A study of creativity in technology and engineering

Innovation is the creation of new products, processes and services, and their acceptance in the market. Creativity is central to the innovation process. Creativity has been the subject of intense multi-disciplinary research and a huge volume of academic literature exists on the subject. It has been studied from many perspectives, such as psychology, psychometrics, cognitive science, aesthetics, design research, and management. This study focuses on creativity in technology and engineering and the management thereof. In this paper a conceptual framework of creativity is proposed that attempts to unify and synergize much of what is known about creativity. Three case studies of recognized creative engineers were conducted to investigate their creative behaviours. The findings were used to test the theory of creativity and specifically the validity and utility of the proposed conceptual framework in an engineering environment. It was found that the most important dimensions of creativity in an engineering environment, particularly during product design and development, are technical challenges, a conducive environment for creativity, personnel that is studious and has high self-efficacy and that are able to think both lateral (right-brain) and analytical (left-brain). This research has value for the management of creativity in technology and engineering. The framework as presented here can be a useful tool to structure and manage creativity in a technology-based organization.