Leadership Competencies for Post-Secondary Engineering Experiences: A Delphi Study of Industry Perspectives

The national society of professional engineers has said, "engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people." The demand for career-ready engineering professionals has been a consistent, high priority area for the U.S. workforce for the last several decades. Specifically, this call expresses a desire for engineers that are deeply prepared in their technical areas, but also broadly capable as participatory leaders and team members. Thus, leadership-coupled professional competencies that enhance teamwork and problem solving are in high demand from the engineering industry. However, contemporary research suggests that postsecondary engineering programs do not adequately prepare graduates in these areas. This Delphi study identified the consensus perspective of an industry panel regarding the most valuable competencies within the organizational culture of engineering firms. After three iterative rounds, 14 leadership-coupled competencies were identified.