Electro Logic Electro Logic (EL) is a small R&D firm located in a Midwestern college town adjacent to a major university. Its primary mission is to perform basic research on, and development of, a new technology called "Very Fast, Very Accurate" (VFVA). Founded four years ago by Steve Morgan, an electrical engineering professor and inventor of the technology, EL is primarily funded by government contracts, although it plans to market VFVA technology and devices to nongovernmental organizations within the year. The government is very interested in VFVA, as it will enhance radar technology, robotics, and a number of other important applications. EL recently received the largest small-business contract ever awarded by the government to research and develop this or any other technology. Phase I of the contract has just been completed, and the government has agreed to Phase II contracting as well. The organizational chart of EL is shown in Figure 6.11. There are currently 75 employees, with roughly 88 percent in engineering. The hierarchy of engineering titles and requirements for each are listed in Table 6.6. Heads of staff are supposedly appointed based on their knowledge of VFVA technology and their ability to manage people. In practice, the president of EL handpicks these people based on what some might call arbitrary guidelines: Most of the staff leaders were or are the president's graduate students. There is no predetermined time frame for advancement up the hierarchy. Raises are directly related to performance appraisal evaluations. Working directly with the engineers are the technicians. Technicians generally have a high school degree, and some also have a college degree. They are trained on the job, although some have gone through a local community college's program on microtechnology fabrication. The technicians perform the mundane tasks of the engineering department: running tests, building circuit boards, manufacturing VFVA chips, and so on. Most are full-time, hourly employees. The administrative staff is composed of the staff head (who has an MBA from a major university), accountants, a personnel director, graphic artists, a purchasing agent, a project controller, technical writers/editors, and secretaries. Most of the people in the administrative staff are women. All are hourly employees except the staff head, personnel director, and project controller. The graphic artists and technical writer/editor are part-time employees. The facilities staff is composed of the staff head and maintenance personnel. EL is housed in three different buildings, and the primary responsibility of the facilities staff is to ensure that the facilities of each building are in good working order. Additionally, the facilities staff is often called on to remodel parts of the buildings as the staff continues to grow. EL anticipates a major recruiting campaign to enhance the overall staff. In particular, it is looking for more technicians and engineers. Prior to this recruiting campaign, however, the president of EL hired an outside consultant to assess employee needs as well as the morale and overall effectiveness of the firm. The consultant has been observing EL for about three weeks and has written up some notes of her impressions and observations of the company.

Figure 6.11 Electro Logic Organization Chart President Chief Financial Vice President Officer Administration Facilities Engineering Department Fabrication Department Team Team Team Team Team Team Team Team #1 #2 #3 #4 A B C D Table 6.6 Engineering Titles and Requirements Title Requirement Member of Technical Staff BSEE, MSEE Senior Member of Technical Staff PhD, MSEE with 2 years of industrial experience; BSEE with 5 years of industrial experience Research Engineer PhD with 2 years of industrial experience BSEE or MSEE with 7 years of industrial experience Research Scientist PhD with appropriate experience in research Senior Research Scientist PhD with appropriate industrial and research experience