is the way toward moving exercises for the engineers which can manage issues pertaining to non-sustainability. In this manner ecological and advancement issues which have capabilities to accommodate human needs with the limit of the planet to adapt to the results of human exercises. In absence of engineer’s reactiveness to contribute in a positive manner towards the environment there might be challenges in regards to controlling carbon emissions. As engineers are responsible for major manufacturing and production related activity, they are the ones who can devise means and methods to overcome emission related challenges. They can devise procedures which can curb emissions, and overall reduce carbon footprints. Engineers can also innovate ways and means by which they can create new processes of sustainable growth.     

The positive impact of creating sustainable development is to be able to measure ways and means by which positive impacts can be created on the environment (Young et al., 2010). Positive impact on the environment can be generated by way of reducing carbon emissions, greenhouse gasses, CFCs and so on. Moreover, changing ways and means of usage of fossil fuels and other perishable resources can further create sustainability implications for the same. Therefore, once engineers develop ways to impact the environment positively, it will lead to innovation of products and processes to meet basic necessities of humans. This endeavor can lead to environmental sustainability to be generated around the environment.

The Need for Sustainable Development Principles in Engineering

In case engineers are not able to develop their roles and responsibilities related to environmental sustainability, then there can be greater impacts generated. In absence of engineers developing their roles and responsibilities related to environmental impacts then there will be absence of methods generated which can create sustainability for the overall planet. 

Engineer’s roles and responsibilities once matched across to create environment sustainability such that better roles and processes can be created (Mihelcic & Zimmerman, 2014). Currently rising sea levels and climatic changes have led to immense amounts of impact on the environment. Therefore, if engineers could adequately contribute towards making processes more sustainable by less consumption in fossil fuels then it could transform our planet.

Information documents management is critical for arriving at decision related to particular aspect (Unger & Eppinger, 2011). Any organization contains various complicated and range of documents which are used at different periods of time. Range of documents has to be maintained in organizations that contain vital and critical information pertaining to work.   

So What?

Managing information and documentation is a critical aspect for any organization that needs to be undertaken such that information can be maintained in a proper manner. Within scope of any organization, there are various types of data and information that needs to be adequately documented Pitroda, 2008). In order to maintain the same, a system needs to be implemented. In absence of a system documents might be kept at places that hinder their timely retrieval. This will lead to confusion and ineffectiveness prevailing with the entire organization; it can also lead to less productivity amongst employees and staff of the organization.    

What else?

Maintaining information and documenting them effectively not only can cater to goals ascertained by the organization. An organization need to maintain an appropriate system which can allow retrieving of information as well (Rowley & Hartley, 2017). A system accommodated that can allow retrieving information from documents will help handling information in an effective and efficient manner. Such efficient handling of information would allow applying knowledge management systems to get maximum application related to such information.    

What Now?

While maintaining information by means of documents there can be various challenges faced. One of the major challenges faced while handling of such information relates to documenting the same. Personnel handling such information can document them only they have insight information as well knowledge to handle such information. In effect if such knowledge is absent, then the personnel might misplace such information (Goedert & Meadati, 2008). This in effect might lead to ineffectiveness in handling of such information, leading to redundancy of the same. Therefore, responsibility need to be assigned to a person, who can effectively deal with resolving such information and maintain them across appropriate file sharing platforms.   

What?

Communicating effectively across range of context within an organization is critical as it allows maintaining clarity and effectiveness amongst stakeholders (Ting-Toomey, 2012). Communication entails maintaining a smooth flow of information amongst various stakeholders, most importantly transforming of vision. Communication across range of context has become a critical aspect especially with increasing diversity within organizations. Organization’s stakeholders need to maintain a steady flow of communication amongst various participants to ensure that communication flow is maintained across all layers of the organization.    

Positive and Negative Impacts of Implementing Sustainable Practices

So What?

Challenges encountered in communication can lead to ineffectiveness and loss of productivity. Such loss of productivity needs to be understood and overcome as well (Kreps & Neuhauser, 2010). Core aim and focus for every organization is to transform its stated goals and objectives into practice and thereafter productivity. Communication can help transform that. In absence of the same, there might be challenges encountered that need to be diagnosed and overcome. 

What else?

Communication has become an integral aspect for integral for any organization. Therefore, organizational leaders and managers need to focus on wide range of context that provides appropriate communication (Martin & Nakayama, 2013). Especially in multi-cultural organizations there might be challenges faced, which is overcome by accommodating several techniques of communications. Inter-0cultural communication has been the primary focus of today’s organization due to rising diversity within workforce. Organization’s need to develop and instill a corporate organization culture that is able to accept other’s approach and communication techniques. Moreover, a system of feedback needs to be accommodated such that individual stakeholders within the organization are able to understand effectiveness related to communication techniques. A feedback process is the most effective manner in which effectiveness of communication can be determined. 

What Now?

With globalisation, corporations are increasing adopting diversity across their employee bases (Spencer-Oatey & Franklin, 2009). In order to cater to diverse customers, employee diversity is also increasing, hence complexity of communication as well. In order to cater to diversified and complex organizational communication, leaders need to devise and adopt strategies that allow smooth flow of communications amongst them. A more acceptable attitude amongst employees from diversified background need to be instilled with organizational culture being more tolerant in nature. This will allow productive communication to take place within the organization.  

References

Goedert, J.D. and Meadati, P., 2008. Integrating construction process documentation into building information modeling. Journal of construction engineering and management, 134(7), pp.509-516.

Griggs, D., Stafford-Smith, M., Gaffney, O., Rockström, J., Öhman, M.C., Shyamsundar, P., Steffen, W., Glaser, G., Kanie, N. and Noble, I., 2013. Policy: Sustainable development goals for people and planet. Nature, 495(7441), p.305.

Kreps, G.L. and Neuhauser, L., 2010. New directions in eHealth communication: opportunities and challenges. Patient education and counseling, 78(3), pp.329-336.

Martin, J.N. and Nakayama, T.K., 2013. Intercultural communication in contexts. New York: NY: McGraw-Hill.

Mihelcic, J.R. and Zimmerman, J.B., 2014. Environmental engineering: Fundamentals, sustainability, design. Wiley Global Education.

Mitsch, W.J., 2012. What is ecological engineering?. Ecological Engineering, 45, pp.5-12.

Naumann, S., Dick, M., Kern, E. and Johann, T., 2011. The greensoft model: A reference model for green and sustainable software and its engineering. Sustainable Computing: Informatics and Systems, 1(4), pp.294-304.

Pitroda, S.G., C SAM Inc, 2008. Method and system for managing user activities and information using a customized computer interface. U.S. Patent 7,366,990.

Rowley, J. and Hartley, R., 2017. Organizing knowledge: an introduction to managing access to information. Routledge.

Spencer-Oatey, H. and Franklin, P., 2009. Intercultural interaction: A multidisciplinary approach to intercultural communication. Springer.

Ting-Toomey, S., 2012. Communicating across cultures. Guilford Press.

Unger, D. and Eppinger, S., 2011. Improving product development process design: a method for managing information flows, risks, and iterations. Journal of Engineering Design, 22(10), pp.689-699.

Young, W., Hwang, K., McDonald, S. and Oates, C.J., 2010. Sustainable consumption: green consumer behaviour when purchasing products. Sustainable development, 18(1), pp.20-31.