Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-zzh7m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T04:23:06.928Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Measuring Systems Engineering and Design Thinking Attitudes

Part of: User-Centred Design

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2019

Melissa T. Greene ,
Richard Gonzalez  and
Panos Y. Papalambros

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Systems engineering and design thinking have been widely seen as distinctly different processes, systems engineering being more data-driven and analytical, and design thinking being more human- centred and creative. We use the term ‘design thinking’ to encompass the plurality of human-centered design processes that seek to unpack the core values behind design decisions. With the increased awareness that both systems engineering and design thinking need each other, the effects of a possibly persisting distinction on engineers’ attitudes toward these two processes are not well understood. In this paper, we describe the development and validation of a scale for measuring individual attitudes about systems engineering and design thinking. Thematic analysis of engineering and design literature is used to derive a Likert scale reflecting these attitudes. We use exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to test and confirm this two-factor thematic representation, resulting in a 9-item Systems Engineering and Design Thinking Scale measure of attitudes.

Keywords

Design cognitionDesign engineeringHuman behaviour in designMulti- / Cross- / Trans- disciplinary processesSystems Engineering (SE)
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society: International Conference on Engineering Design , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , July 2019 , pp. 3939 - 3948
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2019

References

Brown, T. and Katz, B. (2011), Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation, Harper Business.Google Scholar
Brooks, JM, Carroll, JS and Beard, JW, (2011). “Dueling Stakeholders and Dual-Hatted Systems Engineers: Engineering Challenges, Capabilities, and Skills in Government Infrastructure Technology Projects.” IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Vol. 58 No. 3, pp. 589–601. Available at: http://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2010.2058858.Google Scholar
Checkland, P. (1981), Systems Thinking, Systems Practice, John Wiley & Sons, West Sussex, England, UK.Google Scholar
Checkland, P. and Scholes, J. (1999), Soft Systems Methodology in Action, John Wiley & Sons, West Sussex, England, UK.Google Scholar
Darrin, M.A.G. & Devereux, W.S., (2017). “The Agile Manifesto, Design Thinking and Systems Engineering.” In Proceedings of the 2017 Annual IEEE International Systems Conference (SysCon). pp. 1–5. Available at: http://doi.org/10.1109/SYSCON.2017.7934765Google Scholar
Davidz, H.L., Nightingale, D.J. and Rhodes, D.H. (2004), “Enablers, Barriers, and Precursors to Systems Thinking Development: The Urgent Need for More Information”, Proceedings of the International Conference on Systems Engineering/INCOSE.Google Scholar
Dym, C.L., Agogino, A.M., Eris, O., Frey, D.D. and Leifer, L.J. (2005), “Engineering Design Thinking, Teaching, and Learning”, Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 94 No. 1, pp. 103–120.Google Scholar
Frank, M. (2012), “Engineering Systems Thinking: Cognitive Competencies of Successful Systems Engineers”, Procedia computer science, Vol. 8, pp. 273–278. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050912000580.Google Scholar
Greene, M.T., Gonzalez, R., Papalambros, P.Y. and McGowan, A.R. (2017), “Design Thinking vs. Systems Thinking for Engineering Design: What's the Difference?”, Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering Design, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.Google Scholar
Harvard Business Review (2015). The Evolution of Design Thinking. September 2015 Issue. Available at https://hbr.org/archive-toc/BR1509.Google Scholar
Holwell, S.E. (1997), Soft Systems Methodology and its Role in Information Systems, Ph.D. Dissertation, Lancaster University.Google Scholar
Hu, L. and Bentler, P. (1999), “Cutoff Criteria for Fit Indexes in Covariance Structure Analysis: Conventional Criteria versus New Alternatives”, Structural Equation Modeling, Vol. 6, pp. 1–55.Google Scholar
Kline, R. (2010). Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling (3rd ed.). Guilford Press, New York, NY.Google Scholar
Marsh, H.W. (1993), “The Multidimensional Structure of Physical Fitness: Invariance over Gender and Age”, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, Vol. 64 No. 3, pp. 256–273.Google Scholar
McGowan, A. R., Daly, S., Baker, W., Papalambros, P. Y. and Seifert, C., (2013). “A Socio-Technical Perspective on Interdisciplinary Interactions During the Development of Complex Engineered Systems.” In Proceedings of the Conference on Systems Engineering Research, Atlanta, GA, Mar 19-Mar 22, 2013.Google Scholar
McGowan, A.-M.R., Bakula, C. & Castner, R.S., (2017). “Lessons Learned from Applying Design Thinking in a NASA Rapid Design Study in Aeronautics.” In 58th AIAA/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference. Available at: http://doi.org/10.2514/6.2017-0976Google Scholar
Pennock, M.J. and Wade, J.P. (2015), “The Top 10 Illusions of Systems Engineering: A Research Agenda”, Procedia computer science, Vol. 44, pp. 147–154. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050915002690.Google Scholar
Pidd, M. (1996), Tools for Thinking: Modelling in Management Science, Wiley, Chichester.Google Scholar
Rhodes, DH, Lamb, CT and Nightingale, DJ., (2008). “Empirical Research on Systems Thinking and Practice in the Engineering Enterprise.” Proc. of the IEEE International Systems Conference, Montreal, Canada, April 7-10, 2008.Google Scholar
Schon, D.A. (1982), The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action, Basic Books, New York.Google Scholar
Shatz, I., (2017). “Fast, Free, and Targeted: Reddit as a Source for Recruiting Participants Online.” Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 35 No. 4, pp. 537–549. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439316650163Google Scholar
Souza, J. & Barnhöfer, U., (2015). “Design Thinking: It's the Flare that Adds Another Dimension to Systems Engineering.” Insight, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 25–27. Available at: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/inst.12044Google Scholar
Williams, C. and Derro, M. (2008), “NASA Systems Engineering Behaviour Study.”, NASA Office of the Chief Engineer, Washington, DC, USA.Google Scholar
Worthington, R., & Whittaker, T. (2006). “Scale Development Research: A Content Analysis and Recommendations for Best Practices.” The Counseling Psychologist, Vol. 34, pp. 806–838.Google Scholar