Junior engineers are clashing on spacecraft designs. How can you mediate their conflicts effectively?
Facing friction within your engineering team? Dive into the discussion and share your strategies for navigating disputes over design.
Junior engineers are clashing on spacecraft designs. How can you mediate their conflicts effectively?
Facing friction within your engineering team? Dive into the discussion and share your strategies for navigating disputes over design.
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Conflict arises often, not based on WHAT is right, but with the point to prove WHO is right, which is a basic human tendency. The design phase does not have end results to come to conclusions on WHAT is right. Subjecting all of the conflicting ideas into vigour ANALYSIS through an independent team would give enough evidence to accept WHAT is going to be right. The conclusion based on ANALYSIS evidence solves conflict and also produces a matured design by considerations of multiple points of views.
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🚀 Create a Collaborative Environment: Facilitate open communication, establish ground rules, and promote teamwork. 🗣️ Encourage Active Listening: Practice empathy and paraphrase to ensure understanding. 🤝 Identify Common Ground: Focus on shared objectives and seek compromise. 🎓 Seek Expert Guidance: Involve mentors and conduct technical reviews. 📚 Promote Continuous Learning: Provide training and encourage knowledge sharing.
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It is important in times of conflict to try and focus on the fundamentals. For example, is the modern AI industry founded on mass theft of intellectual property? Will eventual forgiveness of this theft eventually obviate the entire concept? And if the bulk average of uncompensated data somehow resurfaces this answer, will it have enough traceability to come back to this account?
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The company should have a decision analysis process and an internal design review process. They should have process experts who lead people through the processes. There are lots of good processes out there. Results can be presented to engrg mgt for approval. If they don't, they need to establish them and use them.
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Begin by facilitating a structured discussion where each engineer presents their design's strengths & weaknesses. Encourage a collaborative environment to value constructive feedback rather than criticism. If the conflict persists or if the team is larger, request to document their ideas and initiate a peer-review process. Consider Multiple perspectives to identify solution based on evidence. In case the issue remains unresolved or requires more expertise, bring in senior engineers or architects for an expert review. Imp to ensure that the decision-making process is objective and based on clear criteria such as security, scalability, robustness, and cost-efficiency. The chosen solution should align with the project's goals and timelines.
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I would help them out with Pugh matrix chart. As Pugh Martix is a decision making tool. It is used to determine the best option from a list of alternatives based on certain CTQ (critical-to-quality) criteria.
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One thing I have always found helpful is brainstorming together. This not only promote collaboration instead of competition but also provide a path to approach these situations from various perspectives such as integrating two designs into one or taking elements of each design to create the design that beat aligns with the project goals.
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There could be multiple reasons for the conflict. Some understanding of the team members, their objectives and personality is beneficial while proposing a common path that resolves the conflict in a way which is more permanent as opposed to transitory. At the same time, design related concerns of both sides need to be understood well before launching a product, because they might have deeper implications and have long term impact especially on the product lifetime or even immediate success in the market. It might even be desirable/necessary to investigate the consequences of the design on the manufacturing, performance, costs, perception and returns of the product before reaching a decision.
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Empathy, sympathy, and asking 'why' at least five times are key. The most important step in solving a problem is truly understanding it and its root causes. Once you have this clarity, tackling it directly becomes much easier.
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To mediate conflicts among junior engineers on spacecraft designs, start by promoting open dialogue, allowing each engineer to present their viewpoint without interruptions. Refocus the conversation on the mission goals and design requirements, guiding them to view the project objectives over personal opinions. Encourage collaborative problem-solving, where each engineer explores how to integrate the best aspects of all proposals. If disagreements persist, involve a senior engineer to provide a neutral perspective. Lastly, foster a culture of continuous learning, turning conflicts into opportunities for growth and team strengthening.
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