From Novice to Expert: An examination into how a novice engineer within the pharmaceutical engineering industry gains the skills and acknowledgement of their abilities by other industry experts?

Fra Novice til Ekspert: En undersøgelse i hvordan noviceingeniører inden for medicinel-ingeniørindustrien opnår færdigheder og anerkendelse af deres evner af andre brancheeksperter?

Hewson, Brian Mark

4. term

Techno-Anthropology, Master

2015

2015-12-18

260

Hvordan bliver ingeniører tidligt i karrieren inden for farmaceutisk ingeniørarbejde anerkendt som fageksperter (SME'er, 'subject matter experts')? Dette studie undersøger SME'ers rolle i branchen samt de karriereveje og den professionelle uddannelse, der understøtter overgangen fra nybegynder til ekspert. Projektet udsprang af samarbejder med førende rådgivende virksomheder, som tydeliggjorde, hvor uigennemsigtige processerne for jobskabelse, rekruttering og kompetenceudvikling kan være. For at åbne denne 'sorte boks' indgik forskeren et samarbejde med ISPE's nordiske afdeling for at få adgang til praktiserende ingeniører og medlemsressourcer. Studiet bygger på kvalitative interviews analyseret med Grounded Theory, hvor begreber udvikles ud fra data frem for at påtvinge faste kategorier. For at nuancere forståelsen af de underliggende strukturelle forhold, som ingeniører og administratorer møder, anvendes elementer af aktør-netværksteori (ANT), der ser på forbindelser mellem mennesker, organisationer og teknologier, og teknologiens sociale konstruktion (SCOT), der undersøger, hvordan sociale forhold former teknologi. Målet er at kortlægge, hvordan ekspertise anerkendes og udvikles i farmaceutisk ingeniørarbejde, og at tydeliggøre vejene ind i ekspertroller.

How do early-career engineers in pharmaceutical engineering become recognized as subject matter experts (SMEs)? This study examines the role SMEs play in the industry and the career paths and professional education that support the transition from novice to expert. The project grew out of collaborations with leading consulting firms, which revealed how opaque job creation, recruitment, and development processes can be. To open this 'black box,' the researcher partnered with the Nordic Affiliate of the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers (ISPE) to gain access to practicing engineers and member-only resources. The study uses qualitative interviews analyzed with Grounded Theory, which builds concepts from data rather than imposing preset categories. To deepen the analysis of underlying structural issues faced by engineers and administrators, it draws on elements of Actor-Network Theory (which examines how people, organizations, and technologies are connected) and the Social Construction of Technology (which explores how social factors shape technologies). The aim is to map how expertise is recognized and developed in pharmaceutical engineering and to clarify pathways into expert roles.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

Expertise ; Novice ; Engineer ; Pharmaceutical ; Industry

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