Identification and assessment of behavioural competences in multidisciplinary teams within design projects

Abstract

In the technological area, there is a tendency of higher complexity of products. It is essential to the industry to have professionals capable of creating innovative concepts and ideas. The demand for employees with different disciplinary and cultural backgrounds able to collaborate efficiently in multidisciplinary and multicultural contexts is increasingly higher. Universities and companies aware of this have created programmes to prepare students for this demanding setting. The Danish audio designer and manufacturer Bang & Olufsen created the Conceptual Design and Development of Innovative Products programme where students from seven European universities work in an industrial setting for three weeks on the company’s headquarters in Struer, Denmark. The programme is characterized by an intensive schedule, team-oriented activities and problem-based learning methodology with a multidisciplinary and multicultural approach. It aims to provide students with a better understanding across different technical backgrounds while, at the same time, develop new products and concepts for the company. Currently, the programme does not provide means to evaluate the students’ competences growth and evolution and, with this specific purpose a methodology was created and applied in the 2011 and 2012 edition of the programme abridging students from several editions to assess their perceptions regarding their competence development during the programme.