ASME: Engineers must react to changing business trends for success

-- Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 4/4/2008 8:42:00 AM

In order to remain competitive and successful, engineers to adopt new management strategies, including increased interdisciplinary collaborationsemerging business challenges and technological complexities cause .

Senior-level executives and engineers representing some of the world’s top corporations, including IBM, Westinghouse Electric, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, will present their views and perspectives at the 2008 ASME Annual Meeting, June 7-11, at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. 

“Innovative Partnering: Interdisciplinary Challenges to Designing the Future” is the theme of the conference sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The meeting will enable engineers and other technical professionals to learn how to apply the critical skill sets, collaborations and business strategies needed to remain on the cutting edge of competitive engineering practice.

Michael Rogers, futurist-in-residence, at The New York Times Company, and one of the nation’s leading experts on the impact of technology on business and society, will moderate the three 90-minute plenary sessions.  Topics will include: Envisioning the Future, Critical Skills Needed to Overcome 21st Century Challenges, and Partnering:  Interdisciplinary Approaches are the Keys to Success.

Following each session, a series of workshops led by senior-level engineers will explore the plenary topics in greater depth and from different perspectives. The workshops will serve as a forum for discussion on critical subject areas such as global intellectual property, multidisciplinary thinking and team management, advanced visualizing technologies, and leading virtual teams.

The conferencealso will offer professional development opportunities for engineers to build individual skills in the areas of project management, consensus building and negotiation, changing management techniques, entrepreneurship and more.  Attendees will have opportunities for networking and career enhancement by meeting with representatives from top engineering firms, graduate schools and professional certification organizations at a career fair that will run in conjunction with the conference.