HUM-3157
Professional Ethics and Environmental Protection
Lecture 5: Inter-professional Relationship and Ethics
Topics Covered:
• Importance of teamwork in engineering projects.
• Ethics of collaboration across different engineering disciplines.
Learning Outcomes:
• Recognize the importance of inter-professional ethics in engineering.
• Apply ethical principles in collaborative work.
A. Teamwork in Engineering Projects
Definition of Teamwork: Collaboration among individuals to achieve a
common goal.
Why Teamwork Matters:
o Complex projects require diverse skill sets (e.g., software
development, hardware integration, testing).
o Encourages innovation through brainstorming and shared
knowledge.
o Ensures accountability and ethical responsibility in project
outcomes.
Professional Ethics and Teamwork:
o Ethical obligation to contribute fairly and respect colleagues'
contributions.
o Importance of communication, transparency, and trust in
teams.
o Avoiding conflicts of interest and ensuring collective
responsibility.
Challenges in Teamwork
Common Challenges:
o Miscommunication or lack of communication.
o Unequal distribution of workload.
o Conflicts arising from differing opinions or work styles.
Ethical Implications:
o Failing to address conflicts can lead to project delays or
failures.
o Ignoring team members' contributions violates professional
ethics.
o Ethical engineers must prioritize collaboration over individual
gains.
B. Ethics of Collaboration Across Different Engineering Disciplines
Collaboration across engineering disciplines is essential in today’s
interconnected world. Projects often require expertise from computer
science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and more.
However, such collaborations raise ethical challenges, including
communication gaps, conflicting priorities, and accountability issues.
Professional ethics in computer science and engineering (CSE) demand
that engineers prioritize integrity, transparency, and respect for diverse
perspectives when working in interdisciplinary teams.
Key Ethical Principles in Interdisciplinary Collaboration
1. Respect for Expertise: Each discipline brings unique knowledge.
Ethical collaboration requires acknowledging and valuing these
contributions without undermining others' expertise.
2. Transparency and Communication: Miscommunication can lead
to errors or ethical lapses. Clear documentation, honest dialogue,
and shared goals are critical.
3. Shared Accountability: In interdisciplinary projects, responsibility
for outcomes must be collective. Blaming others for failures is
unethical.
4. Conflict Resolution: Disagreements are inevitable. Ethical
collaboration involves resolving conflicts respectfully and
professionally.
5. Bias and Fairness: Engineers must avoid biases (e.g., favoring their
own discipline) and ensure fair treatment of all team members.
Challenges in Interdisciplinary Collaboration
• Differing Priorities: For example, a computer scientist may
prioritize algorithm efficiency, while a mechanical engineer may
focus on hardware durability.
• Terminology Barriers: Jargon from one discipline may not be
understood by others, leading to misunderstandings.
• Ethical Dilemmas: For instance, should a team prioritize cost-
effectiveness (business ethics) or user safety (professional ethics)?
Real-Life Case Study
Case Study: Therac-25 Radiation Therapy Machine (1980s)
Background: A software-controlled radiation therapy machine caused
fatal overdoses due to a software bug.
Root Cause: Poor teamwork and communication between software
engineers and hardware engineers.
Ethical Failure: Lack of collective responsibility and failure to test the
system thoroughly as a team.
Outcome: Multiple patient deaths and a major scandal in the engineering
community.
Questions for Discussion
Based on Bloom's Affective Domain:
Level 2 (Responding):
Question: How would you feel if you were part of a team where one
member consistently failed to contribute?
Level 3 (Valuing):
Question: Why is it important to value every team member's contribution
in an engineering project?
Level 4 (Organizing):
Question: How would you organize a team to ensure ethical practices and
effective collaboration in a software development project?
