TOOL TO SUPPORT THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS

This article indicates the need to create innovation in the economy. The innovative process is closely related to creative management, including methods of creative problem solving. The presented tool to support the use of creative problem solving methods (in particular inventive creation methods) is aimed to design and implement innovative solutions. The described tool supports the selection process of methods and enables fast application of the method. The tool was designed based on literature research and a repeated case study. A case study consisted of 3 stages: creativity research, creative sessions using the inventive methods, and development of guidelines for the construction of the tool to support the design and implementation of innovative solutions. The study included manufacturing and service companies in southern Poland. The tool (in the form of a database of inventive methods) has been positively verified. The conducted verification was held according to the adopted scheme in the repeated case study. However, the methods used to generate innovation have been selected by using the application process of the tool supporting selection of inventic methods.