A meta-model for communication in engineering design

This paper seeks to address different ways of conceptualising communication – a mechanistic and a systemic view. The views are considered complementary rather than exclusionary. A meta-model of how communication in engineering design can be conceptualised to analyse communication issues in industrial practice is proposed. The model combines an information-centred view reflecting the exchange of information with interactional and situational aspects. It is intended to provide the backbone of an audit method with which the current (‘as-is’) as well as the desired (‘to be’) communication situation in a company can be diagnosed. The conceptual meta-model for communication in engineering design presented here is part of a wider research project that aims at assessing the current and the desired communication situation in design teams by raising awareness and providing a platform for reflection.
Keyword: Luhmann,communication,complexity,product development,communication audit,Shannon,design,systems theory