Systems Engineer: the ultimate phronetic leader? Vincenzo Arrichiello AISE/ INCOSE Chapter Italia, Italy va.incose@gmail.com Copyright © held by the author. ABSTRACT leadership. The topic of Engineering Leadership has indeed The phrase “Engineering Leadership” may seem, at a first seen a growing interest in the last years. Both Universities and glance, as the result of a simple juxtaposition of two, otherwise Organizations have implemented programs to foster the not related, concepts; on the contrary, an analysis of the development of leadership traits in engineers; for that purpose respective roots and evolutions shows an undeniable “fil the traits and capabilities relevant to Engineering Leadership rouge” connecting the two with links intersecting ages and have been investigated and identified. cultures. Leadership is charged with the expectation of When comparing the traits of wise leaders with those providing guidance to decision making under conditions of deemed as characteristic of Engineering Leaders, a large uncertainty, incomplete information and high complexity; what overlapping becomes apparent. On the other side, a strong is mainly needed to that end is wisdom. The pertinence of similarity between the traits and capabilities of Engineering wisdom to leadership has been outlined by ancient Leadership and those traditionally considered typical of philosophers (Aristotle "phronesis", Thomas Aquina effective Systems Engineers is easily verified. As the "Guide to "prudentia"), and continues to be the subject of study today. the Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge" underlines, This has resulted in the identification of the traits that, mainly, Systems Engineers' specific role in determining customers' characterize wise leaders. Engineering, as a natural needs and desires, and their having to deal with aspects about instantiation of the human aptitude to solve practical problems, which they have no direct expertise, puts on them "two ethical can be reasonably assumed to be as old as humankind, but responsibilities over and above those of most other engineering when considering modern engineering, some of its roots can be professions." And indeed Systems Engineering pays a special tracked down to the cultural environment of the European consideration to ethics and to the behavioral characteristics of Enlightenment; specially to: its belief in reason and knowledge its practitioners. Thus, while it is not intended here to claim as enablers of human progress; the praise of mechanical arts as Engineering Leadership to be an exclusive fiefdom of Systems “useful” arts and of their practitioners as people “very Engineering, this last appears to be in a true vantage position to estimable and very useful, bringing happiness to humanity”; respond to the demand of phronetic leadership. The Systems and the belief in the ability of the expansion and dissemination Approach, and its inherent Systems Thinking, can be of knowledge to help solve practical problems. Indeed the reasonably seen as a solid foundations for an Engineering engineers of the time saw themselves, and were reputed by Leadership, and thus their diffusion, among the engineers from society, as useful servants of the state. The purpose "to be any discipline can be expected to be enable engineering to help useful to humankind" has hence become a deep rooted trait of mankind in meeting its present and future needs[1]. engineering; this is well documented in the definitions of engineering by dictionaries and encyclopaedias, across diverse REFERENCES languages and cultures. Engineers more and more often are required to address societal problems whose solutions lie at the [1] Arrichiello, V. (2016), Systems Engineer: the ultimate phronetic leader?. INCOSE International Symposium, 26: 1824–1837. doi:10.1002/j.2334- interstices of diverse disciplines, and that, therefore, require a 5837.2016.00263.x wide interdisciplinary knowledge and a good understanding of the social impacts of engineering activities. Thus, to fulfil its AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY purpose of benefiting humanity, engineering has often to deal with problems that ever increasingly exceed its traditional Vincenzo Arrichiello holds a Laurea Degree in (technical) boundaries, to address areas never explored before; Engineering from the University of Genova. He has practiced here technical prowess is no more sufficient, but the ability to Systems Engineering for more than 30 years, covering judge and take action for the good for humankind is also positions either in large companies (Defense Contractors) and needed. These new demands may appear as an added burden to engineering consulting Companies (as a co-owner), applying the engineering practice, but, at the same time, open a great the systems approach across diverse industry fields opportunity for them to show how, through technology and an (Aerospace& Defense, Robotics, Packaging). He has been interdisciplinary approach, they can effectively address societal Head of the Selex SI Academy, and Director of the relevant problems, contributing to the creation of a better world. To Systems Engineering School. He teaches Systems Engineering realize this opportunity engineers must have the willingness to courses in some University Masters. He was one of the stretch their traditional "comfort zone" beyond pure founders of the Italia Chapter of INCOSE and is now serving technology, and to broaden their social role; it is a true call to as Past-President.