‘Nudging’ roughly translates as ‘giving a nudge’ and describes an approach from behavioural science. It does not involve forcing people to behave in a certain way through bans or regulations. Instead, small, carefully targeted prompts help to subtly steer decisions or actions in a desired direction. One example is organ donation: countries where citizens are registered as organ donors by default and must actively opt out achieve significantly higher consent rates than countries with an opt-in system. This illustrates just how strongly the choice of a default setting can influence behaviour. It is just one of the examples from Prof. Nikola Bursac’s inaugural lecture on the topic of “Behavioural Methodics in Agile Product Development: How Small Nudges Can Have a Big Impact”.
In his lecture, Bursac described how this effect can be harnessed. In an academic context, one would assume that engineers think and act analytically. However, it has been shown that better results are achieved when problems or concerns are specifically addressed within product development teams. A few, targeted “nudges” can help to increase the rate at which targets are met and improve communication within development teams in the long term.
Smart methods for the product development of tomorrow
With his research approach, Bursac also set out the key priorities of the ISEM Institute for Smart Engineering and Machine Elements at the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), which he heads. In his lecture, he emphasised the value of interdisciplinary collaboration, practice-oriented research and an open culture of learning and making mistakes: “At ISEM, we place people at the heart of product development. After all, the best technologies emerge from curious, motivated people who understand technological interrelationships, think creatively and develop solutions together. Nudging shows that often even small impulses are enough to trigger major changes. It is precisely this interplay between technology and human behaviour that we at ISEM wish to explore further and translate into industrial practice,” said Nikola Bursac.
Designing complex systems with a human-centred approach
The inaugural lecture was moderated by Prof. Dieter Krause (TUHH) and attended by guests from the worlds of academia, business and personal acquaintances. The event began with a welcome address by Prof. Kristin Paetzold-Byhain, President of the Design Society. She paid tribute to Bursac’s international academic network and his role in co-organising the ICED conference in 2027. The President of Hamburg University of Technology, Prof. Andreas Timm-Giel, highlighted the significance of Bursac’s research for the university’s profile. Prof. Roland Lachmayer, Managing Director of the Scientific Society for Product Development, then contextualised Bursac’s work within the broader context of advancements in product development. Finally, his doctoral supervisor, Prof. Albert Albers from IPEK at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), provided personal insights, tracing the career path of his former doctoral student.
Finally, Clemens Birk from the machine tool manufacturer Trumpf provided a practical perspective with his talk ‘Agile leadership in challenging times: How ten years of emergency rescue work have shaped my approach’. Before joining the Technical University of Hamburg, Bursac also held various management positions at Trumpf, where his responsibilities included the ‘Model-Based Design’ division and research projects on human-centred design of complex systems. He began his academic career at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where he studied mechanical engineering and obtained his PhD. He has received numerous awards for his achievements in research and teaching, including the 2025 Hamburg Teaching Prize. In addition, he serves as chair of the VDI Advisory Board for “Product Development and Project Management” and of the VDI Hamburg Regional Association.
In future, Prof. Bursac and his team will be able to expand their research into agile product development at the new Agile Design Lab (ADL). At the same time, they will be able to integrate this research with methods such as field experiments, observations and causal-analytical designs from Prof. Tim Schweisfurth’s Institute for Organisational Design and Collaboration Engineering (ODCE). Together, they will generate insights that would otherwise not be possible in either an engineering laboratory or a business laboratory alone. The ADL was officially opened following the lecture at the Palmspeicher in Harburg’s inland port.
Further information: https://www.tuhh.de/isem/willkommen
