Coordination in Mechatronic Engineering Work

Abstract

This paper shows that little has been written on the roles that people actually perform in the course of mechatronics engineering work. The paper reports empirical results of interviews with several engineers working in mechatronics: this is part of a larger study of engineering work in several disciplines. The paper argues that coordinating the work of other people is the most significant working role, both in mechatronic engineering and also other engineering disciplines. This role has not been explicitly identified before. While coordination appears to be a generic nontechnical role, close examination reveals that technical knowledge is very important for effective coordination in engineering work. The coordination role is not mentioned in engineering course accreditation criteria. The absence of explicit references to this role in previous literature suggests that the research methods used for this study could provide better guidance for engineering educators on course requirements.