Global Design: innovative curricula towards global collaboration

Increasingly design teams are engaged in distributed global working in either synchronous or asynchronous time modes. Such scenarios present diverse workplace challenges with regard to communication, coordination and collaboration. Distributed design teams occupy both physical and virtual environments, and project managers must address issues relating to trust, unrealistic or inequitable expectations, cultural diversity, challenging logistics and unusual group dynamics. Differing work methods and behaviour may result in inter-team rivalry, misconceptions and unintended consequences with regard to project intent, processes and outcome. Tools, teams and environments must be carefully structured and managed to realise the potential strengths of global distributed design. Contributing to the Erasmus Mundus Global Innovation Management course, the 'Global Design' unit addresses global product design and team management, where concurrent or sequential activities occur with responsibilities shared amongst distributed teams with limited informal interaction or social connectivity. In the design projects international Masters students at University of Strathclyde, Glasgow collaborate with design and engineering students from Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne (in asynchronous mode) and the University of Malta (in synchronous mode). Students utilise strategic methods, work cooperatively and manage workloads, responsibilities and product design development across cultural, language and time constraints. The experience gained in global distributed working is invaluable, and students develop understanding of societal, economic and environmental impacts of globalised design, manufacturing and distribution. This paper describes curricula that focuses on processes and tools for global product design and development, and prepares students for non-traditional work environments and practices. Opportunities exist for development of new global synergies of understanding and cooperation, leading towards sustainable, responsible and equitable global product development. The authors (visiting Erasmus Mundus academic fellows) joined the course in its second year, contributing with lectures, studio teaching and curriculum development.