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Should engineers reassess their aims and ideals?

by Simon Longstaff

There is a risk that by the year 2000 the term 'professional' could be reduced to the status of mere window dressing, pinned on and stripped off as a matter of simple convenience.

This could be the result of a quiet revolution currently taking place in the way society perceives the professions. Just as more and more groups lay claim to the status of being professional, so too is there a growing tendency to reduce the real significance of that claim.

The most consistent definition of the professions is that they are made up of people who act in a spirit of public service. That is, professionals are supposed to put the interest of the community before self-interest or that of their professional colleagues.

Certainly the Association of Consulting Engineers Australia puts great emphasis on this and has it as number on in its Code of Ethics.

But some may argue that this is a tall order, and somewhat unrealistic, in a society that puts such great emphasis on competition in the market place and where self-interest is thought to be the driving force.

So why bother being a professional?

Traditionally, such a choice was generally thought to lead to a combination of status, wealth and power. But at best, wealth and power have only ever really been concentrated in the hands of a few in each profession.

On the other hand, society has acknowledged the status of the professions by allowing them certain privileges, including the right to carry out certain work forbidden to others and the right to self-regulation.

Examples of bad apples may be few and far between but, unfortunately, there is a perception in the community that self-regulation has condoned gross examples of unethical behaviour.

Yet, as society becomes more sophisticated, it is becoming increasingly reluctant to allow these privileges to continue, particularly as members of the professions are often seen to be self-seeking and abusive of the trust that society has given them.

And no profession is totally free from blame.

Medical practitioners have failed to respect the autonomy of their patients, lawyers have failed to distinguish between a client's interests and wants, and accountants have operated as 'guns for hire".

Engineers have sanctioned the application of sub-standard specifications, architects have allowed public spaces to be polluted and journalists have ignored the truth in favour of 'a good story".

As a result, there is a strong move in some sections of academia and government – especially the Trade Practices Commission – to call the professions to account, strip them of their privileges and treat them the same as everyone else in the service industry.

In short, a combination of market forces and normal patterns of regulation would be used to control the activities of those who run businesses in the law, medicine, engineering, etc.

I believe this is an extreme point of view and society would be better off to allow the present arrangements to stand, provided there is a mechanism by which professionals can be held accountable for delivering their side of the bargain.

In saying that, though, I believe the current debate is important not only for the professions but for society as a whole.

It is time for a deeper debate about the purpose of the professions in society, a time to call them to account and give them an opportunity to re-commit their aims and ideals to society as a whole.

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