Sociology : EngineeringThoughts on their relationship

in an ever-changing world

Charles T. Hodges - Background

Corporate

Headquarters

Computer & Electric Center

New Forum

Natural Resources

Place Making

Local Activities

Community

People

Ayrsley Town Center

Ayrsley Town Center

Definitions

The systematic study of the

development, structure, interaction, and

collective behavior of organized groups of

humans.

The application of science and math

by which the properties of matter and

the sources of energy in nature are

made useful to people.

The interaction between the evolution of technology

and the development of economy and society has

always been an important dimension of human

history. The transition from the agricultural society

towards the industrial society provides the most

pertinent illustration of the profound implications

which the full diffusion of new technologies can have

on family structures, work relations, settlement

patterns, economic and political power

configurations, and also on behavior patterns and

value systems.

In a rare reflective moment after the launch of the iPad, Steve

Jobs mentioned Apple’s DNA:

‘Technology alone is not enough.

It’s technology married with the liberal

arts, married with the humanities, that

yields the results that makes our

hearts sing.’

1. Look for a problem to solve – a ‘Big Idea.’

Where do they get the spark?

Sociological

change

What drives an entrepreneur?

2. Create a product/solution that solves the problem.

What causes sociological change?

-Technology advancement

-Economic conditions

-Geo/political conditions

-Cultural changes

-Resource constraints

Entrepreneur

See Saw Relationship

Engineer

BIG

IdeasMake It

Work

Entrepreneur

See Saw Relationship

Engineer

BIG

Ideas

Make It

Work

Entrepreneur

See Saw Relationship

Engineer

BIG

Ideas

Make It

Work

Entrepreneur

Need

Balance!

See Saw Relationship

Engineer

BIG

Ideas

Make It

Work

Plucking The Heart Strings of Engineers

1) Cooper River BridgeCharleston, SC, completed 1946

2) Luling Bridge,St. Charles Parish, LA, completed 1983

3) Ravenel Bridge,

Charleston, SC, completed 2005

The object of organizations is the

optimization of the ‘total system’

and NOT the optimization of the

subsystems.

Sub-optimization occurs when the

best possible outcome is not realized

because of a lack of coordination or

communication between different

elements, parts, or participants.

One Of My Big Life Lessons Learned

Sub-Optimization In Action

Case Study 1

Thomas Fisher, dean of the University of Minnesota’s College of

Design, told a gathering of the Commercial Real Estate Development

Association (NAIOP) that millennials actually see privacy as negative. In

fact, he predicted that by 2025, the ‘office’ as we know it will be gone.

‘The idea of the separate office as a private

piece of real estate that you must have is

going to disappear very quickly with this

generation. How they use space flips what

we have today: Most of an office will be

open, flexible and fluid in its use, with only

occasional need for private spaces.’

Case Study 2

The Polyphony in Commercial Real Estate

Benching = 148 workstations

Pod = 144 workstations

4 Certainties from Future Agenda:

What does the future hold?

- Universal Data Access

- Wealth Shift

- Unbalanced Population

Growth

- Resource Constraints

Sociological Impact:

Information Age Age of Efficiency*Efficient

Information Age

*A great time to be an engineer