Creativity in Engineering: Novel Solutions to Complex Problems

Front Cover......Page 1
Creativity in Engineering......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
List of Figures......Page 12
List of Tables......Page 14
Foreword......Page 16
 Why is This Book Different?......Page 18
 Outline of Chapters......Page 19
 Acknowledgments......Page 21
 The Sputnik Shock......Page 24
 The Link between Creativity and Engineering......Page 28
 What is Creativity?......Page 29
 The Definition of Creativity......Page 30
 The Four Ps of Creativity......Page 31
 The Fifth P......Page 32
 Summary......Page 34
 The Economics of Creativity......Page 36
 Engineering and Engineers......Page 38
 Change......Page 39
 The Need for Creativity......Page 42
 Creative Engineering Problem Solving......Page 45
 The Oil Crisis of 1973......Page 47
  Oil Crisis—Solution Pathways......Page 48
  Oil Crisis—Technology Push and Market Pull......Page 49
 Case Study: Creativity and Innovation in Aerospace......Page 50
 Problem Solving and Creativity......Page 58
 Knowledge and Problem Solving......Page 59
 Problem Recognition......Page 60
  Finding Good Problems......Page 61
  Problem Awareness......Page 62
 Idea Generation......Page 63
 Idea Evaluation......Page 64
 Solution Validation......Page 65
 General Models of Creative Problem Solving......Page 66
  Other Models of Problem Solving......Page 68
  The Extended Phase Model......Page 70
 Engineering Problem Solving: Design......Page 72
  Engineering Design as Creativity......Page 73
  Engineering Divergent Thinking......Page 76
  Constraints and Design......Page 77
  Freedom versus Constraint......Page 78
 Engineering Models of Design......Page 79
4 Product: The Creativity of Things......Page 86
 What are Products?......Page 87
  External Indicators of Creative Products......Page 88
 The Fundamental Criteria of the Creativity of Products......Page 89
  Further Criteria of the Creativity of Products......Page 90
 The Hierarchical Organization of Creative Products......Page 91
  Situation versus Domain Relevance of Creative Products......Page 93
 Product Creativity as a System......Page 94
 Latent Functional Creativity......Page 96
 Measuring the Creativity of Products......Page 97
  Consensual Assessment......Page 98
  Rating Scales......Page 99
  The Creative Solution Diagnosis Scale (CSDS)......Page 101
 Summary......Page 108
5 Process: Generating Creative Ideas......Page 110
  Effortless Creativity......Page 111
  Blind Combinations......Page 112
  Luck......Page 113
  Intuition......Page 114
  Generating Variability......Page 115
  Divergent Thinking......Page 116
  Other Concepts of Novelty-Generating Thinking......Page 117
  Constructing Remote Associates......Page 119
  Building Unusual Categories......Page 121
  Building Broad Networks......Page 122
  Accommodating Rather than Assimilating......Page 123
 Using Creativity-Facilitating Cognitive Styles......Page 124
 Meta-Cognition......Page 126
  Avoiding the Wrong Approach Barrier......Page 127
 Measuring Divergent Thinking......Page 128
  Scoring Divergent-Thinking Tests......Page 130
  A Creativity Quotient?......Page 132
  Other Tests of Creative Thinking......Page 133
  The Test of Creative Thinking—Drawing Production......Page 135
  Tests Based on Problem Solving......Page 136
  The Prepared Mind......Page 139
  The Problem of Too Much Knowledge......Page 140
  The Unprepared Mind......Page 142
 Knowledge and Creativity......Page 143
  Knowledge as the Source of Ideas......Page 144
  Knowledge Defines What is Creative......Page 145
  Generating and Exploring Variability......Page 146
  Prerequisite Models......Page 148
  The Super-Ordinate Ability Approach......Page 149
  Style Models......Page 150
 Summary......Page 152
6 Person: The Who of Creativity......Page 154
 The Search for the Creative Personality......Page 155
  Thought Disorders......Page 156
  Mood Disorders......Page 157
  The Line between Normal and Abnormal......Page 159
 Studying Personality and Creativity: Methods......Page 160
  Case Studies......Page 161
  Occupational Creativity......Page 162
 Studying Creativity and Personality: Results......Page 163
 Personality-Facilitating Traits......Page 164
  Openness......Page 165
  Motivation......Page 166
  Intrinsic Motivation......Page 168
  Preference for Complexity......Page 170
  Feelings and Emotions in Creativity......Page 171
 The Dynamics of Personality and Creativity......Page 172
  A Cause-and-Effect Relationship?......Page 173
  Personality as a Compelling Cause......Page 174
  The Common Source Explanation......Page 175
 The Paradoxical Personality......Page 176
 A Dynamic System......Page 177
 Diagnosing the Creativity of People......Page 178
 Psychological Dimensions of Creative Potential......Page 179
  Personality and Potential......Page 180
  Activity and Productivity......Page 182
  Attitude and Potential......Page 184
  Multifaceted Approaches to Diagnosing Creativity......Page 186
  Using Assessment of Personal Creativity......Page 187
 Summary......Page 190
7 Press: Creativity and the Role of the Environment......Page 192
 The Social Environment......Page 193
  A Social Approach to Creativity......Page 194
  Ethical Aspects of Creativity......Page 195
 The Social Definition of What is Creative......Page 197
  The Problem of Changing Standards......Page 198
  The Social Definition of Who is Creative......Page 199
  The Effect of the Amount of Creativity......Page 200
  The Effect of Kind of Creativity......Page 201
  The Social Influence on the Content of Creative Behavior......Page 203
 Motivation: The Social Nature of the Creative Impulse......Page 205
  Social Motivation and Creativity......Page 206
  Society, the Individual, and Creativity as a System......Page 207
  Social Mechanisms that Encourage or Discourage Creativity......Page 210
  Socially Assigned Roles and Creativity......Page 214
  The Problem of Facing Organizations......Page 216
  Organizations as the Site of Creativity......Page 218
  A Broad Understanding of “Organization”......Page 219
  The Congenial Environment......Page 220
  Assisters and Resisters......Page 222
  Institutional Climate......Page 223
 Creativity and Gender......Page 224
  Stereotypes of “Male” and “Female”......Page 225
  The Paradoxical Personality Revisited......Page 228
 Groups and Creativity......Page 230
  Downstream Consequences......Page 232
  Tests of Organizational Conditions......Page 233
 Summary......Page 238
8 Innovation: Exploiting Creativity......Page 240
 Defining Innovation......Page 241
 Understanding Innovation......Page 243
 The Innovation Phase Assessment Instrument (IPAI)......Page 244
 Summary......Page 249
9 Creativity Training......Page 250
 Can Creativity Be Taught?......Page 251
 The Effectiveness of Creativity Training......Page 252
  The Effect of Creativity Training......Page 254
 Why Do We Need to Teach Creativity?......Page 255
 What Abilities Need to Be Trained?......Page 256
  Developing the Creativity Habit......Page 257
 Domain-Specificity and Creativity Training......Page 259
  Creativity in Different Domains......Page 260
 General Approaches to Creativity Training......Page 261
 Fostering Creativity in Individual People......Page 262
  Inculcating What Was Not Previously There......Page 264
  Eliminating Blockers......Page 265
 Specific Creativity-Facilitating Techniques......Page 267
  Creativity Tools......Page 269
  Formal Training Programs......Page 275
  Popular Training Programs......Page 277
10 Embedding Creativity in Engineering Education......Page 280
 The Problem......Page 281
 Stakeholder Perspectives......Page 283
  The Overspecialization Problem......Page 285
  The Pseudo-Expertise Problem......Page 286
  The Lack of Knowledge Problem......Page 288
 Benefits of Creativity in Education......Page 290
 Fixing the Problem......Page 291
  General Principles......Page 293
  Curriculum Objectives......Page 296
  Levels of Understanding......Page 298
  Model Syllabus......Page 300
  Curriculum Implementation......Page 301
  Teaching Plan......Page 302
  Assessment Guide......Page 309
  Assignment A—Plank Exercise (10%)......Page 310
  Assignment B—Egg Exercise (15%)......Page 312
  Assignment D—Project Exercise (60%)......Page 313
 Summary......Page 314
 Concluding Remarks......Page 315
References......Page 318
Index......Page 338