High quality-low cost solutions to R&D employee productivity issues: situational mediation

The author stimulates R&D managers and engineers to investigate and explore alternatives associated with R&D employee productivity issues. It is pointed out that managers and employees can use a mediator to design solutions that are sensitive to the intricate details and implementation problems of a particular situation. Training can acquaint the managers with general corporate policies and practices, general problems of engineers, and general aspects of employee development. This offers a good start in understanding some of what underlies each situation. Therefore, the mediation process develops an integrated understanding of the actual problem and factors involved. In all situations, what is most necessary is the encouragement for an engineer or manager to confront the `real´ problem, and achieve the satisfaction of handling it