Role conflict in design supervision

It is noted that managers planning to implement a CAD (computer-aided design) system concentrate most of their effort into technical analysis. Although some investigation is made into user participation and training, little attention is apparently paid to examining wider organization impacts. In particular, the role of the first-line supervisor in design can be fundamentally eroded when relationships change because of new technology. The authors report on the findings of some preliminary case studies of organizations with CAD systems, looking particularly at the supervisor role and its relationship with the CAD manager role. A revised organizational structure is proposed, in which the role of the lead designer takes over much of the traditional supervisor role, thereby overcoming many of the problems seen in existing organizations