This seminar will explore the role of autonomy in shaping ethical pressures faced by professional engineers and engineering degree holders working in Ontario.  Drawing on survey data, the seminar will first examine the extent to which engineering workers report having autonomy and authority at work, and the extent to which they report ethical pressures. The relationship between autonomy and ethical pressures will also be discussed.  Subsequently the seminar will draw on qualitative interview data to document the kinds of pressures that engineers (and engineering degree holders) experience, and where these pressures come from.  The seminar will conclude with some reflections on the significance of the findings for engineers and engineering leaders.

Tracey Adams

Tracey Adams is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Western University.  She specializes in the sociology of work and professions.  Recent research focuses on professional regulation in Canada and internationally.  She is currently collaborating with researchers at the University of Toronto, and with the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, on a study of engineering work in Ontario.

Register, here.