Product design as a means of integrating differentiation

Abstract This paper examines some of the issues associated with the management of product design. It particularly focuses on the role of design within the context of concurrent engineering (CE). It is argued that segmentation and differentiation of tasks, roles and activities are the key inherent characteristics of organization. Approaches used to overcome some of the problems arising from such differentiation vary between organizations and industries. However, at the centre of all these approaches is the design of the ‘appropriate’ structure and the formation of multidisciplinary teams. This paper attempts to analyse the integrative role that multidisciplinary teams are said to play in the product design process and in the implementation of concurrent engineering, as a systematic approach to product design. The analyses and arguments presented in this paper are based on studies and observation of CE implementation in multinational organizations.