Innovation Engineering: The Skills Engineers Need to be Innovative

Abstract

Purpose

The main point of these analyses is to find out the skills and capabilities engineers should have in order to act successfully in the field of innovation.

Methodology/approach

The main approach is the identification of the profiles which are expected by the enterprises and companies from their engineers. The actual literature and scientific studies are screened in order to identify evidences for the characteristics of innovative engineers.

Findings

This study shows that professional, methodological, social, and personal competencies are important factors for innovation engineers in order to be successful in their professional life.

Practical implications

The final result of this analysis can be used as a guideline for universities and institutes of higher education to enrich their study courses in engineering with important elements of innovation engineering in order to fill the gap between the requested profiles of innovation engineers companies need and the profiles of university graduates.

Citation

Weissenberger-Eibl, M.A. and Kugler, F. (2014), "Innovation Engineering: The Skills Engineers Need to be Innovative", A Focused Issue on Building New Competences in Dynamic Environments (Research in Competence-Based Management, Vol. 7), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 219-246. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1744-211720140000007008