As team manager I can say that I have comprehensively read through the joint statement of ethical principles made by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Engineering council that was issued in 2005. After reading this joint statement of ethical principles, I now view engineering from a different standpoint that I believe will make the world a better place. I also believe that it is my duty as an engineering student to promote and uphold these ethical principles throughout my academic and professional career so that other engineers may follow suit.
To elaborate on the first point, honesty and integrity, the joint statement of ethical principles states that engineering professionals have a duty to uphold the highest standards of professional conduct. As team manager I have acted upon this by trying to be as reliable as I can for my team so they don’t have to worry, if there are disputes in regard to our work plan I will try my best to settle the dispute immediately so that we can progress together as a team, as fast as possible. I also try my best to keep the team united and organised by keeping them up to date with micromouse objectives, recapping what we have achieved and what must be done next.
To elaborate on the second point, respect for life, law, the environment and public good, the joint statement of ethical principles states that engineering professionals have a duty to obey all applicable laws and regulations, and give due weight to facts, published standards and guidance and the wider public interest. As team manager, I have made health and safety a very important trait in my team, always ensuring that my team wears the correct personal protective equipment when operating dangerous machinery such as pillar drills and soldering irons. Furthermore, I have taken due account of the limited availability of natural resources by ensuring that my team only uses the resources that are strictly required for the micromouse project.
To elaborate on the third point, accuracy and rigour, the joint statement of ethical principles states that engineering professionals have a duty to acquire and use wisely the understanding, knowledge and skills needed to perform their role. As team manager, I have tried my best to organise the team as efficiently as possible, assigning team members with a stronger background in coding to write the codes that are used to operate the micromouse. By doing this, I know that I have assigned my best chance of success at that task. I also keep my team up to date with new theory and knowledge about soldering and coding improvements supplied by Dr Timothy Davies.
To elaborate on the fourth point, leadership and communication, the joint statement of ethical principles states that engineering professionals have a futy to abide by and promote high standards of leadership and communication. As team manager, I have tried my best to unite the team by communicating with them to the best of my ability. I frequently post updates of our progress and our next objectives in our group chat so the team is notified of these changes, and I do check-ins with each member weekly so that I am also updated on their progress. I have also been open to feedback from my team members, carefully noting their responses so that I have a better idea of what needs to be worked on in the future.
In addition to reading and complying with the joint statement of ethical principles by the RAE and EC, I have also read the IET’s rules of conduct regarding professionalism in engineering. According to the IET’s rules of conduct, rule 2 states that all members shall observe the joint statement published by the Engineering Council and Royal Academy of Engineering. As team manager, I have made sure that my team members as well as myself have read and understood this. Rule 6 states that members shall not undertake professional tasks and responsibilities that they are not reasonably competent to discharge. I have enforced this rule in my team by effectively distributing tasks to match the skills and expertise of my team members. Furthermore, rule 14 states that members shall take all reasonable steps to avoid waste of natural resources, damage to the environment and damage or destruction of man-made products. I have also enforced this rule in my team by ensuring that the vast majority of the components used in our project are able to be salvaged when the project is concluded.
In my own time, I have also read the Harvard Business School’s article about ethics in engineering. I think this is a good reading choice for ethics in engineering because they raise some interesting key points that are certainly important from the standpoint of engineering. In their article they use the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) code of ethics as an outline of ethical behaviours that every engineer should follow throughout their professional career. This includes but is not limited to protecting the public safety, performing tasks that are within their qualifications, no deceptions in public communications, remaining faithful and trustworthy to employers and acting with integrity. These are all very important aspects of an engineer that also relate to the joint statement of ethical principles written by the RAE and EC.
Here is the article link if you wish to further read the ethics of engineering and why it is important : https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/ethics-in-engineering