Humility as a Professional Engineering Asset: An Analysis of Humble Behaviour in the Australian Engineering Workforce

Abstract

Engineers are an integral part of solving key social, environmental and technical challenges faced at local, domestic and international levels. These problems require engineers to work collaboratively across diverse knowledge, experience, cultures and background. Achieving productive collaboration requires enhanced interpersonal skills, attributes and attitudes in areas such as communication, empathy and teamwork. While the importance and prevalence of these in engineering has been studied, the entwined trait of humility has not. Humility is a practice that promotes positive relationships, accountability, communication and authentic collaboration. This thesis investigates experiences and perceptions of humility in the Australian engineering workplace. Qualitative interviews of mid-career engineers were coded thematically, revealing humility is an important aspect of workplace relations. Numerous prevalent behaviours of humility emerged, including seeking and valuing others' perspectives, admitting fault, shared decision making and showing appreciation. These humble behaviours help build trust, respect and rapport with colleagues and clients, positively impacting workplace relationships and activities. Behaviours and their associated contexts were analysed through two developed themes: humility's role in modulating power relations, and its interconnectivity with care. This exploratory study demonstrates humility is a valuable yet invisible part of professional engineering practice in Australia that requires greater attention. Humility is an exciting avenue for further study and consideration in tertiary and industry environments to promote positive collaboration and workplace relationships. Show more