Citation:
Baxter, D., El-Enany, N., Varia, K., Ferris, I. and Shipway, B. 2009. Investigating innovation practices in design: creative problem solving and knowledge management. In Roy, R. and Shehab, E. (eds.) Competitive design: proceedings of the 19th CIRP design conference, 30-31st March 2009, Cranfield, UK, pages 396-403. Cranfield: Cranfield University.
Abstract:
This paper describes a case study investigating two key aspects of innovation practice in an engineering
company: creative problem solving (CPS) and knowledge management (KM). CPS methods offer benefit to
organisations in developing novel solutions and improving operations. This research identified the key
factors in applying CPS methods from the literature, and compared the creative practices of one engineering
organisation with three creative organisations. KM practices can support the sharing and reuse of innovative
practices and creative outcomes. A central conflict in adopting KM is codification vs. personalisation. This
issue is discussed with reference to a KM framework proposal.
