The purpose of this chapter is to develop a conceptual model for Creativity, Invention, and Innovation (MCII) from a knowledge management perspective in the technical-vocational and interdisciplinary ecologies of practice. This chapter takes the form of a literature study regarding CII multiple knowledge-sharing issues. A methodological framework has been described in the introductory section of this chapter. The background of the study focuses on the general features of CII, highlighting needs and gaps in terms of teachers-engineers’ competence in promoting CII as new learning outcomes. The framework for the MCII focuses on the following main themes: theoretical views on CII issues; institutional and international collaboration; the construct of CII intelligence; teachers-engineers’ competence; and creative knowledge-sharing climate. The structure and the flow of the conceptual model are presented, followed by discussion, future research directions, and the conclusion.
TopIntroduction
With the rapid progress of globalisation and technology, Creativity, Invention, and Innovation (CII) are becoming major driving forces of competitive achievements of industry sectors as well as educational institutions. There are few records in current literature of how to produce strong ties with industry through business creativity support (for example, Badran, 2007), as well as designing a creative and innovative environment within current organisational and educational settings in Croatia (Šajeva, 2010; Martinka, 2006). The problem, therefore, relates in large measure to a missing link between businesses and schools.
In view of increased global competition and its focus on quality products and services, there is a need for schools to be innovative through producing professionals, for example, entrepreneurs or engineers who reflect highly innovative behaviour (Baum & Locke, 2004). In this sense, we aim to capture the challenge and excitement of entrepreneurial companies and their inspiring leaders who provide employees with an opportunity to understand the underpinnings of innovation (Tierney, Farmer, & Graen, 1999; Cardon, 2008). Effective learning means engaging and knowledge sharing in real-world environments; however, teachers-engineers in the technical-vocational setting in Croatia have no adequate support to sustain entrepreneurship initiatives. Only few companies foster innovations and stimulate entrepreneurship among employees in Croatia (Svoboda, 2006).
In order to create effective creative experiences, teachers-engineers have to be prepared. Educating teachers on CII issues is a starting point for the preparation of future innovators. Teachers as innovators have to be acquainted with emotions and feelings (Frigda, 1988; Russell & Barrett, 1999) as well as with analytical, creative, and practical intelligence discussed by Grigorenko and Sternberg (2001) which are beneficial in creative endeavours.
Teachers-engineers raise the performance expectations of learners and seek to transform learners' personal values and their concepts of CII in order to inspire them to higher levels of creative desires and aspirations. This, however, seldom leads to a viable commercial creation, as teachers are isolated from organisational institutions and other community stakeholders.
Teachers-engineers do not have sufficient pedagogical education on facilitating, sharing, transferring, and managing knowledge of CII, in the technical-vocational educational environment in Croatia, and they need to develop novel insight into the knowledge management of CII. Adequately managing knowledge of these exceptional capabilities offers entrance to an individuals’ ability to generate new knowledge, which can be made available to learners, institutions, and society as a whole. Thus, the full scope of teachers-engineers’ competence in terms of facilitating CII as learning outcomes is an issue to be clarified.
Teachers-engineers lack knowledge related to psychosocial aspects and skills in creating an appropriate climate for CII. In addition, there are unknown aspects of multicultural knowledge exchange between educators through international institutional collaborations. The problem is determining what changes have to be made in the ‘educational system’ of teachers-engineers to enhance their role in the knowledge management of innovation and invention skills as learning outcomes.
Our aim is to respond to these teaching issues by introducing some CII features in an original way and illustrating their logical connections in the form of a conceptual model. The model is based on wide theoretical perspectives highlighting international collaboration as its starting point in order to engage teachers-engineers so that they are motivated and productive in terms of facilitating CII as learning outcomes. The model could help the teachers-engineers to enhance their CII personal construct and knowledge management of CII, taking into account its novel structure and flow.