Work values, conflict, and team cooperation among engineering designers

ABSTRACT

Engineering designers are crucial for, and primarily drive, corporate research and development innovations. Therefore, this study explored the relationships among the work values, team conflicts, team relationships, loyalty, and team cooperation of engineering designers. A questionnaire survey was conducted to analyse cooperation- and conflict-related factors that affect team operation. In addition, a cooperation–conflict conceptual model was proposed to not only determine how and why the relationships between designers and hiring firms affect designer team cooperation, but also offer specific and practical suggestions. The major contributions and results of this study are as follows. First, this study analysed and explained why the values of designers and teams positively affect team cooperation. Second, this study categorised research and development teams according to the proposed model into four types, namely practical and rational, experienced and efficient, harmonious and trustful, and institutional and authoritative. Finally, strategies and measures for improving the effectiveness of team cooperation were proposed for each type of team.

KEYWORDS:

• Team cooperation
• team conflict
• work values
• engineering designer

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.