Design Theory and Collective Creativity: A Theoretical Framework to Evaluate KCP Process
Year: 2009
Editor: Norell Bergendahl, M.; Grimheden, M.; Leifer, L.; Skogstad, P.; Lindemann, U.
Author: Le Masson, Pascal; Hatchuel, Armand; Weil, Benoit
Series: ICED
Section: Design Methods and Tools
Page(s): 277-288
Abstract
KCP method is a new method for collective creative design. To evaluate and position this method in the constellation of other collective creativity method, we propose an integrated framework based on a general theory of innovative design reasoning, C-K theory. The approach led us to identify four main dimensions of a collective creativity method: 1- cover the whole conceptual potential of the initial concept, 2- involve and support people in a rule-breaking process, 3- enable relevant knowledge activation, acquisition and production, 4- manage collective acceptance and legitimacy of rules (re) building. We show that collective creativity methods have been proposed and are today improved to address these issues. We show that no one of these methods is able to combine dual expansion on both social and cognitive perspectives. We have shown that the KCP method can address all four dimensions. This performance comes from the fact that this method contrasts with classical creativity techniques, insofar as 1- it insists strongly on knowledge sharing and 2- the design reasoning is strongly oriented by the organizers when they propose the C-projectors.
Keywords: C-K theory, collective creativity, brainstorming