The Paradoxical Mindset of Systems Engineers: Uncommon Minds, Skills, and Careers(Wiley Series in Systems Engineering and Management)

A guide that explores what enables systems engineers to be effective in their profession and reveals how organizations can help them attain success The Paradoxical Mindset of Systems Engineers offers an in-depth look at the proficiencies and personal qualities effective systems engineers require and the positions they should seek for successful careers. The book also gives employers practical strategies and tools to evaluate their systems engineers and advance them to higher performance. The authors explore why systems engineers are uncommon and how they can assess, improve, and cleverly leverage their uncommon strengths. These insights for being an ever more effective systems engineer apply equally well to classic engineers and project managers who secondarily do some systems engineering. The authors have written a guide to help systems engineers embrace the values that are most important to themselves and their organizations. Solidly based on interviews with over 350 systems engineers, classic engineers, and managers as well as detailed written career descriptions from 2500 systems engineers — The Paradoxical Mindset of Systems Engineers identifies behavioral patterns that effective systems engineers use to achieve success. This important resource: Offers aspiring systems engineers practical methods for success that are built on extensive empirical evidence and underlying theory Shows systems engineers how to visually document their relative strengths and weaknesses, map out their careers, and compare themselves to the best in their organizations – a rich set of tools for individuals, mentors, and organizations Offers practical guidance to managers and executives who lead systems engineering workforce improvement initiatives   Written for systems engineers, their managers, business executives, those who do some systems engineering but primarily identify with other professions, as well as HR professionals, The Paradoxical Mindset of Systems Engineers offers the most comprehensive career guidance in the field available today.

Table of Contents:
About the Authors xiii Acknowledgments xv Foreword xvii Preface xxi 1 Paradoxical Mindset 1 What is Systems Engineering? 3 Being a Systems Engineer 4 Book Structure 5 Career Development “Ecosystem” for Systems Engineers 10 A Short Summary of the Helix Project 10 Vignettes 13 Notes and References 13 2 Six Uncommon Values 15 The Parable of the Three Stonecutters 15 What is Greatness, Anyhow? 16 Value 1: Keep and Maintain The System Vision 19 Value 2: Translate Technical Jargon Into Business or Operational Terms and Vice Versa 23 Value 3: Enable Diverse Teams to Successfully Develop Systems 26 Value 4: Manage Emergence in Both the Project and the System 29 Value 5: Enable Good Technical Decisions at the System Level 31 Value 6: Support the Business Case for the System 34 How Others View Systems Engineers 36 Notes and References 37 3 Fifteen Roles 41 Roles Focused on the Systems Being Developed 44 Roles Focused on Systems Engineering Process and Organization 47 Roles Focused on Teams that Build Systems 49 Relationship between Roles and Values 51 Art Pyster at Digital Sound Corporation 51 Systems Engineers Often Perform Management Roles 53 Seniority 54 Three Systems Engineers with Increasing Seniority 65 Notes and References 69 4 A Systems Engineer’s Proficiencies 73 Engineering Proficiency Cluster 76 Systems Proficiency Cluster 83 Professional Proficiency Cluster 93 Example Positions 104 Systems Engineers are Π‐Shaped 106 The Whole Package 109 Notes and References 110 5 Hidden in Plain Sight 113 Case 1: Japanese Bullet Train: Fast, Frequent, Safe, and Punctual 114 Case 2: Boeing 777: Maintaining the Vision from Start to End 119 Case 3: Healthcare.gov: Disastrous Start, Incredible Recovery 127 Notes and References 131 6 Proficiency Profiles 133 Assessing Proficiency 137 Exemplar and Recommended Proficiency Profiles 141 Aggregate Proficiency Profiles 141 Notes and References 142 7 Three Forces 145 Force 1: Experiences 147 Force 2: Mentoring 153 Force 3: Education & Training 158 Force Multipliers 160 Notes and References 170 8 Successful Careers 173 Nicole Hutchison Grows into a Systems Engineer 175 Two Datasets about Senior Systems Engineers 177 Four Questions 180 The Education of Systems Engineers 181 The Experiences of Chief Systems Engineers 187 Cathy’s Career Revisited 195 Career Maps for Pyster and Hutchison 197 Notes and References 199 9 Secondarily a Systems Engineer 201 Classic Engineers 203 Program and Project Managers 212 Notes and References 218 10 Thrive 219 Looking Ahead 220 How a Junior or Mid‐Level Systems Engineer Can Thrive 223 How a Classic Engineer, Who is Secondarily a Systems Engineer, Can Thrive 223 How a Manager of Systems Engineers Can Thrive 228 How an Executive Can Thrive 229 Closing Thoughts 229 Notes and References 232 Appendix Biographical Sketches of Quoted Systems Engineers 233 Glossary and Acronyms 237 Index 241

About the Author :
ARTHUR PYSTER, PHD is the Associate Dean for Research and a Professor in the Volgenau School of Engineering at George Mason University, and the Director for Strategic Integration for the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). NICOLE HUTCHISON, PHD, is a principal investigator and researcher in the Systems Engineering Research Center at Stevens Institute of Technology. DEVANANDHAM HENRY, PHD, is an assistant professor at Regent University where he leads the systems engineering program.