Preventing Disputes with Empathy

Abstract

The engineer can prevent future disputes and failed engineering projects by employing a design strategy that incorporates empathy in all professional matters. The empathetic view can prevent disputes by considering the possible harm suffered as the result of engineering decisions. In this paper, we discuss how empathy can be a part of the design process, and we use a case study to show how the lack of empathy resulted in a failed engineering design. We propose that when the empathetic view becomes part of the engineering process, disputes can be avoided rather than resolved.