Research Paper on:
Automotive Industry and Engineer Management

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
workforces in this industry tend to be standardized, however, despite the changes in production processes. The primary reason for this standardization across this industry has to do with employment collective  bargaining contracts (MacDuffie, 1995). In fact, there is an old saying about this situation: "Detroit is not the home of the Big Three but of the Big Two-the American car  industry and the United Auto Workers union" (The Economist, 1998, p. 53). Changes are apparent in management of companies in the United States. Historically, labor relations were adversarial with  management controlling the job and work flow. That changed when General Motors and Ford both worked towards changing the rules towards a more flexible employment environment (MacDuffie, 1995). They also  worked towards increasing employee involvement in decision making and to demonstrate more cooperation with union officials (MacDuffie, 1995). Warren Bennis once commented: "Managing engineers is like herding cats" (Santa Clara  University, nd). With very little thought, it is easy to understand the analogy. Cats are very independent animals. They do things in their own time and as they want to.  They do not bend to their owners desires or commands. They are creative. They are completely independent. They like to play. They can become totally engrossed and mesmerized by something  that amuses them or interests them or enthralls. Engineers are that way. Here, we have a group of highly trained professionals who have scads of ideas and can spend hours  exploring or thinking about that thought. According to Bennis, when one manages expert professionals, there are a number of challenges that include: Their desire to work independently (Santa  Clara University, nd). Engineers are more likely to question authority than many other classifications of employees (Santa Clara University, nd). They have extreme pride in their work (Santa Clara University,