Influences related to time allocation of R & D supervisors

Four basic areas of possible influence have been investigated and found to bear some relationship to an engineering supervisor's allocation of time: the individual himself, in terms of his personal job interests and desires; his perception of his superior's desires in terms of time allocation; a set of role and task requirements manifest in his perception of how he ought to spend his time; and several structural characteristics of the organization. A clearer understanding of how an engineering supervisor allocates his time, in light of these pressures, would seem to be important if progress is to be made toward the more efficient utilization of engineering and scientific personnel.