“He’s Different, He’s Got “Star Trek ” Vision”: Supporting the Expertise of Conceptual Design Engineers

Abstract

This paper is based on a programme of research within the conceptual design department of a leading international aerospace company. An ethnographic approach was taken to study the creative behaviours and perceived barriers to creativity of engineers employed in this department. The research project comprised three phases incorporating four studies employing qualitative research methods. This paper draws upon the main studies which were the Tracking and Shadowing studies of Phase 2. A primary output of the research was the development of categories drawn from the data which exhibited barriers to creativity under micro (day-to-day experiences) and macro (larger organisational, strategic and global levels) conditions. Examples of engineers ’ experiences are presented to illustrate how the thirteen categories are derived from observations and interviews. Phase 3, the analytical phase, involved the development of a matrix to explain the complexity of interrelationships between the phenomena under investigation in relation to the conditions. The structure of this matrix is described in this paper. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implication