Sources of Ideas for Innovation in Engineering Design

Ammon Salter () and David Gann
Additional contact information
Ammon Salter: SPRU, University of Sussex, http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/
David Gann: SPRU, University of Sussex, http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/

No 74, SPRU Working Paper Series from SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School

Abstract: This paper explores the sources of ideas for innovation in engineering design. The paper shows that engineering designers involved in complex, non-routine design processes rely heavily on face-to-face conversations with other designers for solving problems and developing new innovative ideas. The research is based on a case study and survey of designers from Ove Arup & Partners, a leading international engineering consultancy. We examine the role of different mechanisms for learning about new designs, the motivations of designers, problem solving and limits to designers' ability to innovative. We explore how the project-based nature of the construction sector shapes the ways in which designers develop new ideas and solve problems. We suggest that among the population of designers in Arup, there are a number of different design strategies for innovating and that these can have important implications for how design is managed. We locate our approach in the research on innovation in project-based firms, outlining patterns of innovation in firms that survive on the basis of their success in winning and managing projects.

Keywords: engineering design; innovation; tacit knowledge; project-based firms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D83 O31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 39 pages
Date: 2001-12-01
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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