For courses in creativity and innovation for engineers. Emphasizing the Importance of Innovation and Creativity for Engineers This first edition of Introduction to Creativity and Innovation for Engineerswas primarily designed for engineering students interested in acquiring knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) that will help them be more creative and innovative. While intended primarily for engineering students, the widely applicable principles, ideas, tools, and methods introduced will also be useful for practicing engineers and as well as members of other disciplines. The text argues for a "whole-brain" approach to the study of engineering, using neuroscience as a foundation. While the left brain (logical and analytic) is essential to the study of engineering, the author believes that engineering students and practitioners will be more successful if they learn to also engage in more right brain processing (intuitive and emotional). Similarly, they should draw on knowledge of conscious and subconscious thinking and view the brain as a muscle that can be continuously strengthened. Building on that "Neuroscience 101" foundation, the text prepares future and current engineers to work smarter-either as individuals or within teams and organizations-by generating and developing new ideas. The nine chapter structure uses clear objectives, many examples, and numerous exercises to explicate its methods, ultimately enabling students and practitioners to realize that they're already capable of creative - innovative thinking. They only need to apply the 20 methods described in the book to unlock their brain's natural capabilities and then produce creative-innovative results for their benefit and for the benefit of others.

A guide to systems engineering that highlights creativity and innovation in order to foster great ideas and carry them out Practical Creativity and Innovation in Systems Engineering exposes engineers to a broad set of creative methods they can adopt in their daily practices. In addition, this book guides engineers to become entrepreneurs within traditional engineering companies, promoting creative and innovative culture around them. The author describes basic systems engineering concepts and includes an abbreviated summary of Standard 15288 systems’ life cycle processes. He then provides an extensive collection of practical creative methods which are linked to the various systems’ life cycle processes. Next, the author discusses obstacles to innovation and, in particular, how engineers can push creative ideas through layers of reactionary bureaucracy within non-innovative organizations. Finally, the author provides a comprehensive description of an exemplary creative and innovative case study recently completed. The book is filled with illustrative examples and offers effective guidelines that can enhance individual engineers’ creative prowess as well as be used to create an organizational culture where creativity and innovation flourishes. This important book: Offers typical systems engineering processes that can be accomplished in creative ways throughout the development and post-development portions of a system's lifetime. Includes a large collection of practical creative methods applicable to engineering and other technological domains Includes innovation advice needed to transform creative ideas into new products, services, businesses and marketing processes Contains references and notes for further reading in every section Written for systems engineering practitioners, graduate school students and faculty members of systems, electrical, aerospace, mechanical and industrial engineering schools, Practical Creativity and Innovation in Systems Engineering offers a useful guide for creating a culture that promotes innovation.

Creativity is playing an ever more important role in the success or failure of organizations in the global competitive economy. The field of engineering is no exception. The objective of this book is to satisfy this vital need, which has been covered very little elsewhere.The book, which assumes no prior knowledge, will be useful to many people including all kinds of professional engineers, engineering managers, graduate and senior undergraduate students of engineering, and researchers and instructors in engineering, psychology, and business administration. At the end of each chapter there are numerous problems to test readers' comprehension. The book also includes a comprehensive list of references directly or indirectly related to creativity in engineering.

Developing students’ creative problem-solving skills is paramount to today’s teachers, due to the exponentially growing demand for cognitive plasticity and critical thinking in the workforce. In today’s knowledge economy, workers must be able to participate in creative dialogue and complex problem-solving. This has prompted institutions of higher education to implement new pedagogical methods such as problem-based and case-based education. The Handbook of Research on Creative Problem-Solving Skill Development in Higher Education is an essential, comprehensive collection of the newest research in higher education, creativity, problem solving, and pedagogical design. It provides the framework for further research opportunities in these dynamic, necessary fields. Featuring work regarding problem-oriented curriculum and its applications and challenges, this book is essential for policy makers, teachers, researchers, administrators, students of education.

Creativity is like an iceberg - the resulting new idea, or novel solution is only 10% of the effort. The other 90% is the complex interplay of thinking skills and strategies, personal and motivational properties that activate these skills and strategies, and the social and organizational factors of the environment that influence the creative process. Creativity in Engineering focuses on the Process, Person, Product, and Place to understand when and why creativity happens in the engineering environment and how it can be further encouraged. Special Features: Applies findings in creativity research to the engineering arena Defines engineering creativity and differentiates it from innovation Discusses personality and motivational factors that impact creativity Clarifies the role of creativity in the design process Details the impact of thinking skills and strategies in creativity Identifies the role the organization and environment plays in encouraging creativity Discusses the 4P's of Creativity: Person, Product, Process, and Place Provides tactics and tools that will help users foster creativity in engineering environments Identifies how creativity results in innovative new solutions to problems Applies creativity research and knowledge to the engineering space

This book teaches readers the fundamentals of innovation and reduces them to practice in the context of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. It is a new, fresh look at learning and practicing innovation at the individual level, based on scientific knowledge and in the context of the 21st Century. The first chapter introduces the topic and describes the author’s perspective. Next, an overview of the 21st Century landscape and innovation is presented, as well as a discussion of positioning oneself to stay relevant and fulfilled during the course of one’s career. The third chapter teaches how to think creatively by learning the basics of creative thinking processes. The next chapter builds on creative thinking and describes innovation methods, including design, lateral, and systems thinking, and blue ocean strategies. Examples of organizations with a long history of innovation are presented, followed by ideas on measuring and tracking the innovativeness of organizations. The fifth chapter brings the concepts together to teach about launching an innovation project, particularly in the context of startups. The conclusion summarizes the takeaways. This book is written for engineering students and professionals, but can also be used by those in other disciplines by adapting the engineering analogies.

Engineers and technologists often operate from a worldview of "ones and zeros." The mission of this book is to interject the colorful world of creative thinking to help engineers and technologists learn to think and work differently. Thus, "idea engineering" becomes the driving force, transforming engineers and technologists into innovators and entrepreneurs, using case studies and anecdotes from first-hand experience. The material in this book is organized to take the reader through basic concepts and techniques of creative thinking and innovation, to better solve engineering and technological challenges. It provides an overall understanding of who, what, why, when, and how "idea engineering" can transform an individual and a company to formulate and apply the best possibilities. The target audience is university-level students and practitioners, especially upper division undergraduates and graduate students in engineering education, industrial engineering, engineering technology, science, and technology; and then engineering practitioners from an engineering, technology, or science background. It can be purchased individually as a text, professional trade or reference title, or accessed within a collection libraries and professional organizations would buy. In addition, the material in this book can supplement coursework in business, communication, management, and applied creative arts. As a core or supplemental text, it would make a great foundation for a one-credit course—or a part of any three-credit capstone design course or seminar—stressing creative thinking and innovation. It would also be a good overview for any layman interested in learning about creative thinking and innovation.