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The IDeaLaboratory Needs Assessment of Today’s Industry Professionals La Verne Abe Harris, PhD, CSIT Arizona State University

Abstract

Industry professionals from organizations such as Motorola, Intel, Boeing, and Honeywell participated in a needs assessment survey through the IDeaLaboratory at Arizona State University to determine the innovation needs of today’s industrial organizations.1 The model of the IDeaLaboratory follows the Polytechnic campus outcomes of Pasteur’s Quadrant –– applied research.2 Students become an integral part of the innovative thinking, discovery, learning, and assessment processes, because they become engaged in the design and technology research and solutions, just as they would in a corporate or government working environment. The IDeaLaboratory is interdisciplinary and content-independent. It is both a research and entrepreneurial unit. This paper addresses the roles that higher education, industry professionals, and organizational culture play in fostering innovation in organizations.

I. Introduction

Knowing how to think creatively and innovatively to evaluate and solve industrial problems has a direct relationship to the sustainability of economic growth in American and international businesses in the 21st century. What good is it to develop products, processes, and services that are of little value to society? What role should higher education play in the molding of the future industry professional? What do design and technology professionals need today to become more successful in their jobs? What does the organizational culture need to do to foster inventive thinking? The roles that higher education, industry professionals, and organizational culture play in inventive thinking and problem solving were addressed in a survey that originated from Arizona State University’s IDeaLaboratory.1

The IDeaLaboratory is an interdisciplinary human-factor and usability engineering innovation laboratory at Arizona State University. The IDeaLaboratory fosters innovative thinking skills and problem-based learning that can be applied to real world industrial and engineering problems. It also assesses whether the technology-based solutions are successful or whether the innovator needs to go back to the drawing board. It was established to meet the need for innovative problem solving for university students, educators/trainers, and industry professionals. IDeaLaboratory partners include organizations, such as Motorola, Boeing, Intel, Honeywell, and google.com.

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Harris, L. V. A. (2006, June), The Idealaboratory Needs Assessment Of Today's Industry Professionals Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--256