Recent theories of creative thinking propose that the generation of creative ideas by design novices and experts is restricted by the emergence of intuitive cognitive biases. To overcome these biases and explore expansive solutions, biased ideas must be discriminated from those with creative potential. Although studies in the field of reasoning have shown that biased participants tend to detect an incongruency between their provided solutions and the expected solution, the use of conflict detection in creativity has never been studied. Two experiments were conducted to determine the extent to which conflict detection occurs during creative idea generation and whether this mechanism is available for design novices (Experiment 1) and/or experts (Experiment 2). The results indicated that both groups of participants detected their fixation bias and managed to overcome it by switching from intuitive to deliberate thinking. In addition, we discussed implications for popular current (dual process) models.

In traditional industries, such as the automotive industry, incumbents must draw on big data and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies by designing AI-embedded systems integrated into their end products. While such systems are predominantly presented as paving the way for new knowledge explorative approaches, traditional industry incumbents may face challenges integrating such disruptive technology in their optimized new product development processes. Hence, this study investigates the extent to which incumbents innovate through the design of AI-embedded systems—either via explorative or exploitative strategies—by focusing on the case of the automotive industry. It employed a sequential explanatory mixed-method design and a knowledge search theoretical framework. A quantitative analysis of 46,145 patents from the top 19 traditional companies to identify AI and non-AI patents revealed that firms primarily rely on knowledge exploitation when designing and integrating AI-embedded systems, surprisingly fostering innovativeness. Complementary qualitative insights reveal that big data and AI technologies are integrated into the industrialization phase of new vehicle development, per a creative problem-solving patch. Notably, this study's findings reveal the technical and organizational challenges limiting data-driven innovation, thereby paving a way for more technologically original innovation with big data and AI.

In this study, we examine innovative design practices on the Saint-Nazaire Airbus factory shop floor. The engineering and manufacturing engineering departments are in charge of the design of products and their industrialization, even though the factory is usually seen as a place for manufacturing, rather than design. However, there is also design activity in a factory that is devoted to the optimization of manufacturing processes. In this study, we highlight an alternative form of design that relies on a collective exploratory approach. A total of 30 projects from the Saint-Nazaire Airbus factory were selected and analyzed. Of these, two were selected as case studies to illustrate the factory’s different design methods. Subsequently, quantitative analysis provided evidence of the existence of two design regimes: closed prescription and expandable prescription. The resulting solutions were examined, and it was found that designs under the expandable prescription regime provided more robust long-term solutions. This study offers new perspectives for reexamining innovation in manufacturing and exploring design activity on factory shop floors.

This paper aims to investigate how the digital transformation of the insurance sector has impacted its Back Office function, and how the evolution of the core Claims Administrator profession affects the larger service production process. Our work seeks to confront the established organizational design literature of customer interaction-based activities, with more recent literature on major contexts of service disruption, such as digital transformation and the Covid-19 pandemic. The study is founded on empirical data obtained from semi-structured interviews with Back Office practitioners from three large insurance firms based in France, which was analyzed using an inductive qualitative content methodology. The paper identifies three key results: 1) the multi-dimensional impacts of digital transformation have caused a paradigm shift for the professionals of the BO function; 2) the brutal and unforeseen nature of 2020 and 2021 nationwide Covid-19 lockdowns did not translate into specific transformations of the BO function but accelerate the pre-existing ones from digital transformation implementation (mainly, on resources and tools Management; training and structure); 3) the evolution of the BO function is marked by a shift towards a new dual customer interaction model that significantly transforms the insurance sector’s service production process model.

The paper studies the institutionalization of a new domain of expertise dedicated to the exploration of the unknown in two established French technological firms with strong organizations of experts. The research is built in a comparative qualitative longitudinal research partnership with Renault (global car manufacturer) and SNCF (national railway company). This research highlights 4 main results: firstly, experts of radical innovation management are experts at managing the unknown in industrial contexts and breakthrough innovation strategic issues, wielding tools, and methods for breakthrough exploration. Secondly, experts of the exploration of the unknown support the other experts to explore the unknown. In this way (third result) this domain emergence highlights a new kind of interaction between innovation and expertise that (last result) cements breakthrough exploration capability as a strategic field.

Les urgences hospitalieres francaises sont sous tension alors qu’elles “ont jusqu’ici fait la preuve d’une forte resilience face a l’accumulation des difficultes” (Cohen et al., 2017) etroitement liees au vieillissement de la population. Dans ce contexte, la Chaire de philosophie a l’hopital et l’agence de design les Sismo ont soumis une proposition fin 2018 a l’appel a projet de la Caisse Nationale de Solidarite pour l’Autonomie intitule “Design social : handicap et perte d’autonomie”. Le projet retenu a pour ambition de s’interesser a la maniere dont le design peut apporter du soin (au sens de care) aux urgences (institution du cure par excellence) dans le cadre d’un proof of care ©. Suivant la meme approche que Lenay et al. (2019), nous nous interessons a la double question du soin apporte (1) par les artefacts mis a l’epreuve lors de l’experimentation (POC) et (2) par la demarche de conception. Pour repondre a ces questions, nous nous appuyons sur la vulnerabilite et les capacites, deux notions cles de l’ethique du care (Nussbaum, 2007 ; Sen, 2010; Tronto et Maury, 2009). Cette etude nous apprend que : (1) les artefacts en situation d’usage permettent de reduire la vulnerabilite des individus en developpant leurs capacites et revelent des formes de vulnerabilites nouvelles, (2) la demarche de construction d’artefact permet de developper les capacites cognitives et sociales des collectifs et provoquer des effets de re-theorisation de l’ethique du care et du design.

AbstractThe literature on design distinguishes between exploration-based experimentation and validation-based experimentation. This typology relies on an assumption that exploration and validation cannot and should not be performed simultaneously in the same experimentation. By contrast, some practitioners, such as les Sismo, propose that proof of concept might combine these two logics. This raises the question of what design logic might enable this type of combination of exploration and validation. We first use design theory to build an experimentation design framework. This framework highlights a typology of proof logics in experimentation related to proof of the known and proof of the unknown. Second, we show that these proof models are supported by les Sismo's cases and describe a diversity of arrangements of exploration and validation mechanisms: sequential, parallel, and combinational. Through the formalisation of proof of concept as a double proof (proof of the known and proof of the unknown), we show that proof of concept can be more than a tool for the go/no-go decision by gradually validating propositions, questioning the relevance of propositions, and discovering new propositions to be investigated and tested.

The paper studies the emergence of unknown domain of expertise in an established French technological firm with a strong organization of experts. The research is built on a quantitative and qualitative longitudinal research partnership with Renault (global car manufacturer). This research highlights 4 main results: Firstly, in the case of an industrial company like Renault, it took around 29 years to constitute the first domains of expertise, but since then, new domains have been formalized in just a decade. In the case of emergent domains of expertise, we do not yet know how long will be needed for them to be fully institutionalized. In this way (second result), external peer's community can acknowledge the expertise of a company, and not only of an expert. Thirdly, all the experts in industries are not strategic and exact & experimental scientific or technical expert, they can also be experts in social sciences, and strategic for the other experts instead of just for the company. Finally, research collaborations are a way to create and reinforce a domain of expertise, both for an expert and for the company.

Pendant la pandemie de la Covid-19, de nombreux produits de sante se sont trouves en tension voire en penurie. Dans cet article, nous examinons comment la preuve de concept (POC) peut soutenir la conception d’une resilience organisationnelle proactive et reactive. Une double etude de cas – celle de la penurie des pousse-seringues electriques et celle des dispositifs d’aide respiratoire –, montre que les POC, en tant qu’outils d’apprentissage collectif sur le connu mais aussi l’inconnu, permettent aux organisations de sante de developper des capacites de resilience. Ainsi, menees de maniere proactive, les POC permettent d’organiser l’exploration collective dans l’inconnu et aider a reveler cet inconnu, tandis que de maniere reactive, les POC permettent de federer les acteurs et leurs initiatives autour d’une action collective et reduire rapidement les “inconnus residuels”.

AbstractFor the past 5 years, more and more established technological firms have structured domain of expertise dedicated to breakthrough innovation management, in order to foster their innovative capabilities. Our paper studies how such expertise may be organised to identify and exploit more effectively new design paths. Our case study is based on the Renault's experts who demonstrate how the design theories could support the firm's innovation capabilities through an exploration partnership. The conclusion presents new co-exploration models and proposes organisations of the expert's activities.