While innovation has always been the lifeblood of any

economic system, the forms this notion takes today may seem confusing.

These new design regimes require to collectively support Creative

reasoning which strongly destabilize the traditional représentations we

have of known objects and organizations.

C-K theory was born in Management Science Lab of Mines ParisTech

in a modeling effort the activities undertaken in innovative design

processes. The prospect of a better understanding of the characteristics

of design led to the development of formal and practical aspects of

C-K theory. If the theory is now established in the academic world and

applied in a variety of industrial contexts, it had not yet been presented

to a wider audience.

This book presents briefly some elements of theory illustrated by examples

as well as tools and methods that have been developed jointly by

researchers and their industrial partners.

« This book abstracts away from the mathematical foundation of C-K to provide

a broader audience with a map to the world of innovation, competitiveness and

their management afforded by C-K theory and its derived tools and methods. For

the first time in English, readers have in one place a comprehensive concise

summary of the basic ideas of C-K theory situated in the history of other theories

and perspectives, and the diverse interprétations of C-K ideas for supporting and

managing innovation. »