The Influence of Communication Modes Among Cross-Functional Research and Developmen Teams Regarding Design Knowledge Integration

• Main Authors: Ya-Jing Tung, 董雅菁
• Other Authors: Wen-Dih Yeh
• Format: Others
• Published: 2006
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/70771945620595889248

碩士 === 大同大學 === 工業設計學系(所) === 94 === In today’s modern technological society, most companies’ R&D teams are established on a cross-functional basis, in order to promote the R&D performance of new products, and to reduce the time and cost involved in product design and R&D. These cross-functional R&D teams may be formed by members with different educational and professional backgrounds. How will the divergence between the design knowledge of different fields affect members’ communications? Which communication mode will be best able to facilitate knowledge exchanges, in order to achieve effective integration of team members’ information and knowledge during the processes of product design and R&D? This study therefore aims to examine the “effect of communication mode on design knowledge integration in a cross-functional R&D team”, based on three factors: “cross-functional product R&D teams”, “communication modes”, and “design knowledge integration”. The results would then be used to identify the best method for integrating the design knowledge across different departments of a cross-functional R&D team, based on the most common communication mode used, and subsequently, to achieve the best team performance. Hypotheses were established based on the study framework, following analysis of past literature and data. Then questionnaires were revised after interviews with the study subjects, who were mainly industrial designers from different cross-functional R&D teams. Lastly, discussions were then carried out on the effects generated from the interaction of different communication modes versus design knowledge integration in accordance with the subjects’ particular departments. The results show that the communication frequency rankings of industrial designers with various departments in a cross-functional R&D team were, as presented from high to low: R&D, Marketing, Manufacturing, Industrial Design, and Other Departments. When communicating with members of a product R&D team, the “same-time-same-place mode” was most frequently used, while when communicating with members of the manufacturing department, the “different-time-different-place mode” was most often used. Depending on the various corporate structures, most industrial designers participated in a cross-functional team on a fixed basis, and their knowledge exchange also had a more positive effect than did other participation modes. The results indicate that in a cross-functional R&D team, industrial designers’ overall condition of communication and knowledge exchange, tended to have a positive effect; discussion of design knowledge tended to take a written or graphical form (that is, in physical form); and teams have a positive attitude towards the promotion of knowledge exchange.