Viewpoint: Change for Integrated Circuit Designers – keeping pace for a healthier career

It’s a wonderful time to invest energy in both if we are lucky enough to participate. However, we are human beings not automatons and consequently don’t instantly move in the direction of change when required. It takes us time to assimilate information, make suitable decisions, and move forward.

Psychologists talk about “Cognitive Dissonance” which is the discomfort a person may feel when their behaviour doesn’t align with their values or beliefs. A simple example of this is: I want to be healthy but I don’t exercise regularly nor eat a healthy diet, or perhaps more relevant to our industry, I want to be a brilliant designer but I don’t keep up with the state of the art.

Of course none of us live with internal conflict, otherwise we would suffer from anxiety or worse. We get around Cognitive Dissonance by justifying our behaviour.

In our designer example, “I want to be a brilliant designer, but I don’t keep up with the state of the art because I don’t have enough hours in the day to learn.” Despite our justification, a nagging voice at the back of our mind throws us back in the mire, so what do we do? Well we could discuss with our boss or work colleagues about improvements to our design methodology, after all efficiency is high on everyone’s mind.

Providing we have a good working relationship with our managers and colleagues, such conversations aren’t difficult and in many cases welcome. Consequently, we ought to foster good working relationships with all colleagues so that we and they are receptive to new ideas.

Technology isn’t the only thing that is changing. People management techniques are changing to keep pace with technology. Here lies the most significant challenge.

Back at Plessey’s in the 90s, one of the engineering managers introduced the “Delivery contract”. The Delivery contract required a detailed calculation of the  complete investment over the entire life cycle of a product. Additionally, all contributing teams committed to key milestones. The milestones were determined after careful project management and in close collaboration with the said teams.

I remember resisting the procedure, because I felt there was too much administration, despite administrative resources at my disposal.

I agonised over the process internally, while I implemented the process. Several months after the process introduction, I realised that one of the things we were doing wrong as a company, was the lack of a detailed business case analysis before embarking on product development. The delivery contract process addressed this head on, so my Cognitive Dissonance was resolved. But it took me months to reach this point. With hindsight, I think more data was needed during the introduction of the Delivery contract.

If I am honest with myself, my resistance was a reaction to change. I was used to project management and product development using the existing Plessey process and simply didn’t want the change because it meant doing things differently.

Newton’s third law states, “To every action and there is an equal an opposite reaction.” A well known law for Physics, but I wonder if it applies equally well to human nature. So if someone pulls us in one direction, we pull back in the opposite direction.

Human beings are generally resistant to change and there is plenty of material on the internet on change management. Experts talk about empathy and a better understanding of human behaviour before initiating change processes. Equally, I think we, as designers, ought to be familiar with our biases and be prepared to embrace change when required by circumstances. Change isn’t a fashion. It is necessary.

I asked Harriet Green (right) how she coped with change. She kindly wrote back with the following inspirational five-step process:

“I’ve had to remind myself quite a bit lately that change is really the only constant! Everything seems to change even when I thought it was a firm or a solid part of my life and I have been using these approaches that I have written about many times before to help not just cope but get the best of the changes.

1. Focus on what I can control and park other things in ‘worry later’ or ‘worry not at all, you can’t fix this’ buckets
2. Take time for me and really seek out the things I love doing and the people who bring energy and joy into my life
3. Give myself some credit and a big self-hug when I make progress and take another little mountain
4. Remembering that the transitional phase is only temporary, and it too shall pass
5. Inspired by this website – tiny buddha – I admit that I had nerves about the situation to others around me, and it was the first step to feeling at peace within my new adventure

“Of course, challenges and unexpected things happen. But as you deal with them with a defined purpose, your thinking stays within the present rather than thinking ahead, worrying, and giving yourself unwanted stress.”

Self-honesty is perhaps the first step to resolution of internal conflict, as we embrace the change in our industry.

There is plenty of data to justify the required change and, rather than implementing Newton’s third law, we ought to pause and reflect. Let the ideas gestate, while we explore the concepts further.

I am always curious to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Author

A veteran of 37 years in the Analog Integrated Circuit Design industry, Ash Madni continues to contribute to the rapidly changing world of Microelectronics. He has worked for a number of big companies, such as Ferranti, STL, GEC Plessey Semiconductors, Maxim Integrated, Dialog Semiconductors, to name a few. He has also worked in startups, such as Phyworks.

During his tenure at GEC Plessey Semiconductors, Ash raised over 20 patents, including Synthesis Exploiting Algebraic Design, which was used successfully in a number of products. Ash is currently running his consultancy, Madni Technologies (UK) ltd.

For relaxation he enjoys walking and spending time with his wife, daughters and grandchildren. He is also active as a published composer and has started his first Sci-Fi horror novel Transmutation – ‘The Rise of Hemonra’.

See also: Viewpoint: British Integrated Design Companies – My personal experience