Speakers: Imoh Ilevbare
STIM Consortium 2022
Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge
Project overview: Breakthrough ideation and design through creative problem solving
Dr Imoh Ilevbare and Prof Nathan Crilly
Imoh Ilevbare: For this project, we will be building on work that we did last year. Primarily last year we were looking at understanding the challenges that organisations faced in trying to be more creative and trying to do so with well-known or perhaps well-thought through structures of problem solving or methods. Or approaches to problem solving. And in in this project this year we are taking that forward. We're taking some of the challenges we've seen, the ones that Professor Crilly and myself particularly are interested in, which we know we can work collectively or collaboratively with companies to add value. And we're trying to observe how these challenges are addressed or could be addressed in companies. This means that we are looking at understanding, together with companies, real cases of challenges they have, problems they have, which they need solving which they need solutions for. And also designing with them, the appropriate interventions. So companies need to, in this case with us, we like companies to collaborate closely with us, and we will be taking real issues they have and thinking through those real issues with them. While also learning what makes the solutions to those issues appropriate. So, for example, one of the things we're looking at is understanding really complex issues, complex problems and understanding problem spaces, especially those where the solution co-evolved with the understanding of the problems. So as you're trying to solve the problem, or understand the problem, the nature of the solution changes as you go through that thinking process.
How will participating companies directly benefit from being involved in the project?
Imoh Ilevbare: Participating companies will benefit from this project by virtue of a better understanding of what makes creativity work. Also in that will be thinking alongside them, and trying to work through how they are good creatively, but also for specific issues. How this problem might actually be solved. So thinking through the process with them and in some cases where there is mutual interest actually designing interventions and running those interventions with them. We think there's going to be good benefits for the companies that participate with us in these projects and they will get immediate benefits from it.
What are likely next steps after this project?
Imoh Ilevbare: Part of this project, of course, there will be a report where we will report our findings. None of the proprietary information from companies that collaborate will be the included in those findings of that report. We will communicate our understanding of particular challenges, especially of creativity and how one might overcome them. We would also forward to further collaboration with STIM member companies or whatever companies that collaborate with us and would like to learn a bit more or widen the scope of creativity and problem solving within their organisations, where there is mutual interest.
