Sometimes a college professor publishes a new book and sometimes one gets a new academic posting, but a professor in the University of Illinois’s College of Engineering hit the daily double on both counts. Raymond L. Price, the William H. Severns Professor for Human Behavior and a member of the department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering was recently appointed to be co-director of the Illinois Foundry for Innovation in Engineering Education (iFoundry) and his new book The HP Phenomenon: Innovation and Business Transformation recently arrived in bookstores to favorable reviews. Price, an expert on technical innovators and how to make organizations more effective in supporting them is an essential member of both the iFoundry community and the College of Engineering and his recent accomplishments highlight his skills and creativity.
Price has served as an iFoundry fellow since the program began in 2008. His involvement has included the advancement of successful group work, strong team building and opportunities to expand leadership skills. iFoundry, an incubator for engineering education transformation, currently has 75 freshman engineering students from all engineering departments as well as over 30 faculty and staff members working to promote an overall education that teaches engineers to be multi-talented, interdisciplinary, and effective in an era demanding of continual innovation and creativity. To learn more about iFoundry, visit here.
“iFoundry’s influence is around what needs to be done with our students to make them successful in the 21st century and to make them as effective as we’d like them to be,” Price said. “It really builds and brings to life undergraduate education and works towards innovation and creativity.”
Price shares the title of iFoundry co-director with Professor David E. Goldberg. The pair has worked together for over a decade. Goldberg says, “Ray brings a rare combination of real-world insight and scholarly acumen to iFoundry and engineering education transformation. His experience and theories have shaped iFoundry’s core intellectual principles and his management skill and experience continues to shape the kind of organization that iFoundry is becoming.”
Price also serves as the College of Engineering’s William H. Severns Chair for Human Behavior. Bob Severns created the title to honor his father, William Severns, who had worked as an engineering professor at the university. The position is an unusual one for an engineering school, but the chair is awarded to an individual with organizational behavior education and experience who can help engineering students further their understanding of human behavior, which Severns believed was necessary for a successful engineering career.
“I think that Bob Severns would want the changes that iFoundry is trying to bring about,” Price said.
Price’s book, The HP Phenomenon, was also released last week. The book takes a closer look into how Hewlett Packard renewed itself over the seven decades since its founding in 1939. Price, who co-authored the work with legendary former HP engineer Chuck House, analyzed how the Hewlett Packard company encouraged and handled six major transformations over time, while most corporations only undergo one or two major changes, if any. Both Price and House have worked for HP.
“The organization, philosophy, and leadership that was in place allowed innovators to think and do work in a consistent way,” Price said. “It allowed innovators to transform the company, had engineers interacting directly with customers, and allowed innovators to get their ideas heard by senior management to make a huge difference in the company.”
Price believes a successful career involves a rigorous education for an innovator but says that finding an organization that fosters creativity and allows for growth is also essential. “If employees have the ability to navigate and understand politics of the organization they would be able to interact in a powerful way,” said Price.
To read more about Professor Price’s new release, The HP Phenomenon, visit here.
