Philosophy of Design

Success of an industrial research and development organization depends not only upon the ability and intelligence of its members and on the effectiveness of their organization. Equally important is a proper working philosophy as the guide to action for each individual and for the group as a whole. The development engineer must deal with nature in a most imperfect state where theory is frequently hidden from sight by the complexity of interactions involved. Problems with which he wrestles are usually too complex for exact analysis. Experience teaches the development man things which his intellect would never have told him. He learns the proper balance between daring and caution, idealism and realism, theory and practice. His way of thinking must be pragmatic in character, based upon an evaluation of risks and the probabilities of a given situation.