Chapter 14: The challenge of performing research which will contribute helpful engineering knowledge concerning emergence

This chapter discusses the nature of research which is required to provide knowledge of emergence that is useful to engineers in the conduct of engineering work. The discussion begins with three elements which form the foundation of the argument: the contrast of the purposes of engineering and science and the different perspectives of knowledge associated with those purposes; the diversity of views on “emergence” and an argument for working with one definition; and an outline of a framework for classifying the objectives of research activities associated with the kind of knowledge that is needed. These foundations are used to evaluate a number of approaches to research in engineering to assess the contribution that the research approaches make to discovery of matters associated with emergence. The research approaches considered are case studies, forensic investigations, post hoc and experimental studies, fundamental theoretical studies and contributions to the engineering task. These approaches instantiate different research purposes and therefore, naturally will be associated with different methods. The previous analysis is discussed in the context of the nature of research published in response to the imperatives presented to faculty by the career measures of success to explain the current emphasis on what is investigated and the limitations for engineering in that focus. In the final section an approach for addressing the issue of emergence in engineering is presented which leads to a brief statement of a desirable outcome of research into emergence conducted with a view to assisting the practice of engineering.