In my 5th year of Mechanical Engineering , I am required to complete a Senior Design class. This class requires students to design a mechanism or a process to help with research or product development. I worked on a confidential design for Boeing to improve their marketability and thus help them to sell the airplanes that they build. Through the Honors Program, I decided to take this experience a step further, and record some team interactions across our cross-functional group.
This class was my first in-depth experience working with a group of DAAP students who are mostly pursuing their Master degrees in design. I was extremely curious to see how team interactions with "artsy" types would differ from my plethora of experience working with individuals possessing a technical background.
I won't make you read through my whole study to find the answer to this question though! There's absolutely no difference between working with engineers and designers once I got to know my team. Certainly, our brains have been programmed by the different educational systems to think differently, but ultimately we are all human beings who tend to act a certain way in groups. Some of us are very adept at working in teams, and others struggle. Some are natural leaders who are comfortable taking responsibility, and some are not. Though these things are neither good nor bad, they are realities that I believe I have discovered in my own way.
Feel free to peruse my observations and reflections below!
This class was my first in-depth experience working with a group of DAAP students who are mostly pursuing their Master degrees in design. I was extremely curious to see how team interactions with "artsy" types would differ from my plethora of experience working with individuals possessing a technical background.
I won't make you read through my whole study to find the answer to this question though! There's absolutely no difference between working with engineers and designers once I got to know my team. Certainly, our brains have been programmed by the different educational systems to think differently, but ultimately we are all human beings who tend to act a certain way in groups. Some of us are very adept at working in teams, and others struggle. Some are natural leaders who are comfortable taking responsibility, and some are not. Though these things are neither good nor bad, they are realities that I believe I have discovered in my own way.
Feel free to peruse my observations and reflections below!
honorsleadershipjournal.docx | |
File Size: | 19 kb |
File Type: | docx |